Software Engineer - Intelligent Tooling
Plaid
Software Engineering
San Francisco, CA, USA
USD 180k-270k / year + Equity
Posted on Jan 9, 2026
Plaid is evolving into an AI-first company, and Intelligent Tooling sits at the center of that transformation. The Intelligent Tooling team is being built from the ground up, and our mission is to establish the technical foundations, operating model, and internal platforms that embed AI deeply into Plaid’s coding tools, internal systems, and the entire software development lifecycle.When we are successful, engineers across Plaid will delegate lower-leverage work to AI agents, move faster with confidence, and spend more of their time designing and inventing for customers. Intelligent Tooling owns the platforms and systems that make this possible - from AI coding integrations and SDLC agents to the internal tools that power Plaid’s operations.
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Intelligent Tooling team, you will build and operate internal systems that directly impact how engineers across Plaid do their work. This is a hands-on role with significant ownership, where success is measured by real adoption, reliability, and improvements to developer experience.
You will work on AI-powered tooling, internal platforms, and developer workflows, collaborating closely with other engineers and cross-functional partners to ship durable, high-leverage systems.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and operate internal tools and services used by Plaid’s engineers.
- Integrate AI-powered tools and workflows into core engineering processes.
- Improve reliability, usability, and performance of existing internal platforms.
- Own systems end-to-end, including production support and iterative improvement.
- Collaborate with teammates and stakeholders to deliver practical, high-impact solutions.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Experience building and operating production systems.
- Hands-on experience using AI-powered developer tools.
- Strong problem-solving and collaboration skills.
- [Nice to have] Experience with developer tooling, internal platforms, or infrastructure.
- [Nice to have] Exposure developing AI systems, automation, or agentic workflows.
- [Nice to have] Familiarity with CI/CD, cloud infrastructure, or observability tooling.
- [Nice to have] Strong interest and excitement in leveraging AI to meaningfully improve developer productivity and engineering velocity for a broader engineering organization.
180000 - 270000 USD a year
The target base salary for this position ranges from $180,000/year to $270,000/year in Zone 1. The target base salary will vary based on the job's location.
Our geographic zones are as follows:
Zone 1 - New York City and San Francisco Bay Area
Zone 2 - Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington D.C.
Zone 3 - Austin, Boston, Denver, Houston, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego
Zone 4 - Raleigh-Durham and all other US cities
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.