The role / impact
The Payments Platform organization is making a critical, multi-year investment to reimagine the flow of money itself. As a Staff / Lead Engineer, you will be at the forefront of this initiative, defining and building the scalable systems that power payments across Xero’s entire ecosystem. You will make foundational architectural decisions that redefine how millions of small businesses move money, creating a massive, visible impact on Xero’s future.
The team / how they connect
This role sits within the Payments Platform organization, the engine behind Xero's money movement capabilities. You will collaborate closely with Product, Security, Risk, and Operations teams to translate complex business needs into resilient engineering solutions. The team fosters a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and excellence, where you will act as a role model and technical leader, mentoring senior and junior engineers to solve hard problems together.
The team are currently working on:
Defining and building core platform services that are reliable, scalable, and secure.
Solving complex fintech challenges including global payment rails, orchestration, compliance, and fraud designs.
Architecting the technical foundation to unlock new product lines and future revenue streams.
Implementing robust observability and leading on-call practices to ensure operational excellence.
Auditing codebases to uphold high standards for security, testability, and maintainability.
Where and how you can work
This role is based in San Mateo, CA, with a hybrid setup as the preferred arrangement. However, we are equally open to remote talent across the US. We support flexible working to let you balance your work and life, and our offices are designed to support collaboration with snacks, break areas, and a human-first culture.
Here are some of the things we are looking for in this role
8+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of delivering highly available, distributed backend systems at scale.
Deep expertise in system architecture, API design, and building high-throughput, reliable services.
Strong proficiency in at least one modern backend stack (C#, Java, Golang, C++) and cloud-native platforms (AWS is a bonus).
Experience in payments, fintech, or other highly regulated, compliance-heavy domains is preferred.
Demonstrated leadership in setting technical direction and mentoring engineers.
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.
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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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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.
