Staff Software Engineer, Backend - FinHub (Ledger)

Coinbase; Frankfort (KY); Hybrid; USD 218,000 - 257,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Equity

Job summary

Coinbase is seeking a Staff Engineer for the FinHub - Ledger team within the Platform group. You will own the architectural direction of core ledgering systems handling billions of transactions, building scalable, highly available infrastructure, and driving cross-functional projects with engineering, product, and finance.

The role requires leading technical initiatives, mentoring engineers, and shaping the technical roadmap to scale systems.

Qualifications