Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Consumer - Risk)

About the role

This role focuses on the technical architecture of Coinbase's Risk Platform, encompassing real-time fraud detection, risk decisioning, and financial risk monitoring infrastructure. The platform operates with high throughput, low latency, and 24x7 availability, requiring robust and scalable solutions. Success in this position means delivering systems that balance fraud prevention with a positive user experience.

The Staff Software Engineer will define multi-quarter technical strategies for the Risk Platform, aiming to simplify complexity, enhance reliability, and reduce financial losses. This involves scaling risk capabilities across new products, asset classes, and jurisdictions. A key aspect of the role is translating complex business requirements into resilient architectures.

Collaboration is central to this position, as it requires partnering with Data Science, Machine Learning, Product, Compliance, and senior leadership. The goal is to ensure the risk platform evolves proactively to address emerging threats and regulatory demands. The role also involves building AI-native risk systems to automate detection and response workflows, reducing manual intervention.

The target annual base salary for this position is $161,000 USD, with total compensation potentially including equity, bonus eligibility, and benefits.

Skills that matter here

• backend software engineering: This role requires 8+ years of experience in backend engineering, specifically in architecting and developing high-throughput, low-latency production systems.
• backend systems design (microservices, event-driven architectures, REST/GraphQL APIs): Deep expertise in these design patterns is essential for building systems that meet high-availability and correctness requirements within the risk platform.
• technical strategies: The engineer will define and execute multi-quarter technical strategies, influencing engineering direction and translating complex problems into actionable plans.
• architecting solutions for complex, high-stakes domains: Experience in domains where correctness, latency, and reliability are critical is necessary to deliver impactful, scalable risk systems.
• mentorship: This position involves strengthening the team's technical capabilities through architectural guidance, engineering standards, and hands-on mentorship of engineers at all levels.
• generative AI: The role requires responsible utilization of generative AI to automate workflows, improve efficiency, and drive measurable business outcomes while maintaining human oversight.

Who this role suits

• You have a proven track record of architecting and developing high-throughput, low-latency backend systems at scale.
• You are adept at defining and executing long-term technical strategies and can translate ambiguous business needs into clear technical plans.
• You thrive in environments where correctness, latency, and reliability are paramount, especially in complex, high-stakes domains.
• You are committed to raising the technical bar for a team through guidance, cultural improvements, and mentorship.

From the employer

• Own the end-to-end technical architecture of Coinbase's Risk Platform, including real-time fraud detection engines, risk decisioning systems, financial risk monitoring, and mitigation infrastructure operating at high throughput with low latency and 24x7 availability
• Shape multi-quarter technical strategies for the Risk Platform, identifying opportunities to simplify complexity, improve reliability, reduce fraud losses, and scale risk capabilities across new products, asset classes, and jurisdictions
• Lead the design and implementation of critical risk systems, translating ambiguous, high-stakes business requirements into scalable, resilient architectures that balance fraud prevention with user experience
• Partner cross-functionally with Data Science, ML, Product, Compliance, and senior leadership to define the roadmap and ensure the risk platform evolves ahead of emerging threats and regulatory requirements
• Build AI-native risk systems that leverage fleets of agents to automate complex detection and response workflows, significantly reducing the need for manual intervention
• Strengthen the team's technical capability through architecture reviews, code reviews, engineering standards for quality and performance, and hands-on mentorship of engineers at all levels

• 8+ years of backend software engineering experience with significant experience architecting and developing high-throughput, low-latency production systems at scale
• Deep expertise in backend systems design (microservices, event-driven architectures, REST/GraphQL APIs) with a track record of building systems that meet high-availability and correctness requirements
• Proven ability to define and execute multi-quarter technical strategies, influence engineering direction across teams, and translate ambiguous problem spaces into clear, actionable technical plans
• Experience architecting solutions for complex, high-stakes domains where correctness, latency, and reliability are critical, delivering impactful systems that operate at scale
• Demonstrated success raising the technical bar for a team through architectural guidance, engineering culture improvements, and mentorship of senior engineers with measurable outcomes
• Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality

• Target annual base salary: $161,000 USD
• Total compensation may also include equity and bonus eligibility and benefits (including medical, dental, and vision)
• Coinbase is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by applicable law.