Staff Engineer

Zip Co

. Own the architecture and evolution of Zip’s real-time money movement and payments platform .

Posted 11/3/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesLead💰 $190,000 - $220,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive expertise in building and operating distributed backend systems, with a strong focus on payments and fintech. Proven ability to leverage AI for engineering improvements and mentor teams in adopting best practices.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Distributed Backend SystemsPayments And Fintech ExpertiseAI Adoption And IntegrationEvent-Driven ArchitecturesCloud Platforms (Azure/AWS)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

System DesignMicroservicesHigh-Availability SystemsC#/.NETCode GenerationTestingDebuggingIncident AnalysisMetrics DefinitionTechnical Decision-Making

Soft Skills

MentoringCross-Team CollaborationInfluencing Strategic Decisions

Tools & Technologies

CI/CDObservability ToolsIDEsInternal Tools

Industry Keywords

Correctness-Critical SystemsSettlementReconciliationTransaction ProcessingAI Tools And Models

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudDistributed SystemsMicroservices.NET

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the architecture and evolution of Zip’s real-time money movement and payments platform
Lead cross-team technical direction across distributed systems
Embed AI into engineering workflows and product capabilities
Design systems for safe, reliable money movement across distributed services
Define and evolve platform patterns for event-driven architectures and cross-team system design
Lead ambiguous, high-impact initiatives from concept to production across multiple teams
Balance speed and long-term platform health in critical financial systems
Define and standardize AI-assisted engineering patterns for code generation, testing, debugging, and incident analysis
Raise system reliability, performance, and developer experience across the organization
Build systems ensuring financial correctness under failure conditions, including retries, duplication, and reconciliation
Drive AI adoption by coaching engineers and establishing best practices
Deliver AI-driven efficiencies to reduce development cycle time, improve code quality, and accelerate incident resolution
Partner with platform and tooling teams to integrate AI into CI/CD, observability, IDEs, and internal tools
Partner with engineering and product leaders, influence strategic decisions, and mentor senior engineers

Requirements

What you’ll need

12+ years of experience building and operating distributed backend systems in modern engineering environments
Strong experience in payments, fintech, or other correctness-critical systems such as settlement, reconciliation, or transaction processing
Proven track record of leveraging AI to improve engineering outcomes and enabling team-wide adoption at scale
Experience leading complex, cross-team initiatives and driving technical direction across multiple systems
Deep expertise in system design, including event-driven architectures, microservices, and high-availability systems
Hands-on engineering experience with code, services, and infrastructure
Strong technical decision-making in ambiguous situations
Experience mentoring senior engineers and raising engineering standards across teams
Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS
Experience with backend technologies like C#/.NET or similar
Experience evaluating and selecting AI tools, models, and workflows, including tradeoffs of cost, latency, accuracy, and safety
Ability to define metrics and measure AI adoption impact
Alignment with Zip’s core values
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible working culture
Incentive programs
Unlimited PTO
Generous paid parental leave
Leading family support policies
Company-sponsored 401k match
Learning and wellness subscription stipend
Beautiful Union Square office with a casual dress code
Industry-leading, employer-sponsored insurance for you and your dependents, with several 100% Zip-covered choices available
Potential bonus and/or commission awards as part of total compensation