Lead Engineer - Payments Platform

Posted Yesterday
Hiring Remotely in Washington, DC, USA
Remote or Hybrid
206K-260K Annually
Entry level
Cloud • Fintech • Information Technology • Machine Learning • Software
At Xero, we’re here to help you supercharge your business.
The Role
Lead the design and development of secure, scalable payments platform services, including payment orchestration, fraud and risk capabilities, multi-provider integrations, bill payment products, and high-throughput backend systems. The role requires hands-on production coding, architectural leadership, mentoring, cross-functional collaboration, and advancing AI-enabled engineering workflows.
Summary Generated by Built In

The role / impact

In this role, you will help shape the technical foundation for money movement capabilities while unlocking new product lines globally. You will guide the design and development of reliable, scalable, performant, and secure services for the platform, ensuring operational excellence and direct business outcomes.

This is a rare chance to join an early-stage initiative, make foundational architectural decisions, and have a visible impact on the future of small businesses. By contributing directly to production code and proof-of-concepts, you will solve complex financial technology challenges at a massive scale.

The team / how they connect

The Payments Platform team is the engine powering money movement across the entire ecosystem, collaborating closely with product, security, risk, and operations. We are a highly collaborative collective that values technical excellence, inclusion, and continuous innovation. Together, we work cross-functionally to translate complex business needs into resilient engineering solutions that support millions of subscribers.

The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on

  • Designing and building out payment platform capabilities, such as orchestration, risks & fraud, multi-providers, to accelerate various payment products development and improve operational posture

  • Building out a global bill payment product to streamline how small businesses manage their cash flow

  • Developing core high-throughput platform services

  • Integrating and championing artificial intelligence capabilities to accelerate engineering productivity and enhance developer workflows

Where and how you can work

This position is open to remote applicants based within Washington State. Because this role requires close cross-functional collaboration with our teams in Australia and New Zealand, working within the Pacific time zone helps align our schedules for essential catch-ups. You will also have the flexibility to balance your remote focus with in-person connection during team alignment days and local hub events.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

  • You bring a proven track record of delivering highly available, distributed backend systems and designing high-throughput services under real-world constraints

  • A deep understanding of system architecture, API design, and both SQL and NoSQL databases is essential

  • Your background includes proficiency in modern backend stacks such as C#, Java, Golang, or C++, alongside cloud-native platforms like AWS

  • You are passionate about staying hands-on contributing directly to production code, proof-of-concepts, and technical deep dives.

  • You possess strong leadership capabilities, with a passion for setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and fostering an inclusive culture

  • You demonstrate strong ability in breaking down complex problems into clear, actionable solutions while driving agile execution to deliver results.

  • You are a strong partner to Product, Design, and other cross-functional teams to translate complex business needs into resilient engineering solutions.

  • You are a champion of advanced usage in AI tools and practices across the team to accelerate development workflows.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team. We are also tech stack agnostic, so please apply if you've worked with adjacent technologies.

Compensation & Total Rewards

At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We don’t just hire for a role; we invest in people. We believe in a Total Package philosophy - which means your value isn't just a single number on a paycheque. While base salary is a core component, we look at your compensation through a holistic lens that includes equity, performance incentives, and world-class benefits.

The expected base salary range for this role in:

  • Washington: $206,000 - $260,000 USD

Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role.

In addition to base pay, Xero’s roles are eligible for the following forms of variable compensation:

  • Variable Pay: Permanent employees are eligible to participate in our annual bonus and equity (RSU) programs. You may also be eligible for performance-based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on your role level, and company performance.

  • Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, and 21 days PTO, 10 days of Wellbeing leave, 5 days of Xtra Leave, 1 volunteer day, 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave. Further information included on our Xero Perks page.

Xero uses AI to help screen applications based on job-related qualifications. These tools assist our recruiters but do not make automated hiring decisions. A human recruiter reviews all candidates before any hiring action is taken.

Skills Required

  • Proven experience delivering highly available, distributed backend systems
  • Experience designing high-throughput services under real-world constraints
  • Deep understanding of system architecture and API design
  • Experience with both SQL and NoSQL databases
  • Proficiency with C#, Java, Golang, or C++
  • Experience with cloud-native platforms such as AWS
  • Hands-on experience contributing to production code, proof-of-concepts, and technical deep dives
  • Technical leadership, including setting direction and mentoring engineers
  • Ability to break down complex problems and drive agile execution
  • Strong cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, Security, Risk, and Operations
  • Experience championing AI tools and practices for engineering workflows

Xero Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — U.S. materials cite about 21 days PTO, 10 wellbeing days, five Xtra days, a volunteer day, and 12 paid holidays, plus an end‑of‑year shutdown. Company descriptions position this package toward the upper tier among midsize/large tech employers in the U.S. market.
  • Parental & Family Support — Primary caregivers are described as eligible for up to 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave, with partner leave in some markets. Family‑forming support via Carrot and access to Modern Health for employees and immediate family reinforce depth in this area.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Access to Modern Health, a funded ThrivePass wellbeing account (U.S.), and flexible/hybrid work are emphasized as part of a broader wellbeing strategy alongside ERGs and “Boost Day” events. Feedback suggests these programs contribute meaningfully to work‑life balance.

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The Company
HQ: Wellington
4,500 Employees
Year Founded: 2006

What We Do

Xero is small business accounting software that provides a platform on which businesses can build a fully integrated solution. It’s designed to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. Xero minimises tedious admin by automating routine tasks, delivers valuable insights when needed, and brings together business data, trusted advisors, and powerful apps in one intuitive platform. By alleviating pain points, Xero empowers small business owners to supercharge their business, simplifying the complex and freeing up time from manual admin so they can focus on what really matters to build the business they’ve always envisaged.

Why Work With Us

Xero is a human-centric organization where you’ll have a tangible impact on the success of small businesses and their communities, globally. Our team of energised, forward-thinkers work to make life better for our customers and each other every day. We’re also always committed to supporting you with a flexible environment.

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Xero Teams

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Hybrid Workspace

Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.

Join us from home or at one of our beautiful workspaces. Xero has offices in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Singapore, and South Africa.

Typical time on-site: Flexible
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