Remote opportunity at
AffirmStaff Software Engineer, Backend (Trust and Safety)
Affirm is a financial technology company that provides transparent payment solutions without hidden fees. The Checkout Engineering organization houses the Trust and Safety Foundations team, which…
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About This Role
Affirm is a financial technology company that provides transparent payment solutions without hidden fees. The Checkout Engineering organization houses the Trust and Safety Foundations team, which builds infrastructure for evaluating consumer risk and fulfilling credit reporting obligations. This remote-first position reports to Affirm and operates within a distributed engineering environment. As a Staff Software Engineer focusing on backend systems within Trust and Safety, the selected professional will guide technical direction…
Job Description
Affirm is a financial technology company that provides transparent payment solutions without hidden fees. The Checkout Engineering organization houses the Trust and Safety Foundations team, which builds infrastructure for evaluating consumer risk and fulfilling credit reporting obligations. This remote-first position reports to Affirm and operates within a distributed engineering environment.
As a Staff Software Engineer focusing on backend systems within Trust and Safety, the selected professional will guide technical direction over annual timelines and shepherd large-scale initiatives. Responsibilities include resolving complex systemic challenges, defining engineering practices, and overseeing system operations and uptime. Candidates must excel at translating vague problems into concrete technical roadmaps while functioning as a technical multiplier for teammates.
This role suits experienced backend practitioners who enjoy working across various abstraction layers, from individual programming languages up to expansive architectures. Ideal professionals demonstrate robust communication abilities, comfort with ambiguity, and a strong track record of designing reliable distributed software.
Responsibilities
- Formulate annual technical strategies for the team and align them with critical business objectives
- Partner with product management, design, and analytics departments to manage technical sustainability and risks
- Establish code review criteria, design standards, and operational processes across the organization
- Manage system operations and availability through monitoring, alerting, playbooks, and on-call rotations
- Mentor team members by sharing expertise, providing feedback, and demonstrating engineering leadership
Requirements
- Minimum of eight years of experience in backend system design, development, and deployment at scale
- Proficiency with programming languages such as Python or Kotlin
- Extensive background in building highly available distributed systems using AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes
- Demonstrated ability to deliver major features or deprecate legacy components through structured execution plans
- Strong verbal and written communication skills for collaboration within a global engineering team
Qualifications
- Equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor degree in a related field
Core Skills
Benefits
- 100 percent subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
- Monthly stipends for health, wellness, and technology setup
- Flexible time off and generous holiday schedules
- Employee stock purchase plan to acquire company stock at a discount
- Base pay grade P with an equity grade of 13
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this position remote?
Yes, Affirm operates as a remote-first company and most roles can be performed from almost anywhere within the country of employment, though an in-person onboarding experience is required for new hires.
What is the salary range for this job?
The annual base pay ranges from $230,000 to $290,000 for California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and from $204,000 to $264,000 for all other U.S. states.
What experience is required for this role?
Applicants must have at least eight years of experience designing, developing, and launching backend systems at scale using Python or Kotlin, along with a track record of building distributed systems with AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes.
What is the employment type?
The source posting specifies that this is a full-time position.
Sample Interview Questions
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