Payments Architecture & Engineering Specialist

About the role

We are seeking a highly experienced Payments Architecture & Engineering Specialist to help design, evolve, and execute against the technology strategy of a large-scale payments platform. This role operates at the intersection of application architecture, cloud infrastructure, and platform engineering, with a strong emphasis on hands-on delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of core payments system architecture, including APIs, transaction processing, funding flows, and supporting services

• Define patterns and standards across monoliths, microservices, and event-driven architecture

• Drive architectural decisions across applications, infrastructure, and data layers

• Evaluate and guide modernization efforts (e.g., decomposition, service boundaries, integration strategies)

• Actively contribute to engineering efforts across the stack, including:

  • Backend services and APIs
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Pulumi)
  • CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
  • Build and prototype solutions for new architectural patterns and platform capabilities
  • Perform deep technical troubleshooting and help resolve complex production issues

• Apply deep understanding of payments systems and flows, including:

  • Merchant onboarding, transaction authorization, settlement, and funding
  • Risk, underwriting, and compliance considerations (e.g., PCI)
  • Processor and third-party integrations

• Partner with product and engineering teams to ensure technical solutions align with business and regulatory requirements

• Improve engineering velocity through enhancements to:

  • CI/CD pipelines, testing, and deployment workflows
  • GitHub, Jira, and developer tooling ecosystems
  • Infrastructure provisioning and environment consistency

• Establish best practices and guardrails for scalable, reliable development

• Lead cross-cutting, high-priority initiatives that span multiple teams

• Step into undefined or complex problem spaces and drive clarity, direction, and delivery

• Act as a technical force multiplier, accelerating progress across architecture and engineering efforts

• Serve as a trusted partner to engineering leadership, contributing to:

  • Technology strategy and roadmap development
  • Architecture reviews and decision-making forums
  • Evaluation of tools, platforms, and investments
  • Help bridge gaps between product, engineering, platform, and operations teams

Requirements

• Extensive experience designing and building large-scale distributed systems

• Strong background in cloud-native architecture (AWS preferred)

• Hands-on experience with:

  • Backend development (PHP, C#, multiple languages preferred)
  • Microservices and API design
  • Event-driven architecture
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or similar)
  • CI/CD and automation frameworks
  • Familiarity with observability, resiliency patterns, and performance optimization

• Experience building or operating payments platforms or transactional systems

• Knowledge of payment processing flows, integration, and lifecycle management

• Understanding of compliance and regulatory considerations (e.g., PCI, data protection)

Qualifications

• Possess a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field

• Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience

• Proven ability to work across applications, infrastructure, and platform layers

• Ability to jump into unfamiliar systems and quickly deliver value

• Direct experience in roles such as: Senior/Staff Engineer, Architect, or similar senior IC roles

Skills

• Strong technical leadership skills

• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

• High ownership mindset; able to independently drive outcomes

• Effective communication skills; able to influence across engineering and business stakeholders

Benefits

We are committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package to support your health, financial security, and overall well-being. This includes:

• Competitive compensation

• Health insurance options

• Retirement savings plans

• Flexible work arrangements

• Professional development opportunities

Pay

The good faith estimated annual salary range upon hire is $127,500.00-$192,525.00. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on the role's responsibilities, level, and geographic location. The actual starting salary will be determined by a candidate's experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training.

Schedule

This is a full-time position.