Staff Engineer - Python - Research and Development - TCO

You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.

With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

As part of our diverse tech team, you can architect, code and ship software that makes us an essential part of our customers’ digital lives. Here, you can work alongside talented engineers in an open, supportive, inclusive environment where your voice is valued, and you make your own decisions on what tech to use to solve challenging problems. American Express offers a range of opportunities to work with the latest technologies and encourages you to back the broader engineering community through open source. And because we understand the importance of keeping your skills fresh and relevant, we give you dedicated time to invest in your professional development. Find your place in technology on #TeamAmex.

The Chief Technology Officer Organization’s vision is to raise the bar for technical excellence, talent, strategy, and standards across Technology. It also seeks to cultivate and foster technical innovation, as well as elevate and amplify the technical heartbeat of the organization.

We are at the Chief Technology Office (CTO) Research and Developemnt Team, and we are in search of a Senior Engineer - Generative AI to expand the team and our ability to deliver positive community experiences to developers at American Express.

Who are the Technology Community Office (TCO)

The mission of the Technology Community Office is to ensure American Express is positioned as a first-class technology company with a peerless engineering culture. This sees the office encouraging and curating participation in communities both internal and external fostering a sense of belonging among technologists. The office believes strongly in the power of community, not only unlocking the aggregate benefits of collaboration at scale, but the individual benefits that come from being part of a larger whole.

Some of the work of the TCO includes fostering innovation, encouraging participation in open-source communities, helping internal Engineering Guilds flourish, sponsoring community efforts such as conferences, foundations, and software organizations, empowering developers though documentation and content, reaching out to external technologists as ambassadors of American Express, building recognition programs, and gathering community sentiment feedback. Ultimately, the work of the TCO is to encourage and maximize the human side of technology, anywhere people are coming together to do their best work.

Who are You?

You are passionate about community – Community work isn’t for everyone, but for you, playing “chief organizer” and assembling teams that are greater than the sum of the parts provides great satisfaction. You bring people together, setting a vision and inspiring people to work toward audacious goals, you connect people to purpose. You’re optimistic about the future of Amex and you’re tenacious in working to make it real.

You lift others – Your satisfaction comes from winning as a team. You build common tools and documentation to empower others to be their best. You mentor other developers and help them succeed. You understand the power of recognition and frequently dole out authentic praise. Colleagues do better work and enjoy doing it on a team with you.

You lead without authority – You’re not afraid to sit at the head of the table, and rarely remember your official title. You produce content that is consumed widely, your ideas are discussed and adopted at increasing orbits of influence. You enjoy speaking to large groups and lending your voice in group settings. People have changed the way they think and do work because they spent time with you. Others look to you for understanding and advice.

You are professionally curious – You bring clarity to the confusing and you thrive on exploration. You seek data to drive your decisions and are ready to learn. You have expertise but it does not constrain you, willing to put forth your best efforts as a “polymath”. You seek alternate perspectives and use them to make connections that others have overlooked.

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 7 years' experience in software development, with a focus on architecture, design, and implementation of complex systems.
• Strong programming skills, with a minimum of 3 years' experience in Python development.
• Experience in Research and Development (R&D) is a plus, particularly in areas such as post-quantum cryptography, AR/VR, and Metaverse.
• Basic knowledge of cryptography concepts and familiarity with post-quantum cryptography is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML) concepts and techniques is a plus.
• Experience with AR/VR development tools and frameworks, such as Unity or Unreal Engine, is a plus.
• Knowledge of Metaverse concepts, decentralized technologies, and their potential applications is a plus.
• Solid understanding of software architecture principles, design patterns, and best practices.
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Continuous learner, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in technology.

• Conduct research and development activities in emerging technologies, such as post-quantum cryptography, AR/VR, Metaverse, and AI/ML, to identify potential applications and benefits for the enterprise.
• Design, architect, and develop software solutions, proof-of-concept applications, and prototypes in Python and other relevant technologies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, and other engineers, to define requirements, design systems, and implement solutions.
• Participate in code reviews, ensuring high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Optimize and refactor existing codebases to improve performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Investigate and assess new frameworks, libraries, and tools that can enhance the development process and improve the overall quality of the software.
• Contribute to the development of best practices, coding standards, and documentation to ensure consistency and maintainability of the codebase.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior team members, promoting a culture of learning and knowledge sharing.
• Collaborate with academic institutions and industry partners to stay informed about the latest advancements in relevant technologies and participate in knowledge-sharing activities.
• Assist in the evaluation and assessment of vendor solutions, particularly in the areas of post-quantum cryptography and AR/VR, to ensure alignment with the enterprise's requirements and standards.

Salary Range: $170,000.00 to $255,000.00 annually + bonus + equity (if applicable) + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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