Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Risk AI/ML

P2P; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 192,000; Full time

Job summary

A global financial technology company located in Canada is looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join its Risk AI/ML team. This role involves designing and deploying sophisticated models to enhance customer protection. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in AI/ML systems, technical leadership, and coding skills in Python. A commitment to combating fraud and improving financial systems is crucial. This full-time position offers competitive compensation and supports collaboration in an on-site workplace environment.

Qualifications

• 6-8+ years of professional experience in software engineering and/or AI/ML.
• Proven track record of technical leadership in ML systems.
• Passion for building an open financial system.

Responsibilities

• Take full technical ownership of a core problem space.
• Architect and design systems for risk detection models.
• Drive the technical roadmap based on business needs.

Skills

Technical leadership

AI/ML techniques

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Expert-level coding skills

Education

Master’s / Ph.D in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or a related field

Tools

Python

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

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 toward, 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.

We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join our Risk AI/ML team. We are dedicated to building the sophisticated models that protect our customers and make Coinbase the most trusted platform in crypto. Your work will directly prevent fraud, account takeovers, and scams, while enabling future products like instant guest checkout and Coinbase Cards.

This is a hands-on technical role where you will leverage our cutting-edge, self-service ML platform to rapidly design, deploy, and iterate on the models that defend millions of users.

What you’ll be doing (ie. job duties):

• Own a Critical Risk Domain: Take full technical ownership of a core problem space, such as Scams or Account Takeover. You will design, build, and lead the strategy for all models in this domain.
• Architect and Design Systems: Lead the system design and architecture for new, complex risk detection models. This includes everything from feature pipeline design to model selection (e.g., GNNs, LSTMs, LLMs) and high-performance serving.
• Drive the Technical Roadmap: Work with Product, Ops, and other stakeholders to translate ambiguous business needs into a clear technical roadmap. You will be the primary technical voice defining the "how."
• Mentor and Lead: Act as a technical leader and mentor for mid-level and junior engineers on the team. You will lead by example through code reviews, design docs, and coaching.
• Apply Advanced ML: Apply modern methodologies (e.g., deep learning, NLP, Graph Neural Networks, sequence modeling, LLMs for NLP and conversational agents) to solve complex, crypto-native challenges.
• Build Context-Aware Risk Systems: Architect the adaptive logic that decides which friction (a quiz, an LLM agent, a human review) to apply to which user, balancing security with user experience.

What we look for in you (ie. job requirements):

• 6-8+ years of professional experience in software engineering and/or AI/ML, with experience deploying AI/ML systems into production.
• Proven track record of technical leadership, including designing and deploying large-scale ML systems from scratch.
• Passion & Values: A commitment to building an open financial system and a strong desire to protect users from fraud and scams. You embody our core cultural values: add positive energy, communicate clearly, be curious, and be a builder.
• AI/ML Knowledge: Deep expertise in applied AI/ML techniques (e.g., Risk ML, deep learning, NLP, recommender systems, anomaly detection).
• Technical & Coding Skills: Expert-level coding skills (e.g., Python) and deep experience with AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch). Experience in building backend systems with a focus on data processing or analytics is a plus.
• Team Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively on technical initiatives and contribute to impactful AI/ML solutions.
• Communication Skills: Strong communication skills, capable of conveying technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiencesli>

Nice to haves:

• Master’s / Ph.D in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or a related field.
• Familiarity with modern data and AI/ML infrastructure (e.g., Feature Stores like Tecton, Model Serving like RayServe, Apache Airflow, Spark, Kafka).
• Experience with Graph Neural Networks or Sequential Models (like LSTMs).
• Experience with LLMs (NLP, fine-tuning, agentic systems) or Reinforcement Learning.
• Understanding of MLOps best practices, including monitoring and improving production models.
• Experience with data analysis and visualization tools.

Job ID: GPML05US

#LI-Remote

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, and benefits (including medical, dental, and vision).

Pay Range: $191,100 – $191,100 CAD

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.

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.

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.