Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Merchant & Partner Lifecycle)

Affirm is reinventing credit to make it more honest and friendly, giving consumers the flexibility to buy now and pay later without any hidden fees or compounding interest. The Merchant & Partner Lifecycle (M&PL) team is at the forefront of Affirm’s architectural transformation. We are addressing critical architectural risks by consolidating merchant lifecycle orchestration into a newly cohesive domain. You will act as a technical leader responsible for building out the brand new lifecycle-orchestrator service that’s at the heart of multiple connected systems. Your work will deliver immediate availability improvements through system simplification and isolation, and modernize older parts of the codebase. What You'll Do * Design & expand the backbone of our platform to scale to hundreds of thousands of merchants from all around the world * Design and align the scope of work with other teams to deliver cross-team projects * Mentor other engineers to ensure their development & growth * Partner with Engineering Manager and Team Lead to drive and execute the long-term vision of the team * Execute technical strategy for broad or complex requirements with insightful and forward-looking approaches that go beyond the direct team and solve large open-ended problems * Utilize agentic development tools like Claude Code to automate parts of the development process * Improve engineering standards, tooling, and processes throughout the organization What We Look For * 5+ years of experience as a backend software engineer * A strong understanding of Domain-Driven Design, distributed systems, and how architectural decisions affect performance and maintainability * Proficiency with data models, API design (http and RPC), state machines, event-driven architecture, and database design * Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Must be proficient in asynchronous communication–written tech specs, ADRs, project plans, etc. * Experience designing, developing, and launching backend systems (our stack: AWS, gRPC, Snowflake, Kotlin, Python, MySQL, Kubernetes). Java and Kotlin experience are especially helpful. * Prior experience with monitoring and alerting systems (sentry.io [http://sentry.io/], rollbar, chronosphere, kibana) This posting is for an existing vacancy. Pay Grade - N Equity Grade - 6 Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills. Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.) In addition, the employees may be eligible for equity rewards offered by Affirm Holdings, Inc. (parent company). CAN base pay range per year: 153,000 - 213,000 #LI-Remote Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company! The majority of our roles are remote and you can work almost anywhere within the country of employment. Affirmers in proximal roles have the flexibility to work remotely, but will occasionally be required to work out of their assigned Affirm office. A limited number of roles remain office-based due to the nature of their job responsibilities. We’re extremely proud to offer competitive benefits that are anchored to our core value of people come first. Some key highlights of our benefits package include: * Health care coverage - Affirm covers all premiums for all levels of coverage for you and your dependents * Flexible Spending Wallets - generous stipends for spending on Technology, Food, various Lifestyle needs, and family forming expenses * Time off - competitive vacation and holiday schedules allowing you to take time off to rest and recharge * ESPP - An employee stock purchase plan enabling you to buy shares of Affirm at a discount We believe It’s On Us to provide an inclusive interview experience for all, including people with disabilities. We are happy to provide reasonable accommodations to candidates in need of individualized support during the hiring process. [For U.S. positions that could be performed in Los Angeles or San Francisco] Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Affirm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice [https://www.affirm.com/global-candidate-privacy-notice] and hereby freely and unambiguously give informed consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of your personal information as described therein.

The engineer will act as a technical leader responsible for building the new lifecycle-orchestrator service at the core of connected systems, delivering immediate availability improvements through system simplification and modernization of older codebases. Responsibilities include designing and expanding the platform backbone to scale globally, aligning cross-team work, and mentoring other engineers.

Candidates must have 5+ years of experience as a backend software engineer with a strong understanding of Domain-Driven Design and distributed systems, along with proficiency in data models, API design, state machines, and event-driven architecture. Experience with the specified tech stack including AWS, Kotlin, and Python is highly beneficial.

• Equity Rewards • Monthly Stipends For Health • Wellness And Tech Spending • 100% Subsidized Medical Coverage • Dental And Vision For You And Your Dependents • Employee Stock Purchase Plan

• MySQLPreferred
• Amazon Web ServicesPreferred
• KotlinPreferred
• PythonPreferred

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Domain-Driven Design
• Distributed Systems
• Data Models
• Api Design
• Http
• Rpc
• State Machines
• Event-Driven Architecture
• Database Design
• Asynchronous Communication
• Aws
• Grpc
• Snowflake
• Kotlin
• Python
• Mysql

• Engineering
• Software
• Technology
• Data & Analytics

Minimum experience

5+ years

Posting language

English

Working hours

40 hours per week