Distinguished, Software Engineer

Walmart • Sunnyvale, CA

1d • $169,000 - $338,000

About The Position

Distinguished Architect — Identity, Authentication & Fraud Prevention As the Distinguished Architect for Identity, Authentication, and Fraud Prevention, you’ll be principal technical authority defining the end‑to-end architecture for customer identity, access, and fraud risk, spanning account security, payment fraud, and chargeback reduction. You’ll modernize our identity platforms, fraud decisioning, and ML‑driven risk systems to deliver secure, low‑friction, and loss‑efficient experiences at massive retail scale. You’ll partner across security, payments, fraud, and data science teams to translate trust, risk, and loss outcomes into durable technical designs.

Requirements

• Large‑scale identity and fraud platform design Experience building and operating CIAM/authentication systems and real‑time fraud and payments risk platforms at scale.
• Fraud, payments, and chargeback expertise Strong domain knowledge in payment fraud, disputes/chargebacks, anomaly detection, and adversarial behavior.
• AI/ML and data pipeline fluency Hands‑on experience with fraud ML systems: feature pipelines, model deployment, real-time inference, experimentation, and monitoring.
• Reliability and velocity leadership Proven ability to improve SLAs/SLOs and engineering KPIs through sound architecture and operational excellence.
• Executive‑level influence Clear storytelling that ties architecture to outcomes such as fraud loss, chargeback rate, approval rate, and customer trust.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 6 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.
• 8 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 4 years' experience in software engineering or related area
• We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.
• The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Responsibilities

• Set the target architecture across identity and fraud
• Define reference architectures, guardrails, and roadmaps spanning CIAM and authentication, account security (ATO, adaptive auth), payment fraud and chargebacks, and ML‑driven risk decisioning. Ensure platforms are designed for AI/ML‑enabled, real-time decisions at scale.
• Modernize core identity, fraud, and payments risk platforms Evolve authentication services, fraud gateways, and decision engines to support risk‑based login and checkout, reduce payment fraud and chargebacks, and deliver low-latency, highly available, cost‑efficient systems.
• Drive measurable fraud loss reduction Lead the technical approach for payment fraud prevention, anomaly detection, and dispute/chargeback reduction, including strong feedback loops from outcomes back into models and controls.
• Raise reliability and decision quality Define SLAs/SLOs and KPIs across identity and fraud systems (availability, latency, false positives, MTTR). Champion resiliency, observability, and data quality for always‑on trust platforms.
• Accelerate risk experimentation Shape APIs, policy frameworks, and data contracts that enable rapid A/B testing of fraud controls and champion/challenger model iterations without degrading customer experience.
• Influence and up‑level the organization Provide architectural stewardship, deep design reviews, and mentorship to Staff/Principal Engineers and EMs, multiplying impact across identity, fraud, payments, and data platforms.

Benefits

• Beyond our great compensation package, you can receive incentive awards for your performance.
• Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.
• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance
• Paid time off benefits include PTO, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
• You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.
• Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.
• Live Better U is a company paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level