At PayNearMe, we’re on a mission to make paying and getting paid as simple as possible. We build innovative technology that transforms the way businesses and their customers experience payments. Our industry-leading platform, PayXM™, is the first of its kind—designed to manage the entire payment experience from start to finish. Every click, swipe or tap is seamless, fast and secure, helping non-commerce businesses boost customer satisfaction, accelerate payments, and reduce costs.

Our single platform handles it all: cards, ACH, digital wallets such as PayPal, Venmo, Cash App Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and even cash at more than 62,000 retail locations nationwide. Today, thousands of businesses across consumer lending, iGaming and online sports betting, property management, and tolling trust PayNearMe to deliver a payment experience that drives real results.

In September 2025, we raised a $50 million Series E funding round to accelerate our growth. 

We’re a team of 200+ employees across 41 states, headquartered in Silicon Valley with satellite offices in Dallas, TX and Holmdel, NJ.

Join us and be part of a team that’s shaping the future of payments—one experience at a time.

The Performance and Scale team ensures our systems remain fast, reliable, and efficient as we grow. We’re looking for a Sr. Database Performance Engineer to identify and fix slow MySQL queries across our Rails monolith, improving application responsiveness and overall system performance. In this role, you’ll take ownership of known database performance issues, use Datadog and other profiling tools to uncover high-impact optimization opportunities, and address underlying inefficiencies in query patterns or application logic. Over time, this position will expand to include performance and scalability work across other data systems such as TiDB, Elasticache, and Opensearch—directly improving user experience, enabling infrastructure efficiency, and reducing operational costs.

We're looking for someone who has built highly performant OLTP systems, who fully understands the importance and impact of efficient MySQL at scale, and who knows how to identify and focus on the areas that will have the most impact. You should be a Rails wizard who understands all the subtleties of generating performant MySQL using ActiveRecord. You should have a passion for database efficiency!
 

Responsibilities

• Work hands-on to identify, analyze, and resolve slow ActiveRecord queries across the Rails monolith
• Optimize query performance through indexing, query rewriting, and schema improvements
• Collaborate with DBAs and other technical teams to diagnose and remediate database bottlenecks
• Validate all performance improvements through testing, and performance measurement at high load
• Use Datadog to analyze query performance and identify high-impact optimization opportunities
• Implement selective caching in Redis where appropriate to reduce database load
• Document findings and share best practices for performant query design
• Contribute to long-term performance and scalability efforts across MySQL, TiDB, Elasticache, and Opensearch

• Deep expertise with Ruby on Rails, able to craft elegant and minimal solutions to complex problems
• Deep expertise with ActiveRecord MySQL query optimization — must go way beyond standard ActiveRecord use
• Strong understanding of SQL execution and query optimization at the engine level
• 6–10+ years of professional experience (senior level)
• Proven ability to read, understand, and improve complex application code across large systems
• Experience tuning queries, adding indexes, and interpreting execution plans
• Comfortable partnering with DBAs and other technical teams to debug and resolve performance issues
• Clear communicator who’s unafraid to ask questions or seek domain input when needed
• Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) or equivalent experience

Preferred

• Familiarity with alternative database technologies such as TiDB, Elasticache, Opensearch, or DynamoDB
• Direct experience moving a Rails application to TiDB would be a huge plus
• Opinions and practical experience regarding when to choose one database technology over another
• Experience with query analysis and performance tooling (e.g., Datadog, Looker, K6)
• Experience with large-scale data migrations, and tools for doing this (e.g. gh-ost)
• Familiarity with the AWS ecosystem

What Success Looks Like

• Methodically identify, fix, and validate known slow queries across the Rails monolith, demonstrating measurable performance improvements
• Use Datadog to surface additional slow or inefficient queries, and partner with DBAs and the team to prioritize which to address next
• Navigate performance work that overlaps with our ongoing TiDB implementation, balancing short-term optimizations with long-term architectural goals
• In some cases, determine that issues are not query-related and instead require caching (Redis) or application logic changes, coordinating with code owners as needed
• Demonstrate clear, data-driven improvements in overall database health and responsiveness during peak usage and high-load jobs

