Tech Lead Software Engineer (Backend), Identity Platform

Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

Square’s purpose is economic empowerment; since the company’s beginning, we have been helping numerous people start and manage their own businesses. During the pandemic, many small businesses struggled, as they scramble to adapt to going online to reach their customers.

The Identity Platform team cultivates trusted relationships with Sellers and businesses across the globe and supports their growth by seamlessly connecting them to the Square ecosystem.  We do this by providing authentication and authorization mechanisms and delivering solutions that safeguard access to data while providing account-lifecycle management and session security.  We also provide platform solutions for onboarding Sellers to the ecosystem, which includes verification of identity and business data, regulatory screening, qualifying their activation for payment methods, and supporting identity management throughout the lifecycle with Square. We strive to build an Identity platform that empowers both teams at Square and an ecosystem of third party developers.

This is a critical responsibility with huge challenges.  Our services are in the critical path and we have to approach our problems from a global perspective.  We work with many stakeholder teams at Square while navigating compliance and regulatory needs alongside technical and product ambiguities.  We are looking for someone who is passionate about building scalable, resilient and highly available systems and can help us continue to build out our Identity platform through its next evolution.

As a tech lead on the Identity Platform team, you will: 

• Play a crucial role in strategic technical direction setting that supports our mission by influencing roadmaps, architectural considerations and platform cohesion.

• Raise the engineering excellence bar as it pertains to engineering practices, operational practices, and architecture/design reviews

• Drill in where there are problems (operations, SEVs, unblocking stuck teams, technical challenges) and foster a culture of improvement

• Oversee the delivery of strategic or complex initiatives by leading across teams and disciplines

• Lead by example and foster a culture of positivity, psychological safety, and inclusivity within the team

• Provide mentorship and share technical expertise with other engineers 

• Help maintain and improve the processes we use to manage our work

• Participate in an escalated ONCALL rotation for high impact SEVs

If you share our passion for this mission, and are eager to solve these complex challenges, please reach out to us! 

You have:

• 12+ years of industry experience designing and building backend systems using Java or an equivalent language

• A high degree of comfort and a track record of success in high-ambiguity problem spaces

• Experience or familiarity with OAuth specification for public API access

• A track record showing the design, execution, and successful long-term maintenance of complex distributed systems that require high throughput and reliability

• Experience with customer-facing identity solutions (authorization, authentication, verification, or onboarding workflows) 

• Experience leading complex technical projects, e.g. cross-team programs 

• A strong sense of customer empathy and an interest in influencing the direction of a platform

• Excellent software engineering knowledge and the ability to provide technical mentorship and guidance.

Technologies we use:

• Java / Ruby / GoLang / Guice / MySQL / DynamoDB / Protocol Buffers / gRPC / JUnit / jOOQ / Redis / Kafka / git / Bazel / Zookeeper / AWS / OAuth / Temporal

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Zone A: USD $239,600 - USD $359,400
Zone B: USD $239,600 - USD $359,400
Zone C: USD $239,600 - USD $359,400
Zone D: USD $239,600 - USD $359,400

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Square is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page. 

Additionally, we consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, and always assess candidates on an individualized basis.

Perks

We want you to be well and thrive. Our global benefits package includes:

• Healthcare coverage

• Competitive compensation

• Retirement Plans

• Employee Stock Purchase Program

• Wellness perks

• Mental health

• Paid parental leave

• Paid time off

• Learning and Development resources

Curious about a benefit not listed? Ask our recruiting team!

Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) builds tools to empower businesses and individuals to participate in the economy. Sellers use Square to reach buyers online and in person, manage their business, and access financing. Individuals use Cash App to spend, send, store, and invest money. And TIDAL is a global music and entertainment platform that expands Square's purpose of economic empowerment to artists. Square, Inc. has offices in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, and the UK.

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource. If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information. 

Full-time employee benefits include the following:

• Healthcare coverage (Medical, Vision and Dental insurance)
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Plans including company match 
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness programs, including access to mental health, 1:1 financial planners, and a monthly wellness allowance 
• Paid parental and caregiving leave
• Paid time off (including 12 paid holidays)
• Paid sick leave (1 hour per 26 hours worked (max 80 hours per calendar year to the extent legally permissible) for non-exempt employees and covered by our Flexible Time Off policy for exempt employees) 
• Learning and Development resources
• Paid Life insurance, AD&D, and disability benefits 

These benefits are further detailed in Block's policies. This role is also eligible to participate in Block's equity plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies, and may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a commission plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

United States and Canada EEOC Statement

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

Additionally, we consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, and always assess candidates on an individualized basis.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, on average, U.S. open roles are posted for 70 days before being filled by a successful candidate.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.