Principal Software Engineer

Paypal
San Jose, CA

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 highly experienced Principal Engineer with a robust background in Real-Time Risk platforms and services to lead our Risk engineering global team architecture. In partnership with other leaders within this org, the successful candidate will be responsible for driving the architecture , development and execution of PayPal’s Risk engineering strategy, leading the team responsible for building various Risk solutions across PayPal business technically.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

  • Increases results & effectiveness of all software engineers in a large domain
  • Sets the technology roadmap for a domain
  • Adapts their role to the need, selecting the most effective means of realizing their technical goals
  • Provides advice and counsel to senior executives within PayPal, influencing the development of multi-year business strategies
  • Exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to assignments and takes initiative to achieve results
  • Handles ambiguous and unfamiliar situations and uses creativity to deliver decisive resolutions
  • Uses discovery & exploratory research, not being limited to technical domains, to make successful decisions
  • Identifies themes & trends that span projects and teams, and finds broadly impactful opportunities for improvement
  • Uses professional savvy to determine when industry-standard solutions can be adopted, versus when a problem space warrants a novel solution (“build/buy”)
  • Mentor others as a means of propagating technical influence, and to enhance the performance of their organization

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualification:

  • Hands-on thought leadership for building on-premise and cloud-based Risk solutions for PayPal business segments.
  • Have a solid understanding of Payments or consumer financial products, data systems and data environments, and processes that are necessary for the implementation of Risk and Finance models
  • Deep Technical knowledge in architecting, designing, and Integrating new Solutions in a large-scale enterprise of highly distributed applications.
  • Deep functional knowledge on Payment Wallets, interactions with Banks and Credit card partners.
  • Work closely with engineering leadership across PayPal to integrate solutions efficiently.
  • Work closely with business teams, while having a good understanding of how Fraud and Credit loss manifests in Fintech wallets.
  • Establish the appropriate monitoring and alerting of solution events related to performance, scalability, availability, and reliability.
  • Provides technical leadership, guidance, and direction to other team members.
  • Build prototypes for demonstration and illustration purposes for peer groups, Business partners, or senior leaders.
  • Influence senior business and technology stakeholders across the organization.
  • Solving complex problems with datasets and optimizing existing solutions and frameworks
  • Ability to influence engineers to foster an innovative culture
  • Partner with product owners to define firmwide technology strategies and roadmaps
  • Drive innovation and ensure maximizes the business benefits of adoption of market-leading technology capabilities
  • Ensure new innovations are rapidly evaluated, piloted, and then scaled where appropriate, working closely with product owners

Our engineers work closely with design, product, and QA teams to deliver world-class experiences. As a Principal Engineer, you will:

Build robust backend systems from concept to completion.
Collaborate effectively with diverse teams to create exceptional products.

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

20

-

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 .

The US national annual pay range for this role is $188,000 to $323,950

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 .

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 [email protected]

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.

Posted 2025-09-14

Recommended Jobs

Apparel Department Coordinator

NHS, Inc.
Santa Cruz, CA

Apparel Department Coordinator About NHS, Inc.  Based in Santa Cruz, California, NHS Inc. has been part of skateboarding for over 50 years. We’re behind legacy brands like Santa Cruz Skateboards, …

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10

Software Engineer - C++ (Hybrid in Toronto)

Parent Organization
Ontario, CA

Senior C++ Software Engineer Hybrid (1 2 days/week onsite), Toronto, Canada Experience: 5 to 10 Years Role Summary We are hiring for this role where the selected candidate will wor…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10

Client Advisor

Bvlgari
Los Angeles, CA

Bulgari is seeking a Client Advisor in Los Angeles to deliver bespoke client experiences, achieve sales targets, and manage client relationships. The role requires a minimum of 3 years in luxury retai…

View Details
Posted 2025-08-24

County Claims Unit Student Assistant

Department of Social Services
Sacramento County, CA

Job Description and Duties The Accounting and Reporting Bureau is recruiting a motivated self-starter seeking a challenging, exciting, and friendly working environment with a variety of work assig…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LCSW, LPCC, LMFT)

Gotham Enterprises Ltd
Anaheim, CA

Mental Health Therapist (LCSW, LPCC, LMFT) Needed in California Empower Change, Elevate Mental Wellness! If you're looking to be part of a forward-thinking healthcare model and find fulfillment …

View Details
Posted 2025-07-29

Executive Chef | Full-Time | Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Oak View Group
Los Angeles, CA

Executive Chef | Full-Time | Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Location US-CA-Los Angeles Job ID 2025-24666 Location Name Lucas Museum of Narrative Art  Category Culinary / Kitchen Manage…

View Details
Posted 2025-08-28

Senior Data Scientist

Stubhubinc
Los Angeles, CA

StubHub is on a mission to redefine the live event experience on a global scale. Whether someone is looking to attend their first event or their hundredth, we’re here to delight them all the way from…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-14

Assistant Front Office Manager

LUXE Hotels
Los Angeles, CA

Join the Luxe Team as an Assistant Front Office Manager! The Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel is a AAA Four Diamond hotel, proudly standing as the only property of its kind in our competitive set and in …

View Details
Posted 2025-09-07

In-House Marketing Manager

Wyndham Destinations
California

We Put the World on Vacation Travel + Leisure Co. is the world’s leading vacation ownership and travel membership company, with a dynamic and growing portfolio of resort, travel club, and lifestyl…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-06

Attendance/Registration Technician - Alternative Education/ Student Programs and Services (26-8832) *Riverside*

Riverside County Office of Education
Riverside, CA

The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) is a service agency supporting the county’s 23 school districts that serve nearly 430,000 students. RCOE provides administrative support to districts, l…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10