Lead Engineer

Xero

Lead Backend Engineer shaping the architectural strategy and building core services for Xero's Payments Platform. Driving major technical advancements with a focus on scalability and reliability.

Posted 7/13/2026full-timeSan Mateo • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $206,600 - $258,200 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in designing and building scalable distributed backend systems, with a strong focus on API-first architecture and high-throughput services. Proven ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and integrate advanced AI capabilities to enhance engineering workflows.

Highest-signal resume keywords

C# ProgrammingJava ProgrammingGo ProgrammingDistributed Backend SystemsAPI-First Development

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills

Object-Oriented ProgrammingSystem DesignHigh-Throughput API DesignCloud-Native PlatformsRelational DatabasesNoSQL TechnologiesCI/CD PracticesTechnical MentorshipPost-Incident ImprovementsAI-Native Tooling

Soft Skills

LeadershipCoachingCuriosity

Tools & Technologies

Observability Tools

Industry Keywords

PaymentsFintechLow-Latency Trading Systems

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudGoJavaNoSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Shape the architectural strategy for the new Payments Platform
Design and build high-throughput, core money movement services using a language-agnostic backend stack including C#, Java, and Go
Establish the foundational system architecture and API-first headless designs for a new global bill payments product
Scale distributed backend systems using cloud-native platforms, relational databases, and NoSQL technologies
Integrate advanced observability tools and sustainable AI capabilities

Requirements

What you’ll need

A strong foundation in object-oriented programming concepts and system-design thinking
Deep expertise in building distributed backend systems at scale
A background in designing high-throughput APIs and navigating the constraints of complex, reliable architectural trade-offs
Comfort with full-cycle ownership, on-call rotations, and frequent CI/CD-driven releases
Valuable perspectives in payments, fintech, low-latency trading systems, or headless, API-first development
Your leadership style amplifies team impact through active technical mentorship, coaching senior engineers, and leading constructive post-incident improvements
A curious approach to evolving workflows, particularly through the responsible adoption of AI-native tooling to elevate engineering velocity and personalization

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, and 21 days PTO
10 days of Wellbeing leave, 5 days of Xtra Leave, 1 volunteer day, 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave