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 ResponsibilitiesArchitect and implement Stripe Connect integrations (Standard, Express, or Custom) within a Django/Python environmentDesign and build complex payment flows (split payments, payouts, fee collection)Develop resilient, idempotent webhook processing systems for real-time Stripe eventsLead migration of payment logic and data from a legacy Ruby on Rails application into a Django-based architectureIntegrate Stripe events with core backend workflows and business processesImplement asynchronous processing using Celery and Redis for high-volume payment tasksEnsure adherence to PCI-DSS standards and best practices for financial data securityBuild 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 ForStrong experience building production-grade payment systemsDeep understanding of Stripe Connect and marketplace payment architecturesExperience migrating legacy systems to modern backend frameworksSolid knowledge of asynchronous architectures and event-driven systemsStrong ownership mindset and ability to lead complex backend initiatives