Principal Software Engineer, Affirm
Traffic & Compute
$267-360k
Salary dependent on candidate's location. Offers ESPP
POS installment loans
Job no longer available
POS installment loans
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$267-360k
Salary dependent on candidate's location. Offers ESPP
1001+ employees
Company mission
To deliver honest and transparent financial products that improve users' lives.
Role
Who you are
- 15+ years of software engineering experience
- Proven success leading large-scale initiatives in traffic management, capacity planning, load testing, and compute infrastructure at organizations with millions of users
- Deep expertise in building and scaling traffic shaping, cluster management, and reliability systems
- Strong background with Kubernetes and container orchestration at scale
- Track record of delivering complex, high-impact infrastructure projects
- Clear and compelling communicator who can influence both executives and engineers
- Experience in Fintech or Retail (B2C and B2B) is a plus
- Excited about both our mission to deliver honest financial products and to do it by building a meritocracy
What the job involves
- At Affirm, we’re on a mission to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. To support this mission as we scale, we’re looking for a Principal Engineer to lead the next generation of traffic management, capacity planning, load testing, and compute infrastructure at Affirm
- Define and drive the technical vision for traffic engineering, capacity planning, and compute platforms that enable Affirm to scale reliably
- Design and evolve traffic management systems (e.g., retries, load shedding, prioritization, routing) to ensure resilience through rapid growth and peak demand
- Lead strategy for capacity modeling, load, stress, and chaos testing with safety and automation at the core
- Provide technical leadership across our Kubernetes-based compute environment, service to service communications, guiding improvements in scalability, performance, and reliability
- Partner with engineering teams to model service load patterns and build frameworks that prepare Affirm for future growth
- Mentor and inspire engineers across domains, while influencing senior leadership on long-term infrastructure investments
Our take
Affirm offers point-of-sale loans to consumers, working with merchants like Shopify, KAYAK, and Walmart. Buy now, pay later transactions have grown in popularity in recent years, and this business is tapping into the market with a totally different approach to credit - by delivering the Affirm card, the first US debit card with the option to pay-over-time.
Boasting over 21M consumers and 337,000+ merchants, the company offers flexible payback options, ranging from 3 to 36 months. The interest rates run between 0% and 30%, so, while they are not necessarily the cheapest option, Affirm prides itself on having no fees for late payments, no hidden charges, and total transparency about what people will pay before they take out a loan.
Affirm collects payments from the customers and pays the merchants directly, shouldering the risk itself. The company has boosted its market share, expanding its availability beyond the US to include most of Canada, and continues to launch new features and create new partnerships towards bettering its offering.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-11% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Sep 2020
$500m
SERIES G
Apr 2019
$300m
SERIES F
Total funding: $1.1bn
Company benefits
- Compensation: We have a simple, flexible, and transparent remote-first compensation structure so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family
- Spending Wallets: Access tech, food, lifestyle, and family planning wallets for your expenses
- Supportive Communities: Get involved with our employee resource groups and community groups
- Remote-first Workforce: If your role is remote, you can set up shop anywhere in your home country
- Generous Time Off: Take the time you need when life happens
- Health Benefits: Get a plan that fits your needs
- Mental Healthcare: Take care of your mind with great mental health programs
- Parental Leave: Birth and non-birth parents get 18 weeks’ paid leave. Plus, a 4-week return-to-work transition program, at full base pay
- Away Days: We offer 20 company-wide paid days off—which help our teams collectively pause to recharge
- Learning & Development: Engage in exciting learning programs to level up your growth
Company HQ
Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Max Levchin
(Co-Founder & CEO)Has founded/co-founded numerous companies, holding various executive positions at each, including Paypal, Slide, Glow, HVF Labs, and SciFi VC. Also worked at large brands including Google, Yelp, Yahoo, and Evernote.
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