Principal Backend Engineer, Payments Platform - Remote

Overview

As a Principal Engineer on the Payments Platform, you’ll shape the technical vision and architecture for how millions of small businesses move money globally, combining strategic technical leadership with hands-on execution.

In Short

• Lead technical strategy for the Payments Platform.
• Design scalable and reliable systems for global payments.
• Evaluate and modernize existing systems.
• Contribute to production code and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align strategies.
• Mentor and elevate engineering capability across teams.
• Influence technical decisions to meet business outcomes.
• Drive innovation by integrating best practices and emerging technologies.
• Work in a hybrid role based in San Mateo, CA or remotely.
• Join a team focused on excellence, collaboration, and innovation.

Requirements

• 12+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience with large-scale distributed systems.
• Proven track record in technical leadership.
• Proficiency in modern backend stacks (C#, Java, Golang, C++).
• Experience with cloud-native platforms (AWS preferred).
• Advanced skills in SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Expertise in payments or compliance-heavy industries.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Hands-on mindset with a focus on code quality.
• Ability to assess and plan system migrations.

Benefits

• Shape the payments platform central to Xero’s growth.
• Work on complex challenges in fintech.
• Elevate engineering standards across teams.
• Join a supportive and innovative culture.