Staff Software Engineer (Platform - Identity)

About the Role

The role requires a deep understanding of technical problems and the ability to provide cross-functional leadership. The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of solving complex technical issues and leading teams towards a common goal. The Identity Accounts team is one of the most visible and business-critical engineering platforms at Coinbase, making this role both challenging and rewarding.

As a Staff Software Engineer, you will be part of a dynamic team that values innovation, collaboration, and excellence. Coinbase's work culture is intense and requires individuals who are passionate about the company's mission and the power of crypto and blockchain technology. If you are eager to leave your mark on the world, enjoy the pressure and privilege of working with high-caliber colleagues, and actively seek feedback to keep improving, this role could be the perfect fit.

What You Will Do

• Drive roadmap execution across three focused sub-teams: Foundations, Users Platformization, and Settings & Account Management.
• Own reliability and operational excellence for mission-critical Tier-0/Tier-1 services, maintaining high uptime and championing engineering quality.
• Represent the team to internal product groups and key partners in Security, Risk, Compliance, and Design, ensuring alignment and seamless integration support.
• Partner with Product and your Engineering Manager to define strategic roadmaps, prioritize initiatives, and translate complex constraints into simple, scalable platform solutions.
• Champion engineering excellence by driving code and design reviews, setting engineering standards, and building capabilities to be composable and reusable across product lines.
• Accelerate internal customers by reducing new product team onboarding time and delivering excellent APIs, clear documentation, and strong integration support.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and prioritize project requirements.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation to ensure knowledge sharing across the organization.

What We Are Looking For

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with a proven track record of architecting and delivering systems at scale.
• Demonstrated experience leading the development of high-throughput, high-availability services serving millions of requests in production.
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles, including design patterns, testing, and deployment strategies.
• Experience with cloud-based technologies and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug complex issues in distributed systems.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to represent the team to various stakeholders.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies and version control systems (e.g., Git).

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI/LLM product development, including building AI agents, code generation systems, or developer-facing AI tooling.
• Knowledge of security best practices and compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2).
• Experience with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Familiarity with Excel for data analysis and reporting.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and equity package.
• Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, dental, and vision.
• Flexible PTO policy, allowing you to recharge and pursue your interests.
• Remote work stipend to support your home office setup.
• Access to professional development opportunities, including conferences, training, and mentorship programs.
• A dynamic, collaborative work environment with a team of talented engineers and professionals.
• The opportunity to work on challenging, high-impact projects that contribute to the growth and innovation of the crypto and blockchain space.

• Highlight your technical leadership skills: Showcase your experience in leading teams, driving technical roadmap execution, and providing cross-functional leadership.
• Prepare to talk about scaling systems: Be ready to discuss your experience with high-throughput, high-availability services and how you've contributed to their development and maintenance.
• Understand the company's mission and values: Demonstrate your passion for Coinbase's mission and your belief in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system.
• Emphasize your problem-solving skills: Highlight your ability to debug complex issues in distributed systems and your approach to solving technical problems.
• Showcase your excellence in communication: Prepare examples of how you've effectively communicated technical ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Be prepared to discuss your experience with Agile methodologies and version control systems: Highlight your experience with these tools and how they contribute to efficient software development and collaboration.