Senior Backend Engineer (Stripe & Fintech Specialist)Contract: 6–12 months (with possibility of extension)Engagement Model: Independent Contractor (PJ)Role OverviewWe are looking for a Senior Backend Engineer with deep expertise in Stripe Connect to lead the evolution of a critical payment infrastructure.This role will be responsible for architecting and implementing a robust Stripe Connect integration within a core Django API, supporting the migration from a legacy Ruby on Rails payment portal.You will lead the end-to-end payment lifecycle - from onboarding and funds flow to webhook orchestration and complex business logic - ensuring scalability, security, and reliability across payment operations.Core Responsibilities- Architect and implement Stripe Connect integrations (Standard, Express, or Custom) within a Django/Python environment- Design and build complex payment flows (split payments, payouts, fee collection)- Develop resilient, idempotent webhook processing systems for real-time Stripe events- Lead migration of payment logic and data from a legacy Ruby on Rails application into a Django-based architecture- Integrate Stripe events with core backend workflows and business processes- Implement asynchronous processing using Celery and Redis for high-volume payment tasks- Ensure adherence to PCI-DSS standards and best practices for financial data security- Build monitoring, alerting, and logging for payment flows (Datadog, Sentry, or similar tools)- Write comprehensive unit and integration tests, maintaining high test coverageTechnical StackBackend: Python 3.11+, Django 4.X, Django REST Framework (DRF)Payments: Stripe (Connect, Billing, Webhooks)Task Queue: Celery, Redis, RabbitMQ (Amazon MQ)Database: PostgreSQL (Aurora Serverless v2)Infrastructure: AWS (ECS Fargate, ElastiCache)What We’re Looking For- Strong experience building production-grade payment systems- Deep understanding of Stripe Connect and marketplace payment architectures- Experience migrating legacy systems to modern backend frameworks- Solid knowledge of asynchronous architectures and event-driven systems- Strong ownership mindset and ability to lead complex backend initiatives