Senior Software Engineer, Edge Team
Backend Engineer · Senior · Full Time
Opens Airwallex's application page
Role
What you'll do.
This Senior Software Engineer role focuses on building and scaling Airwallex's global edge infrastructure, including API gateways, CDN layers, and security systems. The position requires 5+ years of backend development experience with languages like Java, Go, or Python, and involves architecting high-throughput distributed systems that handle millions of requests daily.
Responsibilities
- Edge Infrastructure Architecture: Architect and build scalable API gateway, CDN, and DNS routing systems that handle millions of requests daily
- Security System Development: Develop rate limiting, WAF filtering, and bot detection capabilities embedded directly into the edge stack
- Self-Service Platform Creation: Build CLI tools, plugins, and frameworks enabling other teams to register APIs and enforce policies independently
- Performance Optimization: Analyze metrics to identify latency bottlenecks and implement code-level optimizations for reliability and speed
- Cross-Team Collaboration: Partner with product, platform, and security teams to translate business requirements into maintainable code solutions
- End-to-End Feature Ownership: Take full ownership of features from design through deployment, ensuring high-quality deliverables
- System Monitoring and Maintenance: Implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting systems to maintain service reliability and performance
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
Backend Development Expertise
5+ years experience building large-scale, high-throughput backend services
Programming Language Proficiency
Strong skills in Java, Go, Python, or similar backend programming languages
Distributed Systems Knowledge
3+ years designing and operating distributed, low-latency systems like API gateways and caching layers
System Architecture Skills
Strong software design and system thinking capabilities for complex infrastructure
Performance Analysis
Experience using data to identify performance bottlenecks and deliver targeted improvements
Education
Computer Science Degree
Bachelor's degree or above in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field
Experience
Senior-Level Experience
Minimum 5 years of backend development experience with large-scale systems
Security-Focused Development
Experience with security-focused development and infrastructure security practices
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Proven ability to work across product, platform, and security teams effectively
Skills
Required
Backend Programming Languages
Proficiency in Java, Go, Python, or similar languages for high-throughput services
Distributed Systems
Experience designing and operating large-scale distributed systems
API Gateway Development
Knowledge of API gateway patterns, routing, and traffic management
System Performance Optimization
Skills in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks
Security Implementation
Experience with rate limiting, WAF, and security filtering systems
Cross-Team Communication
Ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders
Preferred
CDN and Caching
Nice to haveExperience with content delivery networks and caching strategies
Infrastructure as Code
Nice to haveKnowledge of Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar IaC tools
Container Orchestration
Nice to haveExperience with Docker, Kubernetes, and containerized deployments
Monitoring and Observability
Nice to haveFamiliarity with Prometheus, Grafana, and observability best practices
Cloud Platforms
Nice to haveExperience with AWS, GCP, or Azure cloud infrastructure services
Bot Detection and Security
Nice to haveKnowledge of bot detection algorithms and security automation
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Databases
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Benefits
Global Career Growth
Opportunities to work across 26 offices globally with international exposure
High-Impact Projects
Work on systems handling millions of requests for 200,000+ businesses worldwide
Learning and Development
Access to accelerated learning opportunities and professional development programs
Equity Participation
Opportunity to participate in the success of a US$8 billion valued fintech company
Innovation Focus
Work with cutting-edge technologies and AI-powered solutions
Diverse and Inclusive Environment
Equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion
Process
Interview steps.
- 01
Initial Phone Screen
30-minute call with recruiter to discuss background, motivation, and basic role fit
- 02
Technical Phone Interview
60-minute technical discussion covering system design, coding fundamentals, and edge infrastructure concepts
- 03
System Design Interview
90-minute deep dive into designing scalable edge infrastructure systems, focusing on API gateways and CDN architecture
- 04
Coding Challenge
Take-home or onsite coding exercise involving backend service development and performance optimization
- 05
Team Fit Interview
45-minute behavioral interview with engineering manager covering collaboration, ownership, and cultural alignment
- 06
Final Round Panel
Multiple interviews including technical deep dive with senior engineers and leadership discussion about vision and impact
Full posting
Original listing.
About Airwallex
Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.
Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.
Attributes We Value
We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.
You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.
About the Role
We are looking for skilled Senior Software Engineers to help shape and evolve Airwallex’s edge infrastructure—you’ll architect and build the software foundations that power Airwallex’s global edge. You’ll write high‑quality code, design scalable services, and own end‑to‑end features that make our API gateway, CDN layer, DNS routing, and perimeter security smarter, faster, and more resilient.
You’ll partner closely with product, platform, and security experts to translate real‑world requirements into clean, maintainable code—and see your work go live for millions of requests every day.
What You'll Be Doing
Next‑Gen Edge Services: Architect and ship new gateway and CDN features (think plugin‑driven routing, smart cache policies, dynamic purge APIs).
Security as Code: Build libraries and pipelines for rate‑limits, WAF/filter rules and bot‑detection, all embedded directly into our edge stack.
Self‑Service Tooling: Create CLI/plugins and lightweight frameworks so other teams register APIs, enforce policies, and preview traffic insights in seconds.
Rock‑Solid Reliability: Dive into metrics, pinpoint latency or fail‑over gaps, and deliver code‑level optimizations to keep every request fast and flawless.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or above in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of back‑end development experience, building large‑scale, high‑throughput services.
Proficient in one or more languages such as Java, Go, Python, or similar, with strong software‑design and system‑thinking skills.
Comfortable partnering across product, platform, and security teams; able to explain complex ideas clearly.
Preferred Qualifications
3+ years designing and operating distributed, low‑latency systems (API gateway, cache, etc) or security‑focused development
Use data to identify performance or reliability bottlenecks and deliver targeted, code‑level improvements.
Thrive in a fast‑paced environment, take full ownership of your work, and continuously iterate based on feedback.
Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.
Equal opportunity
Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
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