Staff Software Engineer

About the role

Marqeta is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to autonomously lead and deliver complex software solutions. This role involves full ownership of projects, driving initiatives from conception to completion, and navigating technical challenges with minimal guidance. You will act as a technical leader, collaborating with teams and stakeholders to achieve significant outcomes.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design and architect large-scale systems and components, influencing product strategy.
• Take charge of major technical initiatives, guiding teams to align with customer and business objectives.
• Improve architecture for scalability, performance, and maintainability, addressing current and future system needs.
• Mentor and guide other engineers, promoting growth and excellence within the team.
• Work with product, design, and other engineering teams to create and deliver high-impact solutions.
• Maintain a deep understanding of product, business, and user experience to inform engineering decisions.
• Independently design and implement high-impact features and systems with high quality.
• Drive innovation and best practices, challenging existing processes for continuous improvement.
• Advocate for software craftsmanship, ensuring clean, efficient code aligned with architectural vision.
• Help define the technical vision and long-term roadmap for your product area and ensure team alignment.
• Participate in on-call rotations.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in backend engineering, with a strong foundation in system design and architecture.
• 3+ years of experience in payments or the FinTech industry.
• Proven experience leading technical projects and teams, making decisions that drive product success.
• Deep expertise in one or more backend technologies (e.g., Java, Python) and relational databases (MySQL, Postgres, MS SQL Server, Oracle).
• Significant experience with web services, microservices, and distributed systems.
• Experience working with large-scale, high-performance, and reliable systems.
• Ability to break down complex business problems into scalable technical solutions involving multiple interacting components.
• A strong history of designing, building, and scaling maintainable, robust systems with high availability and minimal technical debt.
• Experience creating and maintaining technical roadmaps and providing leadership for project delivery.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of presenting complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong focus on quality and commitment to meeting deadlines while maintaining high accountability.
• Experience mentoring and guiding less-experienced engineers, fostering technical growth and high-performing teams.

Nice to have

• Production experience with AWS, Kubernetes, or other cloud platforms.
• Experience building scalable software platforms.
• Experience leading teams through significant technical challenges and driving organizational change.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools like Docker/Kubernetes.
• Experience with Python or other modern programming languages.
• Experience developing cloud infrastructure on AWS using Terraform.

Skills & tools

Java, Python, MySQL, Postgres, MS SQL Server, Oracle, Web Services, Microservices, Distributed Systems, AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform

Practical notes

Marqeta offers a "Flex First" working model, allowing you to choose your preferred work environment. Compensation includes an annual bonus based on individual and company performance. Benefits include multiple health insurance options, flexible vacation, a retirement savings program with company contributions, equity in a publicly-traded company, a monthly remote work stipend, annual development dollars, family-forming benefits, and up to 20 weeks of parental leave. The hiring process typically involves an application review, recruiter video call, coding and hiring manager interviews, a virtual "onsite" with four 45-60 minute rounds, and an offer.