Staff Software Engineer, Backend - FinHub (Transfers)
Summary
Staff-level backend engineer on Coinbase's FinHub Transfers team, owning the architecture of the high-scale distributed systems that move crypto and fiat funds for Retail, Prime, Exchange, and Payments products. Day to day: technical design decisions, scaling/reliability improvements on cloud-native financial rails, and mentoring, using Go, Ruby, Python, or Java.
Ready to do the most impactful work of your career? At Coinbase, we are uncompromising on our mission to increase economic freedom. The bar is high, the environment is intense, and we like it that way. This isn't a place for complacency, it’s a place to be pushed past your perceived limits. If you're ready to build the future of finance alongside people who refuse to settle for "good enough," you belong here. Coinbase is a remote-first, but not remote-only company. Expect to get together quarterly for intense in-person working sessions called “surges.” learn more about working at Coinbase.
As a Staff Software Engineer on the FinHub - Transfers team within the Platform group, you'll own the architectural direction of the systems that power crypto and fiat fund movements across Coinbase. The Transfers team builds one of the most critical and high-scale distributed financial platforms in the industry, enabling fund movement for Retail, Prime, Exchange, International, and Payments products. You'll make key technical decisions, drive platform reliability and scalability improvements, and lead cross-functional initiatives that directly impact how millions of customers move money on Coinbase.
What You'll Do:
- Own the technical architecture of Transfers' fund movement systems, driving design decisions on distributed system structure, correctness guarantees, and scalability across crypto and fiat rails
- Lead complex, cross-team engineering initiatives end-to-end, partnering with Payments, Trading, and product engineering teams to deliver new fund movement capabilities and platform improvements
- Drive the evolution of Transfers' backend infrastructure using modern cloud-native patterns, proactively identifying scaling bottlenecks and architecting solutions before they impact customers
- Establish engineering standards, code review practices, and architectural patterns that raise the quality bar across the team and reduce operational risk in high-correctness financial systemsMentor engineers across levels on system design, distributed systems best practices, and building production services where financial integrity and reliability are non-negotiable
Required Skills and Experience:
- 8+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems in production, with demonstrated experience owning architectural direction and making technical decisions that shape a team's or domain's long-term trajectory
- Deep expertise in backend programming (e.g., Go, Ruby, Python, or Java) and cloud-native architecture, with proven ability to design highly available, high-throughput systems where correctness is critical
- Track record delivering and scaling financial systems, fund movement platforms, or similarly high-reliability domains where transaction integrity, idempotency, and auditability are core requirements
- Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives, mentoring engineers, and translating complex distributed systems problems into clear architectural decisions and actionable roadmaps
- Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.
Pay Transparency Notice: Base salary varies by location (see range below). Total compensation may also include equity and bonus eligibility, and benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401(k)).
- Application Limit: Candidates may submit a maximum of 3 applications within a 6-month period.
- Equal Opportunity Employer: Coinbase is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information. Applicants with criminal histories will be considered consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
- US Applicants: View Employee Rights, Know Your Rights, and E-Verify Notice of Participation.
- Accommodations: If you are an individual with a disability who needs a reasonable accommodation, email us your request and contact info at accommodations[at]coinbase.com. Need screen reading technology? Click here to download a free compatible screen reader and view the tutorial.
- Data Privacy & Arbitration: By submitting your application, you agree to our Candidate Privacy Notice. US applicants: By submitting your application, you agree to Arbitration of Disputes.
Skills
As published by greenhouse · 13 questions
Basics
First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Resume/CV, Cover Letter, Location
Short answers (1)
- Linkedin Profile URL
Pick from a list (12)
- Are you at least 18 years of age?
- Have you previously been employed by Coinbase in any capacity?
- How did you hear about this job?
- Please confirm receipt of the above linked Global Data Privacy Notice and US Arbitration Agreement.
- I understand that Coinbase may use AI tools to assist in the application and interview process.
- Which of the following best describes how you use AI tools today?
- Are you legally authorized to work in the country where this position is located?
- Will you require sponsorship for employment visa status now or in the future?
- Are you a current government official or were you a government official in the last five years (e.g., employee of a government agency or a government owned/controlled company, holder of public office or a civil service position)?
- Are you a close relative of a government official (i.e., child/step-child, spouse/partner, parent/guardian, aunt/uncle, first cousin, in-law)?
- To your knowledge, do you or a close relative currently hold a role, have a significant financial interest in, or maintain a close personal relationship with a senior leader at a company connected to Coinbase that could create an actual or perceived conflict of interest?
- To your knowledge, were you referred to this position by a senior leader or decision‑maker at a current or prospective institutional client, business partner, or vendor of Coinbase?
