Payments Architecture & Engineering Specialist

Worldpay•Cincinnati, OH

7d•$127,500 - $192,525

About The Position

We are seeking a highly experienced Payments Architecture & Engineering Specialist to help design, evolve, and execute against the technology strategy of a large-scale payments platform. This role operates at the intersection of application architecture, cloud infrastructure, and platform engineering, with a strong emphasis on hands-on delivery. You will partner closely with engineering leadership to shape the future state of payment systems while driving execution across complex, high-impact initiatives. This is a senior individual contributor role designed for a technical leader who thrives in ambiguity, understands the realities of building and scaling payment systems, and can move seamlessly between architecture, development, and infrastructure.

Requirements

Strong technical leader who combines architectural thinking with hands-on execution
Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
High ownership mindset; able to independently drive outcomes
Effective communicator who can influence across engineering and business stakeholders
Extensive experience designing and building large-scale distributed systems
Strong background in cloud-native architecture (AWS preferred)
Hands-on experience with: Backend development (PHP, C#, multiple languages preferred), Microservices and API design, Event-driven architecture, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or similar), CI/CD and automation frameworks
Familiarity with observability, resiliency patterns, and performance optimization
Experience building or operating payments platforms or transactional systems
Knowledge of payment processing flows, integration, and lifecycle management
Understanding of compliance and regulatory considerations (e.g., PCI, data protection)
Proven ability to: Work across applications, infrastructure, and platform layers, Jump into unfamiliar systems and quickly deliver value, Lead technical efforts without direct authority
Prior experience in roles such as: Senior/Staff Engineer, Architect, or similar senior IC roles

Nice To Haves

Payments & Financial Systems Experience (Strongly Preferred)

Responsibilities

Lead the design and evolution of core payments system architecture, including APIs, transaction processing, funding flows, and supporting services
Define patterns and standards across monoliths, microservices, and event-driven architecture
Drive architectural decisions across applications, infrastructure, and data layers
Evaluate and guide modernization efforts (e.g., decomposition, service boundaries, integration strategies)
Actively contribute to engineering efforts across the stack, including: Backend services and APIs, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Pulumi), CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
Build and prototype solutions for new architectural patterns and platform capabilities
Perform deep technical troubleshooting and help resolve complex production issues
Apply deep understanding of payments systems and flows, including: Merchant onboarding, transaction authorization, settlement, and funding, Risk, underwriting, and compliance considerations (e.g., PCI), Processor and third-party integrations
Partner with product and engineering teams to ensure technical solutions align with business and regulatory requirements
Improve engineering velocity through enhancements to: CI/CD pipelines, testing, and deployment workflows, GitHub, Jira, and developer tooling ecosystems, Infrastructure provisioning and environment consistency
Establish best practices and guardrails for scalable, reliable development
Lead and execute cross-cutting, high-priority initiatives that span multiple teams
Step into undefined or complex problem spaces and drive clarity, direction, and delivery
Act as a technical force multiplier, accelerating progress across architecture and engineering efforts
Serve as a trusted partner to engineering leadership, contributing to: Technology strategy and roadmap development, Architecture reviews and decision-making forums, Evaluation of tools, platforms, and investments
Help bridge gaps between product, engineering, platform, and operations teams