Staff Backend Software Engineer - Government Products

At Robinhood, our mission is to democratize finance for all. An estimated $124 trillion of assets will be inherited by younger generations in the next two decades—representing the largest transfer of wealth in human history.

Robinhood has been tapped as the brokerage and initial trustee for Trump Accounts, working alongside BNY and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to operate a historic national program expanding market access for millions of Americans. As a Staff Backend Engineer on the Government Products team, you will serve as the foundational technical leader for this high-visibility, 0-to-1 initiative. You will design, build, and scale a standalone backend infrastructure optimized for high throughput, security, and low latency. You will architect data pipelines and secure APIs connecting government registries, employer contribution frameworks, and institutional banking systems while mentoring senior engineers across Robinhood's broader brokerage platform.

Key Responsibilities

• 0-to-1 Standalone Backend Architecture: Lead the technical strategy, domain modeling, and implementation of a brand-new, standalone backend infrastructure optimized for high availability, security, and global scale.
• Government & Banking Integrations: Architect secure data pipelines and robust distributed APIs (Go or Python) to interface with government-backed registries, employer contribution platforms, BNY, and institutional banking systems.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Serve as the primary technical authority across the domain, establishing code standards, conducting architecture reviews, and mentoring senior engineers across the engineering organization.
• Regulatory & Security Alignment: Partner closely with Product, Security, Legal, Compliance, and external government stakeholders to navigate strict regulatory constraints and data protection mandates.
• Performance & Stability Tuning: Own end-to-end backend stability, observability, and latency optimization ahead of high-volume nationwide rollouts and public launches.

Requirements

Software Engineering & Distributed Systems Depth

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with a proven track record operating as a Principal or Staff Backend Engineer driving long-term technical vision.
• Go / Python Backend Mastery: Mastery-level proficiency in designing, building, and operating high-throughput, low-latency distributed microservices and data pipelines in Go or Python.
• Distributed Systems & API Design: Deep expertise in domain modeling, microservices architecture, gRPC/REST API design, and orchestrating complex cross-functional data flows across enterprise systems.
• 0-to-1 Execution & Ambiguity: Demonstrated track record executing in a zero-to-one product space, establishing foundational engineering patterns, and systematically de-risking complex technical blockers.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Outstanding communication skills to partner directly with Legal, Compliance, Security, and external government/institutional partners to translate regulatory constraints into maintainable code.

Work Logistics & Legal Restrictions

• Citizenship Restriction: Must be a US Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident.
• Ability to work in-person at least 3 days per week out of Robinhood's New York City, NY office.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience building software systems within fintech, institutional banking, brokerage infrastructure, or government tech contracts.
• Direct experience integrating with U.S. Department of the Treasury systems, federal payment networks, or institutional trust custodians (e.g., BNY).
• Deep familiarity with zero-trust architecture, audit logging controls, and federal compliance standards.

Total Rewards & Benefits

• Compensation & Equity: Zone-based base salary ($180,000 – $270,000 USD) + performance multipliers + annual bonus eligibility + stock equity grants + 401(k) company match.
• Comprehensive Healthcare: 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees (90% coverage for dependents), plus fertility benefits and mental health programs.
• Lifestyle Wallet: Highly flexible benefits spending account for personal wellness, continuous learning, and lifestyle enrichment.
• In-Office Perks & Time Off: Premium office workspaces, catered meals, team events, paid time off, company holidays, paid sick leave, and parental leave.