Senior Staff Software Engineer, BE, Python

PayPal

Senior Staff Software Engineer leading backend platform development at Venmo. Responsible for technical strategy and multi-team initiatives to enhance service quality.

Posted 7/2/2026full-timeSan Jose • California, Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $196,500 - $291,500 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDistributed SystemsGoJavaPythonTerraform

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Makes technical decisions affecting multiple teams, crossing organizational boundaries
Establishes conventions & processes to be followed by other employees
Actions determine the utilization of company resources (people, money, assets) and affect the effectiveness of the company
Handles multiple, multi-team initiatives simultaneously, using judgement to prioritize among more issues than can be handled individually.
Understands evolving industry capabilities & practices and can judiciously apply up--to-date information for optimal results
Competent at communicating technical issues with non-technical audiences
Spreads their behavior, principles, and knowledge as a means of improving technical results of other employees (via many means – modeling behavior, 1:1s, working sessions, quality documentation)
Partners with product management, to ideate solutions to business problems & goals

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
Bachelor’s and/or Master's in computer science, or a related field of study, or equivalent experience
12+ years of software engineering experience, with significant time spent on backend platforms, authentication, or security-critical systems at scale.
Deep expertise in Python and API management — including protocols like OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn
Proven track record of defining and shipping large-scale distributed systems, with experience leading technical strategy across multiple teams or organizations.
Hands-on comfort with backend systems at scale (Python, Java, Go, or similar) and Cloud (AWS)
Experience working with or designing systems that meet regulatory requirements — KYC, AML, GDPR, or similar
Strong communication skills. You can write a crisp design doc, hold your own in an executive review, and explain a hard technical tradeoff to a non-technical stakeholder without losing precision.
Expert with distributed services and backend systems
Expertise with building services on public cloud – preferably AWS
Experience in managing infrastructure as code using Terraform

Benefits

Comp & perks

generous paid time off
healthcare coverage for you and your family
resources to create financial security and support your mental health

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Backend DevelopmentAuthentication Protocols (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn)Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)Software EngineeringLarge-Scale Systems Design

Soft Skills

Strong Communication SkillsJudgment in PrioritizationModeling Behavior for Improvement