Sr Staff Design Architect

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

As a Senior Staff Experience Design Architect, you'll own experience architecture strategy across Venmo's consumer, merchant, and platform surfaces—translating long-term business goals into experience frameworks, principles, and multi-year roadmaps.

You'll define future-state visions and lead the creation of scalable interaction models and cross-platform patterns, balancing platform investment with near-term delivery. You'll synthesize user insights, market trends, and competitive signals to drive end-to-end journey thinking and consistency across every touchpoint.

You'll partner with Product, Engineering, Data, and Brand to align on north star direction, influencing executive stakeholders through strategic narratives and compelling artifacts. And you'll mentor designers across the organization, elevating strategic thinking at every level.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

• Develop and articulate clear objectives in enhancing user and customer experiences that deliver results and meet organizational goals
• Influence decision-making at the senior leadership level
• Perform the most highly complex digital and physical products and services using domain knowledge and extensive business expertise
• Develop and deliver innovative strategies that benefit customers and product users
• Lead major business projects which impact the Experience Design job family
• Design, evaluate, and select process, product, and service improvements based on thorough understanding of user and customer needs and industry trends
• Mentor and guide junior team members in user-centered design practices.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 8+ years in UX, product design, or experience strategy, with a strong emphasis on systems-level thinking
  
  

• Proven track record of driving strategic design initiatives that influence product direction
  
  

• Experience operating in complex, multi-product ecosystems
  
  

• Strong ability to connect user experience with business outcomes and technical constraints
  
  

• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, especially with senior stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in fintech, payments, or platform ecosystems

• Background in service design, design strategy, or experience architecture

• Familiarity with design systems at scale

• Experience working in high-growth or highly ambiguous environments

Subsidiary:

Venmo

Travel Percent:

0

-

The base pay for this role will depend on where you work and the relevant experience and expertise you bring. The expected range of pay for this role by location is:

Primary Location | Pay Range:

San Jose, California | ($196,500.00 - $291,500.00 Annually)

Additional Location(s) | Pay Range:

Austin, Texas | ($178,500.00 - $265,100.00 Annually)

Additional compensation for this role may include an annual performance bonus, equity, or other incentive compensation, as applicable.

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes.  Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately.  To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. 

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we str