American Express→

Sr Software Engineer I at American Express in New York, NY

ExperiencedHybridFull-timeNew York, NY$123k–$215k/yr

Skills

javascriptreactcssdesign tokensthemingfigmamonorepofrontend tooling

Job Description

You’ll shape how products are built.

Our engineers understand not just how technology works, but how it shapes everyday experiences. Strong execution and clear-thinking drive how we build products that are consistent, accessible, and high quality at scale.

Design Systems sit at the intersection of design and engineering, creating the foundation that enables teams to build efficiently across products and experiences.

You’ll define the standard.

The Design Language System (DLS) is the foundation for American Express digital experiences. It provides the building blocks and standards teams use to design and develop products consistently at scale.

DLS enables teams to build fast, scalable, and accessible experiences through reusable primitives, standardized patterns, and robust tooling. With design tokens, theming, and accessibility built in, it ensures consistency while supporting flexibility across co-branded and sub-branded experiences.

Our goal is to abstract complexity so teams can focus on delivering high-quality user experiences.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the system architecture for the design system, ensuring scalability, performance, and long-term maintainability
Design scalable, intuitive APIs for components and system layers
Drive accessibility as a core requirement across all outputs
Partner with designers to translate patterns into production-ready implementations
Enable theming, surfaces, and responsive behavior across products
Improve performance and runtime efficiency of shared components
Create tooling, codemods, and automation to simplify adoption and upgrades
Support engineers through documentation, training, and direct collaboration
Review contributions to ensure quality, consistency, and backward compatibility

Qualifications

Strong ability to solve complex system problems with simple, scalable solutions
Experience building reusable UI systems, component libraries, or design systems
Strong proficiency in JavaScript, React, and modern frontend architecture
Deep understanding of CSS, layout systems, and responsive design
Experience making system architecture decisions for design systems
Strong attention to detail in UI consistency, motion, and interaction patterns
Knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive design practices
Experience with design tokens, theming, or styling architectures
Experience with build tooling and frontend infrastructure
Experience working in monorepos and managing large-scale codebases
Focus on improving developer experience through tooling, workflows, and automation
Experience with testing strategies including unit, visual, and accessibility testing
Strong communication skills to influence and educate across teams
Ability to translate design and product requirements into scalable system solutions
Understanding of performance optimization and frontend best practices
Experience building or contributing to enterprise-scale design systems
Familiarity with token pipelines or design-to-code workflows
Experience with Figma or design tooling ecosystems
Strong understanding of theming and scalable UI architecture
Contributions to shared libraries or open-source projects

About Company

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

Competitive base salaries
Bonus incentives
6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
Career development and training opportunities

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit out Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

US Job Seekers - Click to view the “Know Your Rights” poster. If the link does not work, you may access the poster by copying and pasting the following URL in a new browser window: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster.

The below represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Company

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you’ll experience our powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career. Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.