Enterprise Architect

PayPal • San Jose, CA

2d • $209,000 - $359,150 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking visionary and practical Enterprise Architects to join our team, to serve as technical leaders and strategic advisors for key company strategic priorities. In this role, you will shape the future of our systems by collaborating closely with product, engineering, and business leaders, turning aspirations into scalable technology solutions. Your technical expertise and leadership will help elevate not only our platforms but also the next generation of engineers, as you guide and inspire teams toward meaningful, aligned progress.

As an Enterprise Architect at PayPal, you work at the intersection of technology and business. You will drive the architectural evolution of our critical systems, ensuring our platforms are cutting-edge, resilient, and adaptable to future needs. You’ll do this by engaging intensively with stakeholders to translate ideas into reality, navigating complex decision-making landscapes, and providing clarity amidst ambiguity. Along the way, you’ll leave a lasting mark on the company’s technical culture, setting the standard for excellence.

You’ll be joining a highly focused Enterprise Architecture team that is small in size but plays a pivotal role in defining the technology strategy of the company. Our team works closely with business leaders across various portfolios, translating strategic priorities into technical imperatives that shape our platforms' future. We are trusted advisors to the CTO staff, and coaches for emerging technical talent.

The impact of this role is multi-dimensional: from ensuring the architecture of our systems is robust and future-proof, to developing the skills of junior engineers, to helping our leadership navigate the complex interplay of business goals and technical execution. PayPal’s Enterprise Architects provide clarity when navigating conflicting viewpoints, and guide teams toward solutions that are both pragmatic and innovative.

Requirements

• 12+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Creativity, pragmatism and empathy; technology and business are full of puzzles, and grand visions are realized in steps, by humans, so success in this role requires both technical and interpersonal savvy.
• A love of technology and a growth mindset.
• Strong communication skills (written, verbal, and visual), with a proven ability to translate technical topics for a diverse audience.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with a significant portion in a senior technical leadership role.
• Successful experiences designing large-scale software systems, particularly in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, and a track record of delivering strategic outcomes with via incremental, risk-managed milestones.
• Experience mentoring engineers and fostering technical talent across an organization.

Nice To Haves

• Ideally, experience working on high-volume, customer-facing internet platforms, and familiarity with cloud technologies, machine learning, and modern computing trends.

Responsibilities

• Develops the methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for projects, programs, and people
• Guides the business by aligning business opportunities with technical innovations
• Exercises complete latitude in determining how to achieve success for associated group, relying on corporate priorities and peer relationships to inform personal goal setting
• Delivers results that have long-term effect on PayPal’s success
• Navigates unprecedented situations and sets “new norms” that integrate technology, business and personnel factors
• Anticipates risks, trends & opportunities marketplace, and identifies and strategic solutions
• Reconciles situations without a “right answer,” selecting the compromises the business can most afford
• Acts as a leader and visionary, by inspiring, steering, and driving other leaders towards a compelling goal
• Collaborates with senior leadership on strategic decisions
• Collaborate with business and engineering leaders to define product visions and translate them into actionable technical roadmaps.
• Lead the design and review of new and existing system architecture, including crafting target state architectures for 3+ years out and guiding teams to develop towards them in value-add increments.
• Write documents, draw diagrams, and give presentations that convey requirements and architectural strategies, serving as an exemplar for how technical challenges are approached.
• Act as a mentor and coach, helping to develop technical leadership across the organization.

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 comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most.
• We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees