Backend Engineer - (Python,Kotlin) - Remote

About the Role: Affirm is seeking an experienced engineering leader to help shape the technical direction of its Identity team, which plays a critical role in the customer checkout experience and the company’s international expansion. The Identity team is responsible for identity verification, Know Your Customer (KYC), user lifecycle management, and identity decisioning across markets outside North America. Its work supports customer conversion, revenue, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance across multiple markets. In this role, you will set the team's technical strategy, lead major engineering initiatives, strengthen system reliability, and support the development of engineering talent.

Key Responsibilities: Set the technical strategy for the team over a year-long planning horizon and connect it to critical projects with significant business impact. Collaborate with product management, design, and analytics throughout the product development lifecycle to ensure technical sustainability and effectively manage risks and trade-offs. Define and advocate for technical solutions and operational processes that improve the team's effectiveness. Take ownership of team operations and system availability by establishing appropriate monitoring, triage rotations, playbooks, policies, testing, and alerting to support ongoing operations and on-call responsibilities. Promote engineering quality and accountability by establishing code review and design standards within the team. Advocate for engineering standards across the organization through technical writing and presentations. Support the professional development of team members by providing feedback, guidance, and leadership through example. Required Qualifications and Experience 8+ years of experience designing, developing, and launching backend systems at scale using programming languages such as Python or Kotlin. Extensive experience developing highly available distributed systems using technologies such as AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes. Experience delivering major features and system components, or deprecating existing functionality, through the development of technical strategies and execution plans. Ability to write high-quality code that is clear, maintainable, and understandable by other engineers. Ability to work effectively in ambiguous situations and understand systems at different levels, from low-level language features to large-scale architecture. A demonstrated record of gathering and applying feedback from engineering and cross-functional peers to improve performance and impact. Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively with a global engineering team. A bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience.

Compensation: Base Pay Grade: PEquity Grade: 13USA Pacific base pay range (California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut): $230,000–$290,000.USA Sapphire base pay range (all other U.S. states): $204,000–$264,000.New employees typically start at the beginning of the applicable pay range. Affirm's compensation structure considers factors such as work location, experience, and job-related skills. Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may also include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness, and technology expenses, and employee benefits.

Benefits: 100% subsidized medical coverage for employees and their dependents. Dental and vision coverage. Monthly stipends for technology, health, and wellness expenses. Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), allowing employees to purchase Affirm stock at a discount.

Work Arrangement: Affirm operates as a remote-first company. Most positions can be performed from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some roles may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, while certain positions are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new employees are invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.

Inclusive Interview Process: Affirm is committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities. Candidates who need support during the interview process can request assistance. For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles, Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable laws.