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, 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. .
The Role
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 opportunities. Permissions team services are in the critical path and we have to approach our problems with a high focus on availability. 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 and leading high performing engineering teams and can help us continue to build out our Identity platform through its next evolution.
You Will
- Guide the team in advancing and extending authorization mechanisms that work across the Block ecosystem for both first and third party developers
- 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
- Foster a reliability-focused culture, drilling in where there are problems (operations, SEVs, unblocking stuck teams, technical challenges)
- 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
You Have
- 8+ years of industry experience designing and building backend systems using golang or an equivalent language
- 2+ years of demonstrated success managing an engineering team, or equivalent role
- 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 and Teach
- GoLang / MySQL / DynamoDB / Protocol Buffers / gRPC / Kafka / git / Bazel / AWS / OAuth
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 an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, and always assess candidates on an individualized basis.
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 .
Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.
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.
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.
Zone A:
$217,800 - $326,800 USD
Zone B:
$207,000 - $310,400 USD
Zone C:
$196,100 - $294,100 USD
Zone D:
$185,200 - $277,800 USD
Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we're helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.
