Senior Backend Tech Lead

We founded PingPong in New York in 2015, with the goal of solving the immense challenge of demystifying international payments. Fast forward to 2024, and we’ve become one of the world’s leading global cross-border payments platforms, with over 1 million customers and processing more than $200 billion USD. Our API-first embedded finance platform integrates with enterprises to send, manage, and receive money faster on a global scale.

We have more than a thousand world-class colleagues in 30 offices spanning 11 countries, and our global presence helps businesses solve complex payment needs in every major economy across all time zones. Join our team and have a direct impact on making the world a little smaller, simpler, and connected.

OVERALL PURPOSE

As the Backend Tech Lead, you will spearhead the design, development, and compliance of PingPong’s global payment backend systems. Your core mission is to build and maintain a highly scalable, geographically distributed architecture that supports cross-border transactions across 11+ countries while adhering to strict regulatory requirements (e.g., data sovereignty, PCI DSS, AML).

Lead the backend development and architecture for PingPong’s global payments open platform, enabling businesses to embed multi-currency accounts, mass payouts, and real-time FX capabilities into their products. Focus on building developer-first APIs, scalable payment rails, and compliant infrastructure across 30+ markets

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Partner with product managers to refine API specifications (OpenAPI/Swagger) and ensure technical feasibility of new features (e.g., embedded finance SDKs).

Coordinate with DevOps/SRE teams to deploy and maintain infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and Alibaba Cloud regions.

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS & ACCOUNTABILITIES

Key Responsibilities

1. Backend Architecture & Compliance-Centric Deployment

• Design and implement globally distributed backend systems with region-specific deployments (e.g., EU data residency in AWS Frankfurt, APAC clusters in Alibaba Cloud Singapore), ensuring compliance with local regulations (GDPR, PSD2, China’s Cybersecurity Law).
• Architect payment processing engines for cross-border transactions, including FX rate integration, multi-currency ledger management, and reconciliation workflows.
• Enforce security-by-design principles: data encryption (AES-256/TLS 1.3), PCI DSS-compliant card processing, and audit trails for financial regulators.

2. Backend Development Leadership

• Lead a team of 8-10 backend engineers to deliver high-performance APIs (Java/Go) and microservices (Kafka, gRPC) handling 10k+ TPS with sub-second latency.
• Optimize multi-region database architectures (e.g., CockroachDB/PostgreSQL with geo-partitioning) to meet data residency laws and disaster recovery SLAs.
• Drive code quality through rigorous CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Jenkins), automated testing (JUnit/Postman), and performance benchmarking (JMeter/Gatling).

3. Cross-Border Payments Expertise

• Deeply understand cross-border payment flows: SWIFT messaging, correspondent banking, real-time payment networks (e.g., SEPA Instant, UPI), and fraud detection patterns.
• Collaborate with compliance teams to implement region-specific logic (e.g., China’s SAFE reporting, EU’s travel rule compliance) into backend systems.
• Deliver business requirement including balance management, virtual IBANs, and real-time FX rate integrations.
• Troubleshoot settlement failures, currency conversion discrepancies, and latency spikes in global transaction routing.

EXPERIENCE

7+ years in backend development, with 3+ years leading teams in cross-border payments, fintech, or banking systems.

Proven expertise in:

• Payment backend systems: Batch processing, real-time settlement, SWIFT/ISO 20022 message parsing.
• Global cloud deployments: Multi-region Kubernetes clusters, VPC peering, hybrid-cloud networking.
• Compliance-driven architecture: Data localization, encryption key management (AWS KMS/Hashicorp Vault), RBAC/IAM policies.

Technical Stack Proficiency:

• Languages: Java/Go (must), Python (optional).
• Databases: PostgreSQL/CockroachDB, Redis for caching.
• Tools: Kafka, Elasticsearch, Prometheus/Grafana.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated with a relevant degree in business, project management, or a related field.

DESIRED TRAITS

• Proven ability to lead in a matrixed organization.
• Entrepreneurial attitude, excellent communication skills, and a results-driven mindset
• Strong relationship building skills and highly collaborative; excellent listening skills; and facilitating & guiding senior executives/colleagues
• Intellectually curious, manage multiple priorities in time-sensitive and challenging/dynamic environments
• Highly analytical, able to solve complex and at times ambiguous problems
• Ability to step in at the zero to one phase, scale to 1-10 (and beyond)
• Excellent (written and verbal) and proactive communication skills/style
• Strong command of office software (powerpoint, excel, word, etc) and exceptional organisational skills
• Chinese (Mandarin) is a plus

PingPong is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a global culture that embraces diversity.

We are committed to providing an environment free of unfair discrimination and harassment.