Staff Software Engineer, Scale

AirwallexYesterday

Location

US - San Francisco

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 180,000 – 310,000

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Software Engineer

Posted

Mar 17, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Airwallex is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for their Scale Platform team in San Francisco, focusing on building robust, scalable embedded finance infrastructure for global businesses. The ideal candidate will architect complex multi-tenant systems, design enterprise-grade solutions, and drive technical innovation in the fintech payments ecosystem.

What you'll do

Platform Infrastructure: Build and maintain multi-tenant infrastructure powering enterprise platforms with high availability and performance

Cross-Domain Feature Development: Own complex features requiring synthesized knowledge across business, regulatory, and technical domains

Solutions Architecture: Design technical integrations for enterprise prospects, translating business requirements into scalable solutions

Performance Engineering: Optimize system design for high throughput, low latency, and enterprise-grade service level agreements

What we look for

Technical

Software Architecture8+ years of software engineering experience with expertise in system design

Performance TuningAbility to optimize for high-scale, low-latency systems

Education

Computer ScienceBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Engineering LeadershipProven track record of leading multi-team technical initiatives

Enterprise SoftwareExperience in designing scalable, multi-tenant software solutions

Skills

Required skills

JavaExpertise in Java/Spring Boot development

System DesignAbility to create flexible and simple system architectures

Cross-functional CommunicationStrong communication skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Performance OptimizationMaking pragmatic decisions balancing performance and development velocity

Nice to have

Fintech ExperienceBackground in payments, financial services, or regulated industries

High-Scale PerformanceExperience with 100k+ QPS systems and strict latency SLAs

Multi-tenant ArchitectureBackground in SaaS or platform architectural design

Cloud PlatformsProficiency with AWS, GCP, or Azure

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 180,000 – 310,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Global Career Growth

Opportunities to develop expertise beyond technical skills, including business and regulatory understanding

Innovative Work Environment

Work with world-class engineers across 26 global offices, tackling complex technical challenges

Mission-Driven Culture

Contribute to transforming global financial services infrastructure with meaningful, high-impact work

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Technical resume review and initial phone/video call with recruiting team
2
Technical Interview — In-depth technical discussion covering system design, architecture, and problem-solving skills
3
System Design Challenge — Architectural design exercise demonstrating scalability and complex problem-solving capabilities
4
Leadership and Cultural Interview — Assessment of cross-functional collaboration, communication, and alignment with company values
5
Final Executive Interview — Conversation with senior technical leadership to evaluate strategic thinking and potential impact