Staff Software Engineer, CKD

Job Description:

• Lead the technical direction and architecture for NerdWallet financial guidance integrations with third-party AI assistants
• Architect how guidance is packaged, exposed, and rendered, including tool and protocol design and in-conversation UI
• Write production code for new integrations and prototype emerging platform capabilities
• Define reusable abstractions, contracts, and patterns across multiple AI platforms
• Track changing platform protocols, SDKs, review processes, and policies and incorporate them into roadmaps and architecture
• Define evaluation and testing strategies, including automated evaluations, regression suites, and end-to-end tests
• Partner with Security, Legal, and Compliance on authentication, consent, sensitive data, and financial compliance
• Set standards for monitoring, latency, cost, and incident response and help resolve production issues
• Lead design reviews, establish coding and architecture standards, and conduct code reviews
• Mentor engineers across FTE and contractor teams
• Partner with Engineering Managers and Product Managers on priorities, effort, risk, and technical investments
• Analyze usage and performance data to guide integration decisions
• Report to the Director, Engineering

Requirements:

• 8+ years in software engineering
• At least 3+ years at the Staff level
• Deep hands-on experience building and operating production backend systems
• Track record of architecting complex systems end to end
• Experience leading teams through difficult technical problems
• Experience establishing engineering best practices and mentoring engineers
• Hands-on production experience with LLMs, including tool use/function calling, MCP or similar protocols, prompt and context design, retrieval (RAG), evals, and non-deterministic output
• Advanced knowledge of a modern TypeScript stack, such as Node.js, React, GraphQL, Postgres, and Redis
• Ability to evaluate unfamiliar codebases, SDKs, and vendor tools
• Experience designing APIs and shared services, including versioning and backward compatibility
• Experience building on third-party platforms or ecosystems with external constraints and review processes
• Strong understanding of authentication and authorization patterns, such as OAuth
• Security best practices for handling sensitive data
• Comfort with early-stage, zero-to-one work
• Strong communication skills for explaining AI system behavior, tradeoffs, and risk
• Preferred: experience building apps, connectors, or agents for major AI assistant platforms
• Preferred: experience shipping AI features in regulated industries
• Preferred: experience with AWS, CI/CD, containerization, and LLM observability
• Preferred: experience mentoring blended FTE and vendor/contractor teams

Benefits:

• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents
• Rejuvenation Policy – Flexible Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + holiday company shutdown
• New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care
• Mental health support
• Paid sabbatical after 5 years
• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution
• Monthly Wellness Stipend
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Wifi Stipend for remote Nerds
• Work from home equipment stipend for remote Nerds
• Co-working space subsidy for remote Nerds
• Employee Resource Groups
• Hackathons and team events
• Company-wide events
• 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter
• Company match for charitable donations
• 401K with 4% company match
• Early access to new financial products and tools
• Financial wellness guidance and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner through Northstar
• Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums
• Equity offered