Sr Software Engineer - Backend; Python

Sr Staff Software Engineer - Backend (Python)
at Venmo

Company Pay Pal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. We offer consumers and merchants a global payment network that is secure, seamless, and efficient. Venmo is a consumer‑focused brand within the Pay Pal ecosystem that powers social payments for millions of users.

As a Senior Staff Backend Engineer (Python), you will define and execute Pay Pal’s long‑term backend architecture strategy, driving innovation, reliability, and performance across platforms. You’ll lead large‑scale engineering initiatives, guide digital transformation efforts, and mentor senior engineering talent to raise the technical bar. This hands‑on role combines technical excellence with leadership — influencing architecture, optimizing backend systems, and ensuring Pay Pal delivers trusted, high‑quality experiences for customers worldwide.

• Makes technical decisions affecting multiple teams, crossing organizational boundaries
• Establishes conventions & processes to be followed by other employees
• Actions determine the utilization of company resources (people, money, assets) and affect the effectiveness of the company
• Handles multiple, multi‑team initiatives simultaneously, using judgement to prioritize among more issues than can be handled individually
• Understands evolving industry capabilities & practices and can judiciously apply up‑to‑date information for optimal results
• Communicates technical issues with non‑technical audiences
• Spreads behavior, principles, and knowledge as a means of improving technical results of other employees (modeling behavior, 1:1s, working sessions, quality documentation)
• Partners with product management to ideate solutions to business problems & goals

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR an equivalent combination of education and experience

• 8+ years architecting, building, and operating cloud‑native, distributed systems at meaningful scale
• Track record of raising the engineering bar through design standards, automated quality gates, SLO ownership, and a culture of blameless post‑mortems
• Prototype rapidly, run A/B tests, and turn promising spikes into reliable production services
• Hands‑on experience applying machine‑learning or large‑language‑model techniques for personalization, risk, search, or developer productivity; ready to lead adoption of AI‑assisted development and LLM‑powered product features
• Deep understanding of service design, data modeling, asynchronous messaging, and API craftsmanship, with a privacy‑by‑design approach
• Explain complex trade‑offs in plain language and help seasoned engineers grow through candid feedback and sponsorship
• Able to align product, design, and compliance partners around a technical vision and rally other teams to deliver on it

The Consumer Engineering team powers the experiences that millions of Pay Pal customers use every day to send, spend, and manage their money safely and effortlessly. We design and build reliable, high‑performance systems that drive trust and simplicity across Pay Pal’s global ecosystem. Our team partners closely with product, design, and data science to deliver innovative, customer‑first solutions that advance Pay Pal’s mission to make financial services more accessible, inclusive, and empowering for people everywhere.

The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is $169,500 to $291,500. Actual compensation may include an annual performance bonus, equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit

Pay Pal offers a flexible work environment, employee share options, health and life insurance, and more. Learn more at

Pay Pal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pay Pal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalgloba

Pay Pal is committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. We strive to create a workplace where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. We offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life and are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities we serve.