Software Engineer, Safety Processing

Discord Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Discord Inc. in San Francisco is seeking a Software Engineer to help scale and maintain backend services that power safety infrastructure. You will work on production systems at scale and collaborate with Trust & Safety, ML, Policy, and product teams.

The role requires 3+ years of backend Python experience, hands-on with distributed systems on AWS/GCP, and strong debugging and collaboration skills. Base US salary ranges from $160k to $220k, plus equity and benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of backend software engineering experience focused on Python.
• Experience building and operating distributed systems and production services at scale (GCP or AWS).
• Debugging skills and ability to navigate complex, multi-service codebases.

Responsibilities

• Scale and improve Discord’s ability to review and detect harmful content on the platform.
• Build and maintain production systems that operate at massive scale, participating in on-call rotations.
• Apply an adversarial mindset to security, abuse scenarios, edge cases, and scalability concerns.
• Collaborate closely with Trust & Safety, ML, Policy, and product teams to understand requirements and deliver effective solutions.

Skills

Python backend

Distributed systems

Cloud (GCP/AWS)

Debugging

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

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.

Keeping our platform safe requires infrastructure that is accurate, scalable, and fair and the engineering challenges that come with that are genuinely hard. Our Safety Engineering teams build and operate the systems that power content moderation, enforcement, and safety signal processing at scale.

Our team developed Osprey, the open-source investigation and incident response tool that allows safety teams to understand what is happening on their platforms and take actions at scale. Osprey has since been open-sourced and donated to ROOST, reflecting our commitment to industry-wide safety improvements.

We're looking for a Software Engineer who enjoys solving complex problems and contributing to critical infrastructure from design through post-launch iteration.

What You'll Be Doing

• Scale and Improve Discord’s ability to review and detect harmful content on the platform
• Build and maintain production systems that operate at massive scale, participating in on-call rotations
• Apply an adversarial mindset to your work - thinking through security, abuse scenarios, edge cases, and scalability concerns
• Collaborate closely with Trust & Safety, ML, Policy, and product teams to understand requirements and deliver effective solutions

What You Should Have

• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend services and/or infrastructure in Python (or similar)
• Experience building and operating distributed systems and production services at scale such as GCP or AWS
• Debugging skills and ability to navigate complex, multi-service codebases
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, including experience working with cross-functional partners

Bonus Points

• Experience with content moderation, trust & safety, or related problem domains
• Experience with observability tooling, metrics, and monitoring systems at scale
• A strong passion for Discord and making online communities safer

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $160,000 to $220,000 + 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.

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.