Software Engineer II, Backend (Merchant & Partner Lifecycle)

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• 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
• Partner with Engineering Manager and Team Lead to 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

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience as a backend software engineer
• Familiarity with Domain-Driven Design, distributed systems, and how architectural decisions affect performance and maintainability
• Experience with concepts such as 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, rollbar, chronosphere, kibana)

Qualifications

• This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Skills

• Experience with Domain-Driven Design, distributed systems, and how architectural decisions affect performance and maintainability
• Experience with concepts such as data models, API design (http and RPC), state machines, event-driven architecture, and database design
• Experience with monitoring and alerting systems (sentry.io, rollbar, chronosphere, kibana)

Benefits

• Base pay grade: L
• Equity grade: 6
• Base pay range (USA): 146,000 - 206,000 per year (all other U.S. states)
• Base pay range (USA): 165,000 - 225,000 per year (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT)

Pay

• 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.)

Schedule

• 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.

Benefits

• 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

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.