Senior Onchain Investigator

Coinbase; Annapolis (MD); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Coinbase is seeking a Senior Onchain Investigator to own end-to-end onchain investigations, clustering illicit actors, and turning findings into detections that protect customers and products.

You will lead investigation methodology, build pipelines, and collaborate with product, engineering, and risk teams to embed threat mitigation from ideation to launch. This role reports to the Threat Intelligence team within Security Operations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of investigations including 3+ years investigating onchain illicit activity or blockchain intelligence.
• Deep knowledge of blockchain ecosystems and protocols, including tracing across chains.
• Proficient with Python or Go and SQL for data analysis and tooling development.
• Experience in translating complex technical analysis into actionable intelligence.
• Ability to lead investigations from collection through stakeholder action and brief executives.

Responsibilities

• Own complex onchain investigations into threat actor infrastructure and abuse targeting Coinbase and Base.
• Drive clustering and attribution of illicit actors using blockchain analytics and OSINT.
• Build OSINT and onchain analysis pipelines and dashboards to automate detections.
• Lead post-incident reviews to identify gaps and recommend enhancements.
• Partner with product, engineering, and risk teams to embed threat mitigation in the lifecycle.
• Lead new investigative techniques and brief executives with clear risk and actions.

Skills

Onchain investigations

Blockchain analytics

OSINT

Threat attribution

Executive briefings

Python

Go

SQL

Digital forensics

Investigation workflow automation

Tools

None

Job description

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.

Security is a primary competency at Coinbase, and the Threat Intelligence team within Security Operations keeps a watchful eye over every aspect of it. As a Senior Onchain Investigator, you'll own end-to-end onchain investigations into the threat actors targeting Coinbase and the crypto ecosystem. You'll cluster illicit wallets, fuse OSINT with onchain evidence, and turn findings into detections, blocks, and decisions that protect customers and products. This role leads investigation methodology for the team, not just individual cases.

What you'll do:

• Own complex onchain investigations into threat actor infrastructure, scam networks, exploits, and related abuse targeting Coinbase and Base

• Drive clustering and attribution of illicit actors using blockchain analytics, OSINT, and internal data, then operationalize results into Vertex Synapse and downstream controls

• Build OSINT and onchain analysis pipelines, queries, and dashboards that automate detections and scale investigative capacity across the team

• Lead post-incident reviews and root cause analyses to identify gaps and recommend enhancements to controls, detection, and overall security posture

• Partner with product, engineering, and risk teams to embed threat and abuse mitigation strategies into the product development lifecycle from ideation to launch

• Lead new investigative techniques, teach them across Security, and brief executives with clear risk, impact, and recommended actions

Required Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years of investigations including 3+ years investigating onchain illicit activity, cryptocurrency abuse, or blockchain intelligence, with a track record of independently leading investigations from collection through stakeholder action

• Deep knowledge of blockchain ecosystems and protocols, including tracing across chains, bridges, mixers, and laundering patterns

• Proficient with Python or Go and SQL for data analysis, scripting, or tooling development in support of intelligence workflows and automation

• Track record of creating investigation methods, dashboards, or pipelines that other investigators adopt

• Proven ability to translate complex technical analysis into clear, actionable intelligence for both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive briefings

• Skilled in conducting open-source intelligence (OSINT) research across a wide range of topics

• Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.

Position ID: P77608

#LI-Remote

*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)).

Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus):

$180,370—$212,200 USD

• *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.