Staff Software Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Staff Software Engineer jobs in San Francisco are concentrated in SoMa, Mission Bay, and the Financial District, with steady demand across enterprise software, fintech, AI infrastructure, and cloud platforms. Employers hiring right now include Anthropic, Rippling, and Uber. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
The Auth Experiences team is looking for a passionate Staff Software Engineer to help set technical direction and build the next generation of web and mobile experiences for Affirm customers.
Auth Experiences owns key moments in Affirm's checkout flow, allowing customers to access Affirm's services, while ensuring that fraud is kept to a minimum. Our systems power critical consumer journeys across thousands of merchants and multiple countries. We manage web and mobile experiences, building User Interfaces, as well as backend orchestration layers. We focus heavily on ensuring a great customer experience with high conversion and security. As a staff engineer, you will lead significant technical initiatives, drive the architecture and evolution of the product, and mentor the team to build highly reliable software.
What You'll Do
- You will be responsible for setting technical strategy for your team on a year-long time scale, and help your team tie it together with critical, business-impacting projects.
- You will collaborate across teams in the product development lifecycle by collaborating with product management, design & analytics to ensure technical sustainability, risks and trade-offs are well understood and managed.
- You will act as a force-multiplier for your team through your definition and advocacy of technical solutions and operational processes.
- You take ownership of your team's operations and availability by ensuring you have the right monitoring, triage rotations, playbooks, polcities, testing and alerting in place to support "keep the lights on" & on-call efforts.
- You will foster a culture of quality and ownership on your team by setting code review and design standards for your team, and advocating for them beyond your team through your writing and tech talks.
- You will help develop talent on your team by providing feedback and guidance, and leading by example.
What We Look For
- You have 8+ years of experience of developing and architecting web applications using declarative UI frameworks like React or Vue.
- You are proficient in working with Javascript/Typescript.
- You have experience delivering major features, system components or deprecating existing functionality in a system through the definition of a technical and execution plan. You write high quality code that is easily understood and used by others.
- You thrive in ambiguity, and are comfortable moving from low level language idioms all the way to the architecture of large systems to understand how they work.
- Your growth and impact trajectory demonstrates that you have mastered gathering and iterating on feedback from your engineering and cross-functional peers.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Base Pay Grade - P
Equity Grade - 13
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA Pacific base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT): $230,000 - $290,000
USA Sapphire base pay range (all other U.S. states): $204,00 - $264,000
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
The Auth Experiences team is looking for a passionate Staff Software Engineer to help set technical direction and build the next generation of web and mobile experiences for Affirm customers.
Auth Experiences owns key moments in Affirm's checkout flow, allowing customers to access Affirm's services, while ensuring that fraud is kept to a minimum. Our systems power critical consumer journeys across thousands of merchants and multiple countries. We manage web and mobile experiences, building User Interfaces, as well as backend orchestration layers. We focus heavily on ensuring a great customer experience with high conversion and security. As a staff engineer, you will lead significant technical initiatives, drive the architecture and evolution of the product, and mentor the team to build highly reliable software.
What You'll Do
- You will be responsible for setting technical strategy for your team on a year-long time scale, and help your team tie it together with critical, business-impacting projects.
- You will collaborate across teams in the product development lifecycle by collaborating with product management, design & analytics to ensure technical sustainability, risks and trade-offs are well understood and managed.
- You will act as a force-multiplier for your team through your definition and advocacy of technical solutions and operational processes.
- You take ownership of your team's operations and availability by ensuring you have the right monitoring, triage rotations, playbooks, polcities, testing and alerting in place to support "keep the lights on" & on-call efforts.
- You will foster a culture of quality and ownership on your team by setting code review and design standards for your team, and advocating for them beyond your team through your writing and tech talks.
- You will help develop talent on your team by providing feedback and guidance, and leading by example.
What We Look For
- You have 8+ years of experience of developing and architecting web applications using declarative UI frameworks like React or Vue.
- You are proficient in working with Javascript/Typescript.
- You have experience delivering major features, system components or deprecating existing functionality in a system through the definition of a technical and execution plan. You write high quality code that is easily understood and used by others.
- You thrive in ambiguity, and are comfortable moving from low level language idioms all the way to the architecture of large systems to understand how they work.
- Your growth and impact trajectory demonstrates that you have mastered gathering and iterating on feedback from your engineering and cross-functional peers.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Base Pay Grade - P
Equity Grade - 13
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA Pacific base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT): $230,000 - $290,000
USA Sapphire base pay range (all other U.S. states): $204,00 - $264,000
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
See All 315+ Staff Software Engineer Jobs in San Francisco
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Find Staff Software Engineer JobsStaff Software Engineer Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- Anthropic44
- Rippling39
- Uber15
- HARVEY11
- Affirm10
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software77
- Banking & Financial Services9
- Consulting & Professional Services9
- Healthcare & Medical Services5
- Fintech4
Staff Software Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a staff software engineer job in San Francisco?
Focus your search on San Francisco's SoMa, Mission Bay, and Civic Center corridors, where enterprise software, fintech, and AI companies cluster their engineering teams. Candidates who stand out typically show a history of leading cross-functional technical initiatives and influencing architecture decisions at scale. Familiarity with distributed systems and a visible open-source or conference presence also carry real weight with San Francisco hiring teams.
Which companies hire staff software engineers in San Francisco?
Employers hiring staff software engineers in San Francisco right now include Anthropic, Rippling, and Uber, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's hiring base skews toward high-growth technology companies, established enterprise software firms, and fintech platforms that keep their core engineering leadership in the city.
Are there remote staff software engineer jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, though many staff-level roles in San Francisco expect regular in-person collaboration given the leadership and mentorship expectations at that level. About 72% of staff software engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the fully remote share strongest in product infrastructure and platform engineering roles that operate across distributed teams.
How can I get a staff software engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic path is building toward senior engineer roles first at one of San Francisco's many mid-stage startups in SoMa or Mission Bay, where scope expands quickly and promotion timelines are shorter than at large enterprises. Contributing to open-source projects that San Francisco companies actively use, and attending local engineering meetups, puts your work in front of the hiring managers who make staff-level decisions.
Which industries hire the most staff software engineers in San Francisco?
Most staff software engineer openings in San Francisco sit in Technology & Software, Banking & Financial Services, and Consulting & Professional Services, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's concentration of venture-backed technology companies, digital banking platforms, and AI research labs makes those sectors the dominant source of staff-level engineering demand in the city.
Related Jobs in California
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