Principal Software Engineer

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:

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.

Meet Our Team
 

We are a dynamic team of self-driven engineers and product managers on a mission to empower consumers globally through intelligent Digital Wallet solutions. We're seeking a hands-on technical leader who can bridge traditional software engineering with advanced AI/ML capabilities.Your Impact

As Principal Full-Stack Engineer specializing in AI/ML, you will provide technical leadership across the entire development stack while spearheading AI integration into our products. You'll lead your team through all phases of our software development lifecycle—from architectural decisions to implementation of machine learning models that enhance our payment systems. Your expertise will drive innovations that create exceptional value for merchants and buyers, while improving the scale, reliability, and intelligence of our platforms.

Your Day-to-Day

• Drive technical strategy and execution across both front-end and back-end systems, with particular focus on AI/ML integration opportunities
• Architect, build, and optimize machine learning models that enhance payment experiences, detect fraud patterns, personalize user interactions, and automate decision-making processes
• Lead the design and development of sophisticated user interfaces that leverage AI to simplify complex payment workflows
• Personally contribute code across the full technology stack, maintaining a hands-on approach while providing technical leadership
• Guide architectural decisions for both traditional and AI components, advocating for best practices in software design and machine learning operations (MLOps)
• Implement and optimize data pipelines that feed into machine learning systems while ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations
• Apply advanced analytics techniques to identify opportunities for AI enhancements in existing systems
• Collaborate with data scientists to translate research insights into production-ready code and deployable models
• Optimize system performance through monitoring, logging, and metrics, with special attention to AI model performance and efficiency
• Champion best practices in software engineering and machine learning development, including clean code, documentation, testing, and model validation
• Identify critical non-functional requirements (Availability, Security, Performance, Scalability, and Observability) with specific considerations for AI components
• Develop and implement automated testing strategies that encompass both traditional software and machine learning components
• Lead continuous improvements to our build, deploy, and model management processes
• Mentor junior engineers in both traditional engineering and AI/ML techniques, fostering their professional growth
• Stay at the forefront of industry advancements in full-stack development, AI, and machine learning, and strategically introduce relevant technologies to the team
• Advocate for and implement strategies to manage technical debt across all system components
• Participate in program planning, influencing product and technology roadmaps with AI-driven insights

What You Need to Bring

• 8+ years of professional experience in software development with demonstrable expertise across front-end, back-end, and AI/ML domains
• Hands-on experience building and deploying machine learning models for production environments, particularly in applications related to fintech, payments, or user behavior analysis
• Strong proficiency in modern front-end frameworks (React, Angular, or Vue.js) and back-end technologies (Node.js, Java, or Python)
• Experience with TypeScript and strong object-oriented and functional programming skills
• Practical knowledge of ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn, and understanding of ML operations (MLOps) best practices
• Experience with modern data warehousing technologies and their integration with AI/ML systems
• Proficiency in cloud technologies with hands-on experience in AWS services (Lambda, DynamoDB, SageMaker, etc.)
• Track record of building high-scale, high-throughput, low-latency systems with AI components
• Demonstrated ability to balance theoretical AI concepts with practical engineering solutions
• Experience leading technical teams through complex projects that blend traditional software development with AI innovation
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical and AI concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently or collaboratively
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning in rapidly evolving AI/ML fields
• Proven track record of mentoring team members and collaborating effectively across disciplines

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of digital payments by integrating cutting-edge AI capabilities with robust full-stack engineering approaches.

Subsidiary:

Travel Percent:

-

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 https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

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 https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

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 talentaccommodations@paypal.com.

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.