Senior Software Engineer, Payments Platform

ABOUT THE ROLE Airbnb’s Payments team is the financial engine that powers billions of transactions across 191 countries and 75 currencies. As a Senior Software Engineer on the Payments Platform, you will help build and scale the core billing and payouts systems that enable hosts and guests to exchange money safely and efficiently. Your work will directly support Airbnb’s mission to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere by ensuring that every payment is reliable, auditable, and compliant with global regulations. WHAT YOU'LL DO You will design and implement high‑availability services that handle complex payment flows, from authorization to settlement, for millions of users worldwide. You will collaborate closely with product, data science, and operations teams to translate evolving business requirements into robust, data‑driven solutions. You will lead the technical direction for multi‑team initiatives, driving performance optimizations and architectural improvements that reduce latency and operational toil. You will mentor junior engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and knowledge‑sharing sessions, fostering a culture of continuous learning. You will also champion engineering best practices, contributing to process improvements that raise quality, reliability, and deployment speed across the organization. WHAT YOU'LL NEED A minimum of five years of hands‑on software engineering experience, with at least one year in payments or fintech, and a proven track record of designing and deploying large‑scale payment systems. You should be comfortable with distributed architectures, event‑driven design, and asynchronous processing, and have deep expertise in at least one backend language such as Java, Go, or Python. You must possess strong problem‑solving skills, a passion for performance and reliability, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to cross‑functional stakeholders. Leadership experience is essential; you should have mentored engineers, set technical strategy, and driven alignment across teams. A bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related field is preferred, though equivalent experience will be considered. WHY REMOTE Airbnb embraces a distributed, asynchronous culture that empowers teams to work flexibly across time zones while maintaining high levels of collaboration. Remote employees enjoy the freedom to structure their day around personal and professional priorities, supported by robust virtual collaboration tools and regular synchronous check‑ins. Occasional in‑office visits or off‑site gatherings are optional and scheduled in advance to strengthen team bonds and foster cross‑departmental connections. BENEFITS Airbnb offers comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents. You will receive a competitive 401(k) plan with company match, generous paid time off, and a family‑friendly parental leave policy. Remote employees receive a monthly stipend to support home‑office setup and utilities. A dedicated learning budget and access to internal and external training resources enable continuous skill development. Additional perks include wellness programs, employee assistance resources, and a culture that values inclusion, belonging, and innovation.