Software Engineer II, Backend (Reliability Platform)

About the Role

As part of Affirm's commitment to reinventing credit and making it more honest and friendly, this role plays a critical part in ensuring the company's systems are robust, efficient, and always available. The successful candidate will work closely with partner teams, including product, infrastructure, data, and SRE, to understand pain points and develop simple, powerful solutions.

The reliability platform is central to Affirm's operations, and the engineer in this role will be responsible for creating a centralized command center that offers real-time insights into system performance. This includes developing AI agents that can assist with incident triage, root-cause analysis, and recommended next actions, thereby streamlining the process of identifying and resolving issues.

What You Will Do

• Build a centralized reliability command center that provides a unified view of system health, risk, and reliability across all services and environments.
• Create AI agents capable of assisting with incident triage, root-cause exploration, log and trace summarization, and suggesting next actions.
• Design and implement delightful developer-facing features and APIs that help engineers explore data, debug issues, and make informed decisions.
• Utilize AI-assisted development tools to prototype, refactor, and ship high-quality code efficiently.
• Own projects end-to-end, including requirements gathering, architecture, implementation, testing, rollout, and iteration based on feedback.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to understand their pain points and develop solutions that meet their needs.
• Participate in the design and implementation of automated testing and deployment scripts to ensure reliability and efficiency.
• Continuously monitor and improve the performance and scalability of the reliability platform.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI-assisted development and distributed systems to continually enhance the platform.

What We Are Looking For

• A Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong proficiency in Python, with experience in architecting data-intensive applications and robust APIs.
• Problem-solving and product sense: The ability to take ambiguous requirements and rapidly iterate towards a working solution.
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools and enthusiasm for using them to build and ship features faster.
• Practical experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) or AI frameworks to enhance automation and guidance.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with cross-functional teams.
• Experience with cloud-based technologies and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and version control systems (e.g., Git).

Nice to Have

• Experience with machine learning and artificial intelligence, particularly in applying these technologies to solve real-world problems.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and tools, such as CI/CD pipelines and monitoring systems.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity principles and practices to ensure the reliability platform is secure.
• Participation in open-source projects or personal coding projects that demonstrate your skills and interests.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive base pay, with a range that reflects your experience and skills.
• Equity as part of a total compensation package, offering the opportunity to be a part of Affirm's growth and success.
• 100% subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents.
• Flexible remote work arrangements, allowing you to work from anywhere within Canada.
• Access to monthly stipends for health, wellness, and tech spending, supporting your personal and professional development.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development, including training, mentorship, and career advancement possibilities.
• A culture that values people first, with a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Tip: Showcase your problem-solving skills by providing specific examples of how you've approached and solved complex technical problems in the past.
• When discussing your experience with AI-assisted development, highlight any tools you've used and how they've improved your work efficiency and quality.
• Prepare to talk about your experience with distributed systems and how you ensure their reliability and scalability.
• In your portfolio or during interviews, demonstrate your ability to rapidly prototype and refine solutions, as this is a key aspect of 'vibe coding.'
• Emphasize your understanding of the importance of security in the development process and how you incorporate security considerations into your work.
• Research Affirm's values and mission, and be ready to discuss how your own values and career goals align with those of the company.