Remote opportunity at
AffirmStaff Software Engineer, Backend (Online Storage)
Affirm is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Online Storage) to join its remote team and shape the future of its data infrastructure. Operating in a…
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About This Role
Affirm is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Online Storage) to join its remote team and shape the future of its data infrastructure. Operating in a remote-first work environment, the selected professional will steer the technical roadmap for relational and key-value database platforms that power critical financial transactions and storage needs. This position is well-suited for a backend specialist with extensive distributed systems background who enjoys resolving architectural ambiguities and…
Job Description
Affirm is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Online Storage) to join its remote team and shape the future of its data infrastructure. Operating in a remote-first work environment, the selected professional will steer the technical roadmap for relational and key-value database platforms that power critical financial transactions and storage needs.
This position is well-suited for a backend specialist with extensive distributed systems background who enjoys resolving architectural ambiguities and guiding technical strategy across a globally distributed engineering organization. Within the Data and Storage Services group, the Online Storage team manages databases as a self-service platform encompassing MySQL, DynamoDB, distributed SQL, and Redis.
The person in this role will build scalable datastore platforms, design control planes for managing hundreds of databases, and automate essential operations including data migrations, disaster recovery, and sharding. Affirm builds honest financial products designed to give individuals clear and predictable ways to pay over time without hidden fees.
Day-to-day responsibilities involve collaborating closely with product, infrastructure, and site reliability engineering teams to ensure operational availability and performance. Candidates will also mentor peers, establish design and code review standards, and champion engineering excellence.
Responsibilities
- Establish the year-long technical strategy for the Online Storage team and align it with key business initiatives
- Design and construct components for a horizontally scalable, multi-region, globally available, and high-performance datastore platform
- Develop management control planes enabling self-service provisioning of hundreds of databases with automated sharding, schema migrations, and disaster recovery
- Collaborate across product management, design, and analytics functions to evaluate technical trade-offs and risks
- Maintain high operational availability by implementing proper testing, alerting, triage rotations, and playbooks
- Set engineering standards for code reviews and architectural designs while sharing knowledge through tech talks
- Mentor engineering talent on the team by offering regular guidance and feedback
Requirements
- Minimum of 8 years of professional experience designing, building, and launching backend systems at scale using Python or Kotlin
- Demonstrated track record of creating highly available distributed systems leveraging technologies like AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes
- At least 5 years of practical database expertise focused on relational or distributed SQL systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, TiDB, or Vitess
- Deep comprehension of database fundamentals encompassing schema design, performance tuning, partitioning, sharding, query optimization, and scaling
- Strong background in operating databases within cloud environments, including benchmarking, capacity planning, and load testing
- Familiarity with database proxies and connection poolers such as ProxySQL, PgBouncer, and RDS Proxy
- Demonstrated ability to deliver major system components or features through clear technical execution plans
Qualifications
- Equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related technical field
Core Skills
Benefits
- Fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their dependents
- Monthly spending stipends to support tech setup, health, and wellness options
- Flexible time off policy accompanied by a generous holiday calendar
- Employee stock purchase plan allowing discounted purchases of company stock
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this position remote?
Yes, Affirm operates as a remote-first company, allowing most roles to be completed from almost anywhere within the country of employment.
What is the salary range for this role?
For U.S. states including California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the annual base pay ranges from $230,000 to $290,000. For all other U.S. states, the annual base pay ranges from $204,000 to $264,000.
What experience is required for this role?
Candidates must have 8 or more years of backend engineering experience using Python or Kotlin, along with at least 5 years of hands-on database expertise in relational or distributed SQL technologies.
What employment type is this?
The posting specifies full-time employment.
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