Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Consumer - Risk)

About the role

In this role, you'll be responsible for the technical architecture of Coinbase's Risk Platform, focusing on real-time fraud detection and financial risk mitigation. Your work will help protect millions of users and ensure the integrity of the platform.

You will collaborate with various teams, including Data Science and Compliance, to shape multi-quarter strategies and build AI-native risk systems. Success in this position requires not only technical expertise but also the ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable solutions.

The target annual base salary for this position is $161,000 USD.

Who this role suits

• An experienced backend engineer with over eight years in software development.
• Someone who thrives in high-pressure environments and is driven to exceed expectations.
• A collaborative individual who enjoys cross-functional teamwork and mentoring others.
• A strategic thinker capable of defining and executing long-term technical plans.

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.