Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Card Loan Platform)

Description

At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.

The Card Loan Platform team builds the high-throughput decision engine at the heart of Affirm’s card products. Unlike traditional cards, every pay-later transaction is backed by its own unique loan, and our system is the "invisible piping" that makes this complex model work at scale. Every swipe triggers our platform to solve a hard problem in milliseconds: matching messy, fragmented payment network data to the correct loan to drive real-time approvals, origination, and refunds.

As Affirm experiences explosive growth, our team's contributions are a key enabler. This isn't just another backend role; you'll be building the "financial brain" for our flagship card products, with your work on the critical path for every single swipe. We're tackling a unique, high-stakes distributed systems challenge that demands exceptional correctness and massive scale. You will partner closely with product, data science, and engineering teams to design and build the future of our industry-leading money movement platform.

If you are passionate about making foundational design decisions and building a beloved, lasting financial brand—come join us. It’s going to be an amazing ride!

Responsibilities

• Drive technical strategy by leading the planning, prioritization, and execution of projects, ensuring alignment with product, technical, and business goals.
• Lead the end-to-end system design and development of large-scale, high-availability services. This includes building robust APIs and data models for our micro-service and event-driven architectures.
• Collaborate across functions with partners in Product, Analytics, Design, Legal, and Accounting and to define requirements and execute our card loan attribution and lifecycle strategy.
• Ensure system health and performance by analyzing and troubleshooting complex technical issues, optimizing existing code, and driving solutions that focus on long-term robustness and scalability.
• Mentor and grow the team by guiding junior engineers, leading technical discussions and design reviews, and championing best practices through code review.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in software development or engineering, with a deep understanding of system design and architecture.
• Motivated leader, inspiring team growth and fostering a culture of continuous learning
• Excellent communicator, adept at sharing complex ideas with diverse audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a creative and solution-oriented mindset.
• Proficiency in modern programming languages such as Python, Kotlin, or similar.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Knowledge of database systems (SQL, NoSQL), web frameworks, and RESTful API development.
• This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Base Pay Grade - N
• Equity Grade - USA 9
• Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
• Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
• USA Pacific base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT): $195,000 - $255,000
• USA Sapphire base pay range (all other U.S. states): $173,000 - $233,000
• LI-Remote
• Remote-first with flexibility built in
• Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.

Benefits

• Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
• Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
• Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
• Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
• Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
• We’re committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we’re happy to help.
• For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.