Why Join Us?:

• Competitive salary and benefits with growth-company options grant
• Fast- paced and professional work culture
• Stock options with standard startup vesting - 1 year cliff; 4 years total
• $50 monthly communication expense stipend to go towards your phone/internet bill
• $250 stipend to enhance your WFH setup
• Reimbursement for peripheral equipment: monitor (up to $400), keyboard and mouse (up to $200)
• Premium medical benefits including vision and dental (100% coverage for employees)
• Company-sponsored life and disability insurance
• Paid parental bonding leave
• Paid sick leave, jury duty, bereavement
• 401k plan
• Flexible Time Off (our team members typically take off ~3-4 weeks per year)
• Volunteer Time Off
• 13 scheduled holidays

Salary Range: $175,000 - 190,000

PayNearMe strives to create a workplace where all employees thrive. Our core values represent who we are today and we take pride in the way we work with each other as well as with our stakeholders.

We’re in this together to do the right thing. We deliver real results we are proud of while remaining respectful, transparent, and flexible.

PayNearMe is an equal opportunity employer. We are diligently and thoughtfully working towards cultivating a diverse workforce which in turn, enhances our products and services for the communities we serve. Applicants who represent all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

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CALIFORNIA CONSUMER PRIVACY ACT: APPLICANT NOTICE

Effective Date: January 1, 2020

Last Reviewed on: December 23, 2019

PayNearMe, Inc. (the “Company”) is providing you with this Notice (“Notice”) to inform you about:

1. the categories of Personal Information that the Company collects and maintains about applicants; and
2. the purposes for which the Company uses that Personal Information.

For purposes of this Notice, “Personal Information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly with, a natural person that the Company may collect in connection with screening applicants for job openings at the Company.

1. Identifiers and Professional or Employment-Related Information. The Company collects identifiers and professional or employment-related information, which may include some or all the following: real name, nickname or alias, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, membership in professional organizations, professional certifications, language skills, and current and past employment history. The Company collects this Personal Information to evaluate previous job performance and consider applicants for positions, to develop a talent pool and plan for succession, to conduct applicant surveys, to maintain an internal applicant directory and for purposes of identification, to promote the Company as a place to work, and for workforce reporting and data analytics/trend analysis.
2. Personal Information Categories from Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e). The Company may collect categories of Personal Information listed in Cal. Civ. Code §1798.80(e), other than those already listed above, (a) to the extent necessary to comply with the Company’s legal obligations, such as to accommodate disabilities; (b) to conduct a direct threat analysis in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and state law; (c) for occupational health and safety compliance and record-keeping; and (d) to respond to an applicant’s medical emergency.
3. Characteristics of Protected Classifications Under California or Federal Law. The Company may collect information about race, age, national origin, disability, sex, and veteran status as necessary to comply with legal obligations, including the reporting requirements of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Act, the federal Office of Contracting Compliance Programs (applicable to government contractors), and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. The Company collects this Personal Information for purposes including: to comply with Federal and California law related to accommodation. The Company also collects this category of Personal Information on a purely voluntary basis, except where required by law, and uses the information only in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
4. Education Information. The Company collects education information such as resumes and graduation records. The Company collects this Personal Information to determine suitability for roles, to determine eligibility for training courses, and to assist with professional licensing.
5. Profile Data. The Company may collect profile data, including the following: psychological assessments, behavior analyses, or other profiling of its applicants. The Company collects this Personal Information to determine aptitude for certain positions and job assignments as well.
6. Background Screening Information. In the event that an applicant is given a formal job offer, the Company collects background screening information prior to hiring, including results of the following types of background screening: criminal history; sex offender registration; motor vehicle records; credit history; employment history; drug testing; and educational history. The Company collects this Personal Information to screen for risks to the Company and its clients, and continued suitability for their jobs and to evaluate applicants for promotions.

Assistance for Disabled Applicants

Alternative formats of this Notice are available to individuals with a disability. Please let us know if you need assistance.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.