Staff Software Engineer

PayPal

Staff Software Engineer leading Venmo’s AWS cloud infrastructure, DevOps, reliability, and automation. Driving major initiatives, mentoring engineers, and improving production operations at global payments company PayPal.

Posted 9/3/2026full-timeSan Jose • Arizona, California, Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $152,500 - $262,350 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive experience in leading cloud engineering initiatives, with a strong focus on AWS infrastructure, software development, and technical leadership. Capable of mentoring engineers while driving operational excellence and implementing scalable solutions.

Highest-signal resume keywords

AWS Cloud InfrastructureTechnical LeadershipSoftware DevelopmentDistributed ApplicationsInfrastructure Automation

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

PythonJavaBashGoDockerKubernetesInfrastructure as CodeCloud EngineeringDevOpsSRE

Soft Skills

Strong CommunicationMentoringCollaborationProblem-SolvingCoaching

Tools & Technologies

IaaSPaaSConfiguration Management ToolsAutomation ToolsIncident Management

Industry Keywords

Global-Scale ServicesEngineering StandardsOperational ObjectivesProduction OperationsEmerging Technologies

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDockerGoJavaKubernetesPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Act as a project or system leader coordinating other engineers
Determine technical tasks for engineers
Achieve customer, operational, program, or service objectives
Improve existing structures and processes
Reconcile competing priorities to identify optimal solutions
Collaborate with management to establish and improve engineering standards
Represent PayPal to partners, customers, and industry organizations
Lead strategic initiatives across one or more technical domains
Contribute hands-on while leading by example
Mentor senior and junior engineers
Drive scalability and reliability of Venmo’s AWS cloud infrastructure
Guide application teams in strengthening cloud competencies
Lead initiatives end-to-end, including design, stakeholder identification, risk management, coordination, implementation, and delivery accountability
Troubleshoot incidents, identify root causes, document problems, and implement preventive measures
Coach engineers on design principles and best practices
Evaluate and promote emerging technologies and architectures
Improve production operations
Develop infrastructure and application configuration-as-code tools and automation
Enhance infrastructure and operations quality, reliability, and stability

Requirements

What you’ll need

5+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR any equivalent combination of education and experience
Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in computer science or related field of study
7+ years’ experience in software development or a related field
5+ years’ experience operating distributed applications 24x7x365 as part of a Cloud Engineering, DevOps, and/or SRE team
2+ years technical leadership experience
Extensive hands-on experience designing, implementing, and supporting infrastructure for global-scale services
Hands-on experience with IaaS and PaaS solutions from AWS or similar cloud provider
Hands-on programming and scripting with Python, Java, Bash, and Go
Hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes
Strong communication skills with ability to explain technical issues to non-technical audiences

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual performance bonus
Equity or other incentive compensation, as applicable
Balanced hybrid work model: 3 days in the office and 2 days at the office or home workspace
Generous paid time off
Healthcare coverage for you and your family
Resources supporting financial security
Mental health support and wellbeing resources
Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities