PayPal
Principal Software Engineer – Developer Experience Architect
PayPal, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290
Principal Software Engineer – Developer Experience Architect
PayPal is looking for a Principal Engineer to serve as the technical architect for our Developer Experience (DevEx) organization. Lead technical architecture for PayPal's DevEx organization serving 50+ engineers. Defining next-gen developer experience through AI/LLM documentation, agentic interfaces, API architecture, and no-code tooling. Shape how developers globally discover, integrate with, and build on PayPal's platform. This role will be responsible for: Architecture Leadership
Define and evolve the technical architecture for PayPal’s Developer Experience platforms, APIs, SDKs, and tools. Set architectural standards and best practices for developer-facing systems with a focus on scalability, performance, and usability. Lead the design of intelligent developer workflows powered by LLMs and agentic AI systems. Strategic Vision & Innovation
Shape the long-term technology roadmap for AI-enabled documentation, contextual onboarding, and smart sandboxing. Evaluate and drive adoption of modern developer tooling, frameworks, and low-code/no-code platforms. Innovate in how developers interact with PayPal—through embedded assistants, automated guides, and adaptive interfaces. Cross-Org Collaboration
Partner with engineering, product, infrastructure, security, and design teams to drive large-scale technical initiatives. Influence architectural decisions across teams and ensure alignment with broader PayPal platform goals. Serve as a key technical voice in initiatives that span 200+ engineers across platform and product teams. Mentorship & Thought Leadership
Provide technical mentorship to senior and staff engineers across the DevEx organization. Contribute to design reviews, architecture forums, and engineering-wide technical strategy discussions. Promote engineering excellence, security-by-design, and developer empathy across the organization. Job Description
Essential Responsibilities
Increases results & effectiveness of all software engineers in a large domain Sets the technology roadmap for a domain Adapts their role to the need, selecting the most effective means of realizing their technical goals Provides advice and counsel to senior executives within PayPal, influencing the development of multi-year business strategies Exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to assignments and takes initiative to achieve results Handles ambiguous and unfamiliar situations and uses creativity to deliver decisive resolutions Uses discovery & exploratory research, not being limited to technical domains, to make successful decisions Identifies themes & trends that span projects and teams, and finds broadly impactful opportunities for improvement Uses professional savvy to determine when industry-standard solutions can be adopted, versus when a problem space warrants a novel solution ("build/buy") Mentor others as a means of propagating technical influence, and to enhance the performance of their organization Minimum Qualifications
Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience. The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com. The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is $188,000 to $323,950. PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations. Our 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 benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you. We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee stock options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com Who We Are
To learn more about our culture and community visit https://about.pypl.com/who-we-are/default.aspx Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com. Belonging at PayPal: Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal. REQ ID R0129707
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PayPal is looking for a Principal Engineer to serve as the technical architect for our Developer Experience (DevEx) organization. Lead technical architecture for PayPal's DevEx organization serving 50+ engineers. Defining next-gen developer experience through AI/LLM documentation, agentic interfaces, API architecture, and no-code tooling. Shape how developers globally discover, integrate with, and build on PayPal's platform. This role will be responsible for: Architecture Leadership
Define and evolve the technical architecture for PayPal’s Developer Experience platforms, APIs, SDKs, and tools. Set architectural standards and best practices for developer-facing systems with a focus on scalability, performance, and usability. Lead the design of intelligent developer workflows powered by LLMs and agentic AI systems. Strategic Vision & Innovation
Shape the long-term technology roadmap for AI-enabled documentation, contextual onboarding, and smart sandboxing. Evaluate and drive adoption of modern developer tooling, frameworks, and low-code/no-code platforms. Innovate in how developers interact with PayPal—through embedded assistants, automated guides, and adaptive interfaces. Cross-Org Collaboration
Partner with engineering, product, infrastructure, security, and design teams to drive large-scale technical initiatives. Influence architectural decisions across teams and ensure alignment with broader PayPal platform goals. Serve as a key technical voice in initiatives that span 200+ engineers across platform and product teams. Mentorship & Thought Leadership
Provide technical mentorship to senior and staff engineers across the DevEx organization. Contribute to design reviews, architecture forums, and engineering-wide technical strategy discussions. Promote engineering excellence, security-by-design, and developer empathy across the organization. Job Description
Essential Responsibilities
Increases results & effectiveness of all software engineers in a large domain Sets the technology roadmap for a domain Adapts their role to the need, selecting the most effective means of realizing their technical goals Provides advice and counsel to senior executives within PayPal, influencing the development of multi-year business strategies Exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to assignments and takes initiative to achieve results Handles ambiguous and unfamiliar situations and uses creativity to deliver decisive resolutions Uses discovery & exploratory research, not being limited to technical domains, to make successful decisions Identifies themes & trends that span projects and teams, and finds broadly impactful opportunities for improvement Uses professional savvy to determine when industry-standard solutions can be adopted, versus when a problem space warrants a novel solution ("build/buy") Mentor others as a means of propagating technical influence, and to enhance the performance of their organization Minimum Qualifications
Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience. The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com. The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is $188,000 to $323,950. PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations. Our 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 benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you. We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee stock options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com Who We Are
To learn more about our culture and community visit https://about.pypl.com/who-we-are/default.aspx Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com. Belonging at PayPal: Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal. REQ ID R0129707
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