Staff Software Engineer

JOB DESCRIPTION

The International Card & Risk Services Technology (ICRST) organization delivers the technology strategy, platforms and solutions that underpin International Card Services and Credit & Fraud Risk across global markets. With approximately 900 colleagues across the UK, US, Canada, India and Mexico, ICRST plays a critical role in shaping enterprise-wide technology outcomes and driving compliance, resilience and innovation

Staff Software Engineer leads the design and implementation of scalable software solutions, provides technical mentorship, oversees platform integration and maintenance, conducts design reviews, collaborates with cross-functional teams, and optimizes development processes to ensure high-quality, reliable, and efficient software systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the design and modernization of a high-availability, low-latency payment authorization platform
• Drive architectural decisions across services, APIs, and event-driven systems, ensuring scalability, resilience, and security
• Build and promote reusable frameworks, libraries, and platform components to accelerate engineering velocity and consistency
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and coaching to engineers, fostering a culture of excellence, continuous learning, and high engineering standards
• Conduct design reviews and code inspections to ensure architectural integrity, code quality, and adherence to best practices
• Stay hands-on: troubleshoot complex production issues, optimize performance, and contribute to critical code paths
• Partner with product, risk, and infrastructure teams to define requirements and deliver robust payment solutions (e.g., ISO 8583, real-time authorization flows)
• Champion modern engineering practices including microservices, cloud-native design, CI/CD, and observability
• Ensure system reliability through fault tolerance, performance optimization, and graceful degradation strategies
• Oversee platform health, including code quality, testing, source control, and CI/CD processes
• Align technology initiatives with business objectives through strong cross-functional collaboration
• Identify and implement opportunities to leverage Generative AI to enhance system capabilities and developer productivity

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (advanced degree preferred)
• 8+ years of software engineering experience with strong expertise in Java (JDK 11+) and backend systems
• Proven experience designing and operating high-scale, low-latency distributed systems
• Strong understanding of data systems (relational and NoSQL) and core computer science fundamentals (algorithms, system design)
• Experience building enterprise-grade APIs (REST/gRPC) and event-driven architectures (e.g., Kafka)
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with modern software development practices (SDLC, CI/CD, testing, code quality, observability)
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and influence engineers and drive technical excellence
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex, ambiguous systems

Domain Expertise

• Deep understanding of payment processing systems (authorization flows, card networks, ISO 8583, transaction lifecycles)
• Experience building scalable, fault-tolerant systems at enterprise scale
• Experience developing platforms or reusable frameworks adopted across teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience modernizing legacy/monolithic systems into cloud-native architectures
• Familiarity with risk, fraud, or authorization decisioning systems
• Experience with Generative AI (LLMs, embeddings, prompt workflows, or developer tooling)
• Knowledge of observability and SRE practices (metrics, logging, tracing)
• Experience with zero-downtime deployments (blue-green, canary)
• Understanding of security and compliance standards (e.g., PCI-DSS)

Depending on factors such as business unit requirements, the nature of the position, cost and applicable laws, American Express may provide visa sponsorship for certain position.

ABOUT US

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you’ll experience our powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career. Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

ABOUT THE TEAM

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit out Colleague Benefits Site .

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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The below represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.