Software Engineer II, Backend (Merchant & Partner Lifecycle)
About the role
The Merchant & Partner Lifecycle (M&PL) team at Affirm is transforming the way we handle merchant lifecycle orchestration. This role involves designing and expanding the backbone of our platform to scale to hundreds of thousands of merchants worldwide, while also modernizing older parts of the codebase.
Responsibilities
- Design & expand the backbone of our platform to scale to hundreds of thousands of merchants from all around the world
- 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
- 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. Base Pay Grade - L 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.)
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