Senior Staff Engineer, Guest & Host (Host Listings & Quality)

Details

As a Senior Staff Engineer on Airbnb's Guest & Host team, you will set the technical direction for backend platforms at the core of the marketplace. These systems store and serve listing data for Stays, Experiences, and Services, and determine whether listings are searchable, visible, and bookable. They also uphold quality standards for hosts through machine learning, enforcement, and host guidance. As AI-assisted features and agents become first-class clients of these systems, you will shape the evolution of APIs, data provenance, and architecture to remain stable, simple, and extensible.

You will partner with engineers across Guest & Host, Trust, Infrastructure, and the AI Platform team to define how listings and quality architecture fits within Airbnb.

Responsibilities

• Set the multi-year technical strategy and roadmap for the Listings and Quality backend, and bring the team and stakeholders along.
• Partner with AI Platform, Trust, Infrastructure, and Product teams to shape Listings and Quality architecture and establish platform contracts.
• Design APIs, data models, and data provenance so the platform can safely support AI-assisted features and agents.
• Drive platformization, simplification, and self-service by generalizing shared capabilities, consolidating duplicated systems, and enabling product teams to build within guardrails.
• Raise the bar on reliability and engineering practices, and reduce operational load on systems in critical business paths.
• Contribute to hands-on development, including design and code reviews.
• Mentor, guide, and support the career growth of individual contributors.
• Foster a culture of Diversity and Belonging within the organization and across the technology community.

Requirements

• 12+ years of relevant experience in the technology industry.
• 4+ years of experience in an Architect or Staff Engineer role, with ownership responsibility for large-scale software systems.
• Strong product and platform judgment, including an understanding of how backend architecture choices shape product velocity and how to design for product teams, hosts, and AI clients.
• Track record of setting a multi-year technical vision for a core platform and delivering it incrementally, such as consolidating services, completing major migrations, or platformizing shared capabilities.
• Deep backend expertise in distributed systems, data modeling, and API design for large-scale, business-critical platforms, using Java, Kotlin, or similar languages.
• Experience designing APIs and data systems for AI-assisted features and agents, including data provenance, validation, and guardrails.
• Excellent engineering skills and a strong operational mindset, with a track record of improving reliability and reducing operational load on systems in critical business paths.
• Strong communication and influence across organizations and platform teams, including AI/ML platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to set platform contracts, align stakeholders, and mentor senior and staff engineers.

Location

This position is US remote eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed with the manager. You must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity.

Compensation

The base pay range is $248,000–$310,000 USD. The role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.

Inclusion and Belonging

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible and providing a disability-inclusive application and interview process. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Airbnb is an equal employment opportunity employer.