Software Engineer, Backend (Risk Platform)
Coinbase
Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of?
At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system.
To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.
Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be.
While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.
The Risk Engineering Platform team at Coinbase is at the forefront of protecting our platform and millions of users from fraud and financial risks. We build flexible, scalable, and customizable engineering systems to detect and prevent fraud in real-time, near-real-time, and scheduled workflows. Our mission is to foster business growth by effectively managing financial risks while maintaining the best possible user experience.
The Role
As an IC4 Software Engineer on the Risk Engineering team, you will play a critical role in designing, building, and optimizing risk detection and mitigation systems that balance technical excellence, system reliability, and business impact. You will work on high-impact projects that directly protect Coinbase users and enable the platform to scale safely.
What you’ll be doing (ie. job duties):
- Design, scope, and build new risk detection systems and major features, applying experienced-based judgment to solve complex technical challenges
- Independently manage complex features and projects from inception to production deployment
- Turn our vision into tangible roadmaps every quarter by working with engineers, product managers, and senior leadership
- Build self-serve options to reduce friction for legitimate users while blocking fraudulent activities
- Optimize end-to-end experiences related to security protection and scam prevention
- Actively participate in PR reviews, code lifecycle management, and mentor junior engineers
- Respond to incidents of all severities and contribute to post-mortems
- Collaborate with Data Science, ML, and Risk Analysts teams to develop both proactive (models & user-facing features) and reactive (one-off rules to mitigate urgent issues) solutions
Technical Excellence
- Proactively propose novel ideas to enhance codebase, features, and architecture, promoting developer efficiency
- Build systems that accelerate the team's ability to deliver high-quality work
- Identify, propose, and implement scalable solutions that can be leveraged across the team
- Leave code cleaner than you found it and maintain high code velocity
- Implement mechanisms to identify regressions and ensure prompt visibility of emerging issues
What we look for in you (ie. job requirements):
- 2+ years of experience in software engineering, with demonstrated ability to ship production systems
- Strong proficiency in at least one backend language (Go, Java, Python, Ruby)
- Experience building and maintaining distributed systems at scale
- Ability to independently manage complex tasks and work in unfamiliar systems with guidance
- Strong understanding of software design patterns, data structures, and algorithms
- Experience with modern development practices including CI/CD, testing, and monitoring
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with risk, fraud detection, or financial systems
- Familiarity with machine learning models and their application in production
- Experience with real-time event processing and streaming architectures
- Knowledge of payment systems (ACH, cards, crypto) and associated fraud patterns
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Understanding of security best practices and compliance requirements
Technical Skills
Backend Engineers Should Have
- Proficiency in Go, Java, or Python
- Experience with microservices architecture
- Knowledge of databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Snowflake)
- Experience with message queuing systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ)
- Understanding of API design and RESTful services
Job #: GPBE04US
*Answers to crypto-related questions may be used to evaluate your onchain experience.
#LI-Remote
Pay Transparency Notice: Depending on your work location, the target annual salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full time offers from Coinbase also include bonus eligibility + equity eligibility + benefits (including medical, dental, vision and 401(k)).
Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full time offers from Coinbase also include bonus eligibility + equity eligibility + benefits (including medical, dental, and vision)
Please be advised that each candidate may submit a maximum of four applications within any 30-day period. We encourage you to carefully evaluate how your skills and interests align with Coinbase's roles before applying.
Commitment to Equal Opportunity
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. Coinbase will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. For US applicants, you may view the Employee Rights and the Know Your Rights notices by clicking on their corresponding links. Additionally, Coinbase participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law.
Coinbase is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us at accommodations[at]coinbase.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. For quick access to screen reading technology compatible with this site click here to download a free compatible screen reader (free step by step tutorial can be found here).
Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates and Applicants
Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required.
AI Disclosure
For select roles, Coinbase is piloting an AI tool based on machine learning technologies to conduct initial screening interviews to qualified applicants. The tool simulates realistic interview scenarios and engages in dynamic conversation. A human recruiter will review your interview responses, provided in the form of a voice recording and/or transcript, to assess them against the qualifications and characteristics outlined in the job description.
For select roles, Coinbase is also piloting an AI interview intelligence platform to transcribe and summarize interview notes, allowing our interviewers to fully focus on you as the candidate.
The above pilots are for testing purposes and Coinbase will not use AI to make decisions impacting employment. To request a reasonable accommodation due to disability, please contact accommodations[at]coinbase.com