Staff Software Engineer - Payments
Hybrid San Francisco Full-time Senior Engineering Leadership
At a glance
Senior Engineering Leadership role at PayJoy. San Francisco · full-time · $310,392–$324,000 base.
SalaryStated by PayJoy
$310,392 – $324,000
Base salary for this role, in USD per year, as published in the posting.
This role, from PayJoyOur estimate for the market: $222,950–$280,500Median $246,000
Above the market median of $246,000 for senior engineering leadership roles in San Francisco.
Worked out from 145 postings that stated pay, median $246,000. Last updated Oct 24, 2026.
RoleEngineering Leadership
SenioritySenior
LocationSan Francisco
WorkplaceHybrid
EmploymentFull-time
Base pay$310,392–$324,000
PostedFeb 12, 2026 · 8mo ago
Role brief
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Set technical direction for payments work, then build the services and make key engineering choices yourself
- Design systems that can scale, and establish patterns other engineers can apply across teams
- Find and tackle engineering problems that are holding back growth, prioritizing the most consequential ones
- Guide teams toward solutions that meet technical standards and business needs
- Coach junior engineers and improve how the platform and engineering work are done
What you bring
- A technical degree, such as computer science or software engineering, or a related discipline
- At least twelve years as a software engineer in a fast-moving, high-growth setting
- Backend strength in Python, relational and NoSQL databases, plus experience with AWS, GCP or another listed cloud platform
- A solid grasp of distributed systems and system design
Who this fits
This is a hands-on staff role combining system design, implementation, technical leadership and mentoring. You’ll start alongside the payments teams and may take on work with other teams. The role is based in San Francisco and hybrid.
From the employer
About PayJoy
PayJoy, a Public Benefit Corporation, is a mission-first credit provider dedicated to helping under-served customers in emerging markets to achieve financial stability and success. Our patented technology for secured credit provides an on-ramp for new customers to enter the credit system. Through PayJoy’s point-of-sale financing and card offerings, customers gain access to a modern quality of life. PayJoy’s credit also allows our customers to seize opportunities as micro-entrepreneurs, and acts as insurance for tough times. Through our cutting-edge machine learning, data science, and anti-fraud AI, we have served over 18 million customers as of 2025 while achieving solid profitability for sustainable growth.
This role
The Staff Engineer is responsible for leading our technical foundation, initially collaborating with the Money - Payments teams to drive innovation, with the opportunity to work with other teams as well, taking on a mentoring role, designing scalable systems, and influencing cross-functional initiatives, in a hands-on position where they will make key technical decisions and build critical services.
The Staff Engineer is responsible for leading our technical foundation, initially collaborating with the Money - Payments teams to drive innovation, with the opportunity to work with other teams as well, taking on a mentoring role, designing scalable systems, and influencing cross-functional initiatives, in a hands-on position where they will make key technical decisions and build critical services.
Responsibilities
- Solve Critical Problems: Identify, prioritize, and solve technical challenges impacting growth.
- Lead and Collaborate: Architect new solutions, Implement newer patterns/framework that other candidates can use and implement, Identify potential systemwide solutions, guide teams, ensuring solutions meet business goals and technical standards.
- Mentor & Develop: Foster a culture of learning, guiding junior engineers.
- Innovate & Improve: Drive continuous improvement in our platform and processes.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline such as computer science, software engineering, or a related field.
- 12+ years of experience as Software Engineer, in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, working with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- Strong expertise in backend development with proficiency in Python; as well both relational and NoSQL databases.
- Solid understanding of distributed systems, system design principles.
- A can-do attitude and creative, flexible problem solving abilities, and the ability to think critically in ambiguous situations.
- Being a team player, that includes review, pair programming, collaboration in one task, mentoring or being mentored.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Desirable experience with mobile technologies or mobile payment systems with the fraud and identity aspects of fintech, as well in building and maintaining large-scale systems used by millions of users.
Benefits
- 100% Company-funded health insurance for employee and immediate family
- Company-funded employee life and disability insurance
- $2,000 USD annual Co-working Travel perk
- $2,000 USD annual Professional Development perk
- $340 Monthly Commuter benefit
- 401k Contribution of 3% of salary (up to IRS limits)
- Headphone benefit, home office equipment allowance and wellness perks
- Catered lunches
- 20 Paid vacation days, unlimited sick leave