Staff Software Engineer

High Level Architect (Staff Engineer)The Knowledge Platform team is at the heart of our company's data and AI strategy. We are building the foundational infrastructure that empowers the entire company to leverage data, AI, and ML into business impact. We accomplish this by creating platforms that handle the entire data and AI/ML lifecycle, simplifying the interface while providing proper safety and governance. This includes managing our data infrastructure (Databricks, Spark, Kafka, etc.), the technology to serve that data to our users (RAG, MCP, etc.), and the platform to host and govern these AI/ML models.In 2026, our team's overarching mission is to evolve our full data ecosystem—encompassing both platform and models—into a fully AI agent-ready infrastructure; we will empower customers to engage directly with the data platform to extract actionable value through capabilities like analytics and natural language querying, while also upgrading the platform to deliver robust, real-time performance for instant, data-driven decision-making.This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA.As a high level architect (staff engineer), you will oversee the strategy, architecture, development, and operation of Airwallex's data and AI platforms. You will play a pivotal role in influencing data-driven and AI-powered decision-making processes. A key aspect of your role will also include building a high-performing team that excels in a fast-paced environment. Your leadership will be critical in mentoring the team, promoting a culture of innovation, and driving technical excellence.Responsibilities:Spearheaded the identification and resolution of Airwallex-wide challenges using cutting-edge data platform solutions.Provide visionary technical direction, fostering a community within Airwallex's data realm, and actively leading in solving complex problems hands-on.Advocate for best practices across the data platform, instilling a culture of craftsmanship and innovation.Mentor the data platform team, nurturing both technical and professional development.Minimum Requirements:A minimum of 8 years of experience in Data Platform or an equivalent combination of work and academic exposure in a quantitative field.Proven experience leading company-wide initiatives across multiple teams or influencing tech roadmap planning.Effective collaboration with diverse teams and stakeholders to drive tangible business outcomes.Demonstrated ability to balance execution and velocity with in-depth research, statistical understanding, and scalable design.Track record of mentoring and investing in the development of scientists, engineers, and peers.Experience providing technical leadership on significant projects, covering ETL frameworks, metrics stores, infrastructure management, and data security.Proficiency in building, deploying, and maintaining reliable multi-geographical data pipelines at scale.Familiarity with workflow or orchestration frameworks such as Airflow, DBT, etc.Preferred Qualifications:Hands-on design experience in crafting data processing patterns for a modern Lakehouse architecture.Contribute to the design and development of standard framework modules, high-performance services, and client libraries for big data using tools like GCP, Databricks, BigQuery, DataProc, Kafka, Kubernetes, Spark, DataFlow, Google Cloud Storage, and Airflow.Excellent written and verbal communication skills tailored for diverse audiences (leadership, users, company-wide).Ability to rapidly evaluate various technologies and conduct proof of concepts to drive architecture design.Experience thriving in a complex environment.At Airwallex, you can make an impact in a rapidly growing, global fintech. We want you to share in our success, which is why you'll be offered a competitive salary plus valuable equity within Airwallex. We also like to ensure we create the best environment for our people by providing collaborative open office space with a fully stocked kitchen. We organise regular team-building events and we give our people the freedom to be creative.Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party RecruitersTo protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @ airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.Equal OpportunityAirwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don't regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.