Principal Software Engineer – Developer Experience Architect

PayPal

  • Chicago, IL
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 13 days ago
The CompanyPayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.Job Summary: PayPal is looking for a Principal Engineer to serve as the technical architect for our Developer Experience (DevEx) organization. Lead technical architecture for PayPal's DevEx organization serving 50+ engineers. Defining next-gen developer experience through AI/LLM documentation, agentic interfaces, API architecture, and no-code tooling. Shape how developers globally discover, integrate with, and build on PayPal's platform. This role will be responsible for:Architecture LeadershipDefine and evolve the technical architecture for PayPal’s Developer Experience platforms, APIs, SDKs, and tools.Set architectural standards and best practices for developer-facing systems with a focus on scalability, performance, and usability.Lead the design of intelligent developer workflows powered by LLMs and agentic AI systems.Strategic Vision & InnovationShape the long-term technology roadmap for AI-enabled documentation, contextual onboarding, and smart sandboxing.Evaluate and drive adoption of modern developer tooling, frameworks, and low-code/no-code platforms.Innovate in how developers interact with PayPal—through embedded assistants, automated guides, and adaptive interfaces.Cross-Org CollaborationPartner with engineering, product, infrastructure, security, and design teams to drive large-scale technical initiatives.Influence architectural decisions across teams and ensure alignment with broader PayPal platform goals.Serve as a key technical voice in initiatives that span 200+ engineers across platform and product teams.Mentorship & Thought LeadershipProvide technical mentorship to senior and staff engineers across the DevEx organization.Contribute to design reviews, architecture forums, and engineering-wide technical strategy discussions.Promote engineering excellence, security-by-design, and developer empathy across the organization.Job Description:Essential Responsibilities:
  • Increases results & effectiveness of all software engineers in a large domain
  • Sets the technology roadmap for a domain
  • Adapts their role to the need, selecting the most effective means of realizing their technical goals
  • Provides advice and counsel to senior executives within PayPal, influencing the development of multi-year business strategies
  • Exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to assignments and takes initiative to achieve results
  • Handles ambiguous and unfamiliar situations and uses creativity to deliver decisive resolutions
  • Uses discovery & exploratory research, not being limited to technical domains, to make successful decisions
  • Identifies themes & trends that span projects and teams, and finds broadly impactful opportunities for improvement
  • Uses professional savvy to determine when industry-standard solutions can be adopted, versus when a problem space warrants a novel solution (“build/buy”)
  • Mentor others as a means of propagating technical influence, and to enhance the performance of their organization
Minimum Qualifications:
  • Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualification:Proven ability to architect and deliver scalable developer platforms and tools in a large-scale enterprise.Deep experience in API design, developer portal architectures, SDK lifecycle management, and CI/CD pipelines.Strong understanding of LLMs, AI-assisted developer experiences, and agentic workflow design.Familiarity with no-code/low-code platforms, plug-in frameworks, and developer onboarding patterns.Exceptional technical communication, design thinking, and cross-functional influence. * Experience with open-source developer platforms, standards, or contribution to API ecosystems.Hands-on experience with integrating AI/ML into product features—especially those that serve developers.Knowledge of GraphQL, RESTful APIs, webhooks, SDK generation, and OpenAPI/AsyncAPI specs.Experience in developer advocacy, product-minded engineering, or working directly with API consumers.Subsidiary: PayPalTravel Percent: 0-PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit . The US national annual pay range for this role is $188,000 to $323,950PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit .For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.Our Benefits:At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit .Who We Are:to learn more about our culture and community.Commitment to Diversity and InclusionPayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at .Belonging at PayPal:Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please .We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.

PayPal