Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer

Overview

Join Coinbase, a remote-first company with quarterly in-person "surge" sessions, and be part of shaping the future of finance. As a Senior Software Engineer on the Data Layer team, you'll play a crucial role in building the API platform that connects all Coinbase products.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver projects end to end, from scoping and system design through implementation, rollout, and production validation.
• Design and build high-reliability, low-latency systems serving millions of users, tackling challenges like caching, upstream service optimization, and efficient connection management at scale.
• Build and improve the API framework and tooling that hundreds of engineers depend on, making it fast and easy for teams across the company to build, test, and ship independently.
• Drive operational excellence across T0 services: own Service Level Objectives (SLOs), improve observability, lead incident response, and reduce operational toil so the team can invest in high-leverage work.
• Partner cross-functionally with product engineering teams to design API schemas, support service launches, and ensure the platform evolves to meet their needs.
• Set the technical bar through code and design reviews, mentor engineers across the team, and contribute to architectural direction.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional engineering experience with demonstrated ownership of complex, production-grade distributed systems.
• Deep proficiency in backend languages (Go, Java, or similar) with hands-on experience designing microservices, API platforms, and high-availability systems.
• Experience decomposing complex systems into clean APIs and abstractions adopted by multiple consuming teams, with comfort owning on-call responsibilities and driving incident response across multi-service architectures.
• Demonstrated ability to align technical decisions with cross-functional stakeholders, translating platform capabilities into actionable plans with frontend engineers, product teams, and platform consumers.
• Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.

Qualifications

• Track record of delivering projects end to end, including scoping, architecture, implementation, monitoring, and iteration, in environments where reliability and performance are non-negotiable.
• Experience with API design and development, including GraphQL.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to work effectively with diverse teams.

Skills

• Experience with backend technologies such as Go, Java, Python, etc.
• Hands-on experience with API design and development, including GraphQL.
• Experience with distributed systems, microservices, and cloud infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of software development best practices, including version control, testing, and deployment strategies.
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools.

Benefits

At Coinbase, we offer competitive compensation packages, including base salary ranging from $186,665 to $218,900 USD annually (excluding equity and bonus), medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) benefits. We also provide a comprehensive suite of employee perks and programs, including flexible work arrangements, generous paid time off, and opportunities for professional growth and development.

Pay

Base salary varies by location (see range below). Total compensation may also include equity and bonus eligibility, and benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401(k)). Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus): $186,665 USD - $218,900 USD.

Schedule

As a remote-first company, you'll have flexibility in your work schedule. Quarterly in-person "surge" sessions provide opportunities to collaborate closely with your team.