Principal Software Engineer, Architecture

About the Role

Join Affirm's Architecture Group as a Principal Software Engineer to lead the technical vision and delivery for our international expansion, focusing on critical compliance, localization, and payment systems across diverse markets. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our platform and build a strong technical leadership presence in Europe.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, technical roadmap, and delivery outcomes for Affirm's international expansion, with a focus on compliance, localization, cross-border trade, and country-specific payment/KYC requirements.
• Serve as the accountable technical leader for European expansion, ensuring reliable, secure, and compliant platform operations across diverse markets.
• Play a critical role in building Affirm’s technical leadership in Europe, mentoring senior Individual Contributors (ICs) and establishing an EU-based tech leads group.

Requirements

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant technical leadership roles.
• Proven success driving technical architecture for large-scale consumer or fintech systems, especially in international or multi-market contexts.
• Deep experience guiding engineering strategy and delivery in complex, regulated environments.
• Expertise in the European payments landscape, cross-border trade, KYC/AML compliance, and localization at scale.
• Ability to distill complex technical trade-offs into clear, impactful decisions.
• Strong communication skills to engage engineers and executives, fostering alignment and clarity.
• Track record of mentoring senior engineers and building technical leadership communities.
• Extensive experience designing and operating highly available, secure, and scalable distributed systems.

About the Team & Impact

• Affirm is dedicated to reinventing credit, offering honest and friendly "buy now, pay later" solutions without hidden fees or compounding interest.
• This role is a senior position within Affirm’s Architecture Group, reporting to the Head of Architecture and collaborating closely with EU leadership.
• You will be instrumental in Affirm's strategic international expansion, directly impacting our ability to serve diverse global markets.