Staff Software Engineer - Payments Platform

Relha LLC; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Short-term incentives

Health insurance

Accident insurance

Life insurance

Access to development platforms

Job summary

Western Union is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead payments platform modernization across NA and LACA. You will design and implement AWS-based microservices using Java/Spring Boot, architect cloud-native data solutions with PostgreSQL, Aurora, and DynamoDB, and drive AI-assisted development and observability.

This role combines technical depth with business impact in a hybrid work environment. You will mentor teams, shape platform modernization strategies, and ensure secure, scalable

Qualifications

• 6+ years of software engineering with focus on security, reliability, and observability.
• 6+ years building cloud-native apps and microservices with Java/Spring Boot.
• 6+ years deploying solutions on AWS and cloud-native platform architectures.
• 2+ years designing event-driven architectures.
• 1+ years working with PostgreSQL, Aurora, DynamoDB and distributed caching.
• 1+ years leading platform modernization and legacy transformation initiatives.
• 2+ years containerization, CI/CD, observability, and infra automation.
• 2+ years building highly available, low-latency distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with AI coding agents for development acceleration.
• Experience in Payments/FinTech or high-volume transaction processing.
• Experience supporting multi-region/global-scale platforms.
• Experience with Kafka or similar messaging platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead payment platform modernization initiatives across NA and LACA regions.
• Design, build, and modernize apps, workflows, internal tools, APIs, and platform services.
• Transform legacy platforms into AWS-based microservices using Java/Spring Boot.
• Architect cloud-native data solutions with PostgreSQL, Aurora, DynamoDB.
• Build distributed caching with Redis/ElastiCache and related tech.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate requirements into scalable solutions.
• Apply AI to accelerate development, testing, and observability.
• Establish telemetry to measure adoption, performance, and business outcomes.
• Review AI-generated code for security, privacy, compliance, resilience, and quality.
• Develop reusable engineering patterns and guardrails for AI-native development.
• Foster experimentation and outcome-driven engineering; provide technical leadership.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

AWS

Event-driven architecture

Cloud-native

Microservices

Observability

AI-assisted development

Security

Reliability

Kafka

CI/CD

Containerization

Distributed systems

Tools

PostgreSQL

Aurora

DynamoDB

Redis

ElastiCache

Valkey

Job description

Staff Software Engineer - Payments Platform

As a Staff Software Engineer at Western Union, you will help accelerate our platform modernization journey across North America (NA) and Latin America & Caribbean (LACA). Leveraging AI coding agents and modern engineering practices, you will build, modernize, and improve applications, internal tools, workflow automations, and platform capabilities that solve real customer, agent, operational, and business challenges. This role focuses on delivering measurable outcomes by combining technical expertise, AI-assisted development, and a deep understanding of business needs.

You will drive the transformation of legacy platforms into scalable, secure, cloud-native solutions, leading the design and delivery of AWS microservices, cloud data platforms, distributed caching solutions, and event-driven architectures. Working closely with engineering, product, operations, and business stakeholders, you will help deliver reliable, high-performing platform capabilities that improve operational efficiency, support business growth, and enhance customer experiences across the region.

In this role, you will:

Lead payment platform modernization initiatives across North America (NA), Latin America, & Caribbean (LACA) regions.

Design, build, and modernize applications, workflow automations, internal tools, APIs, and platform services using AI-assisted engineering practices.

Transform legacy payment platforms into AWS-based microservices leveraging Java, Spring Boot, APIs, event-driven architecture, and cloud-native design patterns.

Architect and implement cloud-native data solutions using PostgreSQL, Aurora, DynamoDB, and related technologies.

Build and optimize distributed caching solutions using Redis, Valkey, ElastiCache, or similar technologies.

Partner with business, product, operations, risk, compliance, architecture, QA, and customer care teams to translate requirements into scalable solutions from concept through deployment.

Apply AI to accelerate software development, testing, documentation, observability, code quality, and engineering productivity.

Establish telemetry and monitoring capabilities to measure adoption, performance, reliability, customer experience, and business outcomes.

Drive secure, reliable, scalable delivery by reviewing AI-generated code and designs against enterprise standards for security, privacy, compliance, resilience, and quality.

Develop reusable engineering patterns, reference architectures, prompts, and guardrails that advance AI-native and cloud-native development practices.

Foster a culture of experimentation, continuous improvement, and outcome-driven engineering.

Provide technical leadership and mentorship across modernization, cloud migration, microservices, caching, and database transformation initiatives.

Basic Qualifications

6+ years of experience applying software engineering best practices with a focus on security, reliability, scalability, observability, and operational excellence.

6+ years of experience developing cloud-native applications and microservices using Java and Spring Boot.

6+ years of experience designing and deploying solutions on AWS (Azure, other cloud), including microservices and cloud-native platform architectures.

2+ years of experience designing event-driven architectures

1+ years of experience working with cloud databases (PostgreSQL, Aurora, DynamoDB) and distributed caching technologies (Redis, Valkey, ElastiCache).

1+ years of experience leading platform modernization and legacy transformation initiatives.

Preferred Qualification

2+ years of experience with containerization, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and infrastructure automation.

2+ years of experience designing highly available, low-latency, and resilient distributed systems.

1+ years of experience leading platform modernization and legacy transformation initiatives.

Hands‑on experience using AI coding agents or AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software delivery and modernization efforts.

Experience in Payments, FinTech, Banking, Remittance, or other high-volume transaction processing environments.

Experience supporting multi-region or global-scale platforms.

Experience using Kafka or similar messaging platforms

Workplace Option

HYBRID - Western Union values in‑person collaboration, problem solving, and ideation whenever possible. We believe this fosters common ways of working and supports how we execute initiatives for our customers. The expectation is to work from the office a minimum of three days a week.

You will also have access to short‑term incentives, multiple health insurance options, accident and life insurance, and access to best‑in‑class development platforms, to name a few

(https://careers.westernunion.com/global-benefits/). Please see the location‑specific benefits below and note that your Recruiter may share additional role‑specific benefits during your interview process or in an offer of employment.

Your United States – Specific Benefits Include

Paid Time Off

Medical, Dental and Life Insurance

Tuition Assistance Program

Student Loan Repayment (below manager level only)

$0 Money Transfer Fee Discount Code – Quarterly

Recognition Program “Game Changers”

Employee Discount Program

Global Adoption Assistance

401K plan

For residents of Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania: Please do not respond to any questions on this initial application that may seek age‑identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Annual base salary range is $145,000 – 165,000 USD per year. Total on‑target compensation includes a base salary, short‑term, and long‑term that align with individual and company performance. Actual salaries will vary based on candidates’ qualifications, skills, and competencies.

We are passionate about honoring our employee's identity and fostering a feeling of belonging. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, following applicable laws.

Estimated Job Posting End Date:

09-30-2026

This application window is a good‑faith estimate of the time that this posting will remain open. This posting will be promptly updated if the deadline is extended or the role is filled.