Staff Software Engineer in Austin, TX

Western Union•Austin, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Staff Software Engineer supporting the Global Bill Payments platform at Western Union, you are an Individual Contributor (IC) responsible for the architectural integrity and technical evolution of mission-critical systems. You will be a key technical leader shaping the architecture for future high-scale, mission-critical bill payments platform. You will combine deep hands-on engineering with architectural influence on design systems that are resilient, scalable, and built for global impact. This role offers the opportunity to drive technical direction, simplify complex legacy flows, and help build a modern, cloud-ready platform that supports customers across US and IST time zones.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field with 8+ years of experience, or master’s degree with 6+ years of experience
Strong hands-on software engineering experience in Java/J2EE, frameworks such as Spring Boot
Strong hands-on experience with AWS, RDS, Postgres
Deep expertise in computer science fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, OOP, and system design
Proven experience designing and delivering distributed, microservices-based architectures at scale
Strong experience with SQL databases, data modeling, and building reliable data-driven systems
Hands-on experience building APIs, web services, and enterprise system integrations (XML/JSON)
Solid experience with AWS cloud services and cloud‑native application design
Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and Test-Driven Development (TDD)
Demonstrated ability to lead architecture design discussions and influence technical direction across teams
Experience working in Agile environments with iterative, fast-paced delivery cycles
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to thrive in complex and ambiguous environments
Experience collaborating across globally distributed engineering teams and time zones
Ability to operate effectively as a hands-on engineer while driving architectural strategy in an IC role
Strong communication skills with ability to influence and align technical and business stakeholders
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Western Union will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services, payments, or highly regulated domains
Experience with hybrid cloud architecture
Exposure to AI platforms, prompt engineering, explainable AI, or applied AI in enterprise engineering workflows
Experience modernizing monolithic or legacy systems into cloud-native, distributed architectures

Responsibilities

Lead the design and evolution of a simplified, high-performance, and globally scalable Bill Payments architecture
Define and influence architectural decisions across services, APIs, data flows, and infrastructure strategy
Design and implement microservices-based systems supporting high-volume, real-time financial transactions
Partner with engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders across global teams to deliver end-to-end solutions
Act as a trusted domain expert for Bill Payments, guiding technical direction and system evolution
Improve system reliability, performance, and scalability through deep technical analysis and hands-on optimization
Ensure architecture and implementations meet enterprise-grade standards for security, compliance, and resilience
Translate complex business requirements into elegant, scalable, and maintainable technical solutions
Champion engineering best practices including CI/CD, automated testing, and modern Agile delivery practices
Contribute to strengthening engineering culture through collaboration, mentorship, and technical leadership
Explore and evaluate emerging technologies, including AI-enabled development tools, to enhance engineering efficiency and system intelligence