Senior Engineer - Engineering Experience

Xero4 days ago

Location

AU: Melbourne: (260 Burwood Rd)

Type

Full Time

Salary

AUD 160,000 – 220,000

Level

Senior

Role

Senior Engineer

Posted

Mar 19, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

A Senior Engineering role at Xero focusing on distributed systems architecture, working with the Horizon team to scale global eventing platforms and drive technical innovation. The role requires expertise in system design, distributed technologies, and mentoring engineering talent while contributing to critical infrastructure that supports Xero's global developer ecosystem.

What you'll do

System Architecture: Lead design and refactoring of distributed systems, ensuring resilience, scalability, and future-proofing of global technical infrastructure

Technical Leadership: Define engineering standards, make high-level design decisions, and solve systemic technical challenges at a global scale

Platform Evolution: Scale global eventing platform using Apache Kafka and Confluent Cloud, optimize data discovery tools, and implement robust webhook strategies

Mentorship: Proactively mentor and level up engineering talent, contribute to broader technical community at Xero

Infrastructure Management: Design and manage secure, cost-effective AWS environments using Infrastructure as Code with Terraform

What we look for

Technical

System DesignMastery of distributed system design patterns and ability to navigate complex software architecture trade-offs

Technology ExpertiseAdvanced proficiency in Kafka, AWS, Terraform, C#, and TypeScript

Infrastructure SkillsExpertise in Infrastructure as Code and cloud environment design

Education

Computer Science/EngineeringBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent professional experience

Experience

Senior Engineering ExperienceExtensive experience in designing and implementing distributed systems architectures

Mentorship Track RecordProven history of technical mentorship and team leadership

Skills

Required skills

Distributed SystemsExpert-level understanding of distributed system design and implementation

Apache KafkaAdvanced experience with event streaming and integration platforms

Cloud InfrastructureComprehensive knowledge of AWS and Infrastructure as Code principles

Nice to have

Multi-Language ProficiencyAbility to work across C#, TypeScript, and other programming languages

Architectural DesignStrategic thinking in evolving complex technical frameworks

Compensation & benefits

Salary

AUD 160,000 – 220,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Flexible Work Arrangement

Hybrid work model with in-office collaboration twice a week

Professional Development

Opportunities for mentorship, technical leadership, and skill enhancement

Innovative Environment

Work on cutting-edge distributed systems and global technical infrastructure

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Review of resume and initial technical background assessment
2
Technical Interview — In-depth discussion of system design, distributed systems expertise, and architectural approaches
3
Coding Challenge — Practical assessment of coding skills in C# and TypeScript
4
Team Interaction — Meet with Horizon team members to assess cultural and technical fit
5
Final Interview — Discussion with senior leadership about long-term technical vision and potential contributions