Staff Systems Developer

About the team + role

The Compliance and Legal Systems team’s mission is to leverage technology to ensure Robinhood complies with all applicable laws and regulations while protecting the firm. We focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Compliance and Legal teams through scalable systems, improved workflows, automation, and strong controls.

As a Staff Systems Engineer, you’ll play a key leadership role across our Compliance and Legal technology portfolio. You’ll sit at the intersection of systems engineering, application development, and platform ownership—empowering the team with scalable solutions and deep technical guidance.

The role is located in the office location(s) listed on this job description which will align with our in-office working environment. Please connect with your recruiter for more information regarding our in-office philosophy and expectations.

What you’ll do

• Act as the technical owner for core Compliance and Legal applications, serving as the primary contact for M&A-related integrations, migrations, and system readiness.
• Lead high-stakes technical integrations during M&A activity. You will architect the strategy for data migrations and system consolidations, ensuring zero-loss transitions under tight regulatory windows.
• Design, implement, and operate scalable systems and workflows that support regulatory compliance, audit defensibility, and legal operations.
• Apply strong engineering judgment with a focus on security, data protection, reliability, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of best-in-class compliance and legal technology platforms.
• Champion the strategic adoption of AI and automation to drive infrastructure efficiency and operational excellence. Identify, prioritize, and lead initiatives that introduce AI-powered self-service, automation, and predictive capabilities, delivering measurable efficiency gains and cost savings. 
• Design and build scalable automation tools and AI-enabled solutions, while setting technical direction, best practices, and standards across the organization.
• Architect and implement integrations using REST APIs to support seamless cross-system functionality.
• Collaborate closely with Compliance, Legal, Security, and external vendors, and influence senior stakeholders across geographies.
• Mentor fellow engineers and raise the bar for code quality, documentation, and operational excellence.
• Navigate ambiguity and drive clarity in roadmap priorities for Compliance and Legal systems.

What you bring

• Proven experience operating at a Staff or Principal engineering level, with a track record of designing, building, and scaling application ecosystems—not just administering SaaS vendor tools.
• Deep experience working in compliance, legal, or highly regulated environments, with a strong understanding of regulatory systems and audit requirements.
• Strong cloud-native experience with AWS or GCP, including hands-on work with serverless functions, containerization (Docker and Kubernetes), and secure data storage architectures.
• Significant domain experience with eDiscovery, data retention, and communications archiving platforms (such as Global Relay or Smarsh), as well as privacy technologies supporting GDPR and CCPA requirements.
• Practical understanding of data protection principles, including why controls exist and how they support regulatory and legal outcomes.
• Experience managing both SaaS-based and on-premise applications, including integrations, upgrades, and lifecycle management.
• Proficiency with programming or scripting languages such as Python or Go, particularly for automation, migrations, and systems integration.
• A strong operational discipline, demonstrated through idempotent automation, system observability, precise documentation, and structured change management.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale system migrations or M&A integrations, ideally within financial services or similarly regulated industries.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to balance immediate operational needs against long-term system design.

Our team is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming interview experience for all candidates. If you require a specific accommodation during the application or interview process due to a physical or mental condition, please complete this Applicant Accommodation Form to notify our team. The form should only be completed if you need a specific accommodation.

AI Usage Disclosure: Robinhood uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of our recruiting process. These tools enhance the efficiency and consistency of our hiring process; however, all hiring decisions are made by our hiring teams.

Vacancy Notice: This job posting represents an existing vacancy that we are actively seeking to fill.