Senior Software Engineer - Safety Experience

Discord; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 196,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Discord is hiring a Senior Software Engineer for the Safety Experience team in the San Francisco Bay Area or remotely within the U.S. You will lead the development of high‑visibility, user‑facing safety features, designing and deploying robust APIs and data pipelines to protect hundreds of millions of users.

You will collaborate across Product, Design, Policy, Data Science, ML, Legal, and Operations to deliver impactful safety solutions and drive data‑driven decisions using metrics and

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience writing Python and backend API frameworks.
• Familiarity with databases such as Cassandra, Postgres, and ScyllaDB.
• Demonstrated success leading end‑to‑end delivery of complex projects with cross‑functional coordination.
• Ability to troubleshoot, debug, and test complex systems in production.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with cross‑functional partners.
• Experience using metrics and dashboards to make data‑driven decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of highly visible, user-facing safety features.
• Design, build, and deploy production APIs, backend services, and data pipelines.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, Policy, Data Science, ML, Legal, and T&S Operations.
• Iterate on in-house tooling to improve T&S workflows.
• Respond rapidly to evolving abuse and compliance landscape.

Skills

Python proficiency

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Flask

Django

Cassandra

Postgres

ScyllaDB

Datadog

Mode

Kafka

Pub/Sub

Job description

Senior Software Engineer - Safety Experience

San Francisco Bay Area or Remote (U.S.)

Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games.

As a Senior Engineer on the Safety Experience team, you'll lead the charge in making Discord's platform safer for hundreds of millions of users. You'll design, build, and maintain product features and systems that prevent harmful activities while ensuring regulatory compliance. Keeping users safe is essential for Discord's growth, making your team's work critical. This role reports to the Engineering Manager of Safety Experience.

What you'll be doing

• Lead development of highly‑visible, user‑facing products that protect Discord's users.
• Design, build, and deploy robust production APIs, backend services, and data pipelines to launch safety features at scale.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Product, Design, Policy, Data Science, ML, Legal, and T&S Operations to create solutions that are both impactful and lovable.
• Iterate on in‑house tooling to supercharge our T&S workflows.
• Respond rapidly to the ever‑evolving abuse and compliance landscape.

What you should have

• 5+ years experience writing Python and utilizing back‑end API frameworks (Flask, Django).
• Familiarity with databases such as Cassandra, Postgres, and ScyllaDB.
• Demonstrated success leading end‑to‑end delivery of complex projects: breaking down ambiguity, coordinating rollouts, and aligning stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot, debug, and test complex systems in a live, production environment.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work well with cross‑functional partners, designers, and other engineers.
• Experience using metrics and dashboards to make data‑driven decisions and develop insightful reports.

Bonus Points

• Experience in the Safety or Anti‑Abuse domain.
• Experience analyzing and visualizing data using Datadog or Mode.
• Familiarity with real‑time streaming systems like Kafka or Pub‑Sub.
• Ability to contribute to offline analytics jobs and processes.
• Experience building and operating mobile‑client features on iOS and Android.
• Exposure to lower‑level languages such as Go, Rust, and Elixir.
• A strong moral compass that drives you to protect users and do the right thing.

The US base salary range for this full‑time position is $196,000 to $245,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.

Discord is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.