Senior Backend Engineer (Stripe & Fintech Specialist) Contract: 6–12 months (with possibility of extension) Engagement Model: Independent Contractor (PJ)Role Overview We 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 Stack Backend: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