Staff Software Engineer, Financial Platform Issuing

About the role

Cash App, part of Block, owns the card issuing platform that powers Cash App Card, Square Card and future card programs. It runs the full card lifecycle, from issuance, fulfillment and activation through real-time authorization, digital wallet provisioning, 3-D Secure, clearing and settlement, and disputes. As a Staff Software Engineer on the Issuing server engineering team, you will bring deep card-network expertise to complex work at the intersection of specifications, protocols, certification, mandates and production behavior.

Key responsibilities

• Interpret network specifications, message flows, certification requirements, mandates and production behavior, and work directly with networks to influence requirements and resolve ambiguity.
• Lead complex, ambiguous engineering problems at the network boundary that span multiple teams, systems or domains.
• Partner with technical leads, program DRIs and senior stakeholders on solutions where network requirements meet the issuing platform.
• Write production code, build certification and conformance tooling, analyze network messages, review designs and code, and debug issues down to the protocol and field level.
• Drive network certification and mandatory release cycles end to end, and turn network requirements into pragmatic engineering decisions.
• Establish shared frameworks, standards, tooling and practices, and raise the technical capability of colleagues through design guidance, code reviews, mentorship and documentation.
• Apply AI-powered tools throughout the engineering lifecycle and share operational ownership of critical financial systems through on-call, incident response and reliability improvements.

Required profile

• Minimum of 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 8 years with a Master's, or a PhD with 5 years of experience, or equivalent.
• Deep, current expertise with at least one major card network, ideally Visa, including direct connectivity, ISO 8583, authorization and clearing flows, certification and mandate cycles.
• Experience personally building, certifying or operating a live direct network connection, and working with networks to obtain rulings, exceptions, extensions, configuration changes, defect fixes or certification outcomes.
• Hands-on experience building and operating highly reliable financial or payments systems at scale, and a track record of leading complex work across team boundaries.
• Broad understanding of the card lifecycle, with depth in areas such as issuance, fulfillment, provisioning, authorization, clearing and settlement, reconciliation, disputes or fraud.
• Willingness to join an on-call rotation for critical financial systems.

Required skills

• Working knowledge of Mastercard and American Express alongside deep expertise in at least one major network.
• Fluency with AI-assisted engineering workflows and sound judgment in evaluating AI-generated output.
• Ability to work with colleagues across multiple time zones, including work outside normal business hours.

Remote work is possible for many roles, and the company offers benefits such as remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans and family planning support. Candidates may submit up to 9 active applications within a 60-day period, and reapplications are accepted 90 days after a previous application was reviewed.