Sr. Staff Engineer

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Senior Staff Engineer with deep expertise in Open Banking, Data Engineering, and AI technologies to lead the design and architecture of scalable, secure, and intelligent Open Banking Data and Insight platform. The ideal candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping technical strategy, guiding implementation, and ensuring compliance and innovation in Open Banking systems. This is a hands-on architecture role that requires a unique blend of domain knowledge, data expertise, and applied AI experience.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and evolve the architectural strategy for our Open Banking and AI-driven data platform.
• Design secure, compliant, and scalable solutions for financial data exchange using Open Banking frameworks.
• Architect and oversee modern data engineering pipelines (batch, real-time, and streaming) for high-volume financial data.
• Integrate advanced AI/ML technologies to drive automation, personalization, and fraud prevention.
• Provide architectural leadership across engineering, product, and compliance teams.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies in AI, data platforms, and API standards.
• Establish best practices for data security, governance, observability, and performance.
• Mentor and collaborate with engineering teams to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Engage with external partners and regulatory bodies as a technical authority on Open Banking and data.

Required Qualifications:

• 12+ years of software engineering and architecture experience, with strong leadership in platform and data-intensive systems.
• In-depth knowledge of Open Banking frameworks such as PSD2, FDX, Open Banking UK, or Australia’s CDR.
• Extensive experience in Data Engineering: ETL/ELT, data lakes, real-time analytics, and data quality systems.
• Strong understanding and practical use of AI/ML technologies, including LLMs, NLP, and predictive analytics.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and modern data stacks (e.g., Kafka, Spark, Snowflake, Airflow).
• Expertise in API design and management, with security standards like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect.
• Solid grasp of data privacy, security, and compliance requirements in financial services.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing AI-powered applications in FinTech or regulated environments.
• Familiarity with vector databases, embedding models, and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) patterns.
• Hands-on experience with orchestration frameworks (Dagster, Prefect) and MLOps platforms.
• Proven ability to influence architectural direction in large-scale systems.

Why Join Us?

• Define the next-generation architecture for Open Banking and AI-integrated financial platforms.
• Be at the forefront of innovation where finance, data, and intelligence converge.
• Work in a collaborative, forward-thinking, and impact-driven environment.

If you're passionate about shaping the future of Open Banking through data and AI innovation, we invite you to join our mission-driven team.

Preferred Qualification:

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

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PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.

Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.

The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

The US national annual pay range for this role is $169,500 to $291,500

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.

We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal 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 and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal 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 talentaccommodations@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.