Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Capacity Modeling)
WFA Digital Insight
As the demand for skilled backend engineers continues to rise, companies like Affirm are looking for top talent to lead their technical strategy. With the growth of e-commerce and online transactions, the need for reliable and scalable backend systems has never been more pressing. According to recent statistics, the demand for backend engineers has grown by over 25% in the past year alone. Affirm, a leader in the fintech industry, is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join their team and drive the development of their capacity modeling capabilities. With a strong focus on innovation and customer satisfaction, this role offers a unique opportunity for engineers to make a real impact in the industry.
Job Description
About the Role
The Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Capacity Modeling) role at Affirm is a critical position that requires a deep understanding of backend systems and capacity modeling. As a key member of the engineering team, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining statistical capacity models that ensure Affirm's systems can handle forecasted traffic during peak sales events. This involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, and analytics, to ensure technical sustainability and mitigate risks.The Capacity Modeling team plays a vital role in Affirm's success, and as a Staff Software Engineer, you will be expected to drive technical strategy and lead critical projects that impact the business. You will work closely with the product development team to ensure that technical solutions are aligned with business objectives and that risks and trade-offs are well understood and managed.
What You Will Do
- Develop and maintain statistical capacity models to ensure Affirm's systems can handle forecasted traffic during peak sales events
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, and analytics, to ensure technical sustainability and mitigate risks
- Drive technical strategy and lead critical projects that impact the business
- Work closely with the product development team to ensure that technical solutions are aligned with business objectives
- Develop and maintain highly available distributed systems using technologies like AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes
- Support the scale-up and scale-down of large-scale sales events, such as Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday
- Tune autoscaling, CPU/Memory, and multi-threading for compute-type workloads
- Deliver major features, system components, or deprecate existing functionality in a system through the definition of a technical and execution plan
- Write high-quality code that is easily understood and used by others
- Foster a culture of quality and ownership on the team by setting code review and design standards
What We Are Looking For
- 8+ years of experience designing, developing, and launching backend systems at scale using languages like Python or Kotlin
- Extensive track record of developing highly available distributed systems using technologies like AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes
- Experience supporting scale-up and scale-down of large-scale sales events, such as Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday
- Experience with tuning autoscaling, CPU/Memory, and multi-threading for compute-type workloads
- Strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with the global engineering team
- Experience delivering major features, system components, or deprecating existing functionality in a system through the definition of a technical and execution plan
- Strong growth and impact trajectory, demonstrating mastery of gathering and iterating on feedback from engineering and cross-functional peers
Nice to Have
- Experience with capacity modeling and forecasting
- Knowledge of cloud-based technologies, such as AWS or Azure
- Experience with containerization using Docker and Kubernetes
- Strong understanding of system architecture and design patterns
Benefits and Perks
- Competitive salary and equity package
- 100% subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
- Monthly stipends for health, wellness, and tech spending
- Flexible working hours and remote work options
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- Access to a global network of engineering professionals
- Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance
- Comprehensive benefits package, including parental leave and retirement savings plan
How to Stand Out
- Tip: Highlight your experience with backend systems and capacity modeling in your resume and cover letter.
- Tip: Be prepared to discuss your experience with distributed systems and technologies like AWS, MySQL, Spark, and Kubernetes.
- Tip: Emphasize your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and drive technical strategy.
- Tip: Showcase your coding skills by sharing examples of your work or contributing to open-source projects.
- Tip: Research Affirm's technology stack and be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to their engineering team.
- Tip: Be prepared to discuss your experience with scaling large-scale sales events and tuning autoscaling, CPU/Memory, and multi-threading for compute-type workloads.
This is a remote position listed on WFA Digital, the platform for professionals who work from anywhere. Browse more remote jobs across all categories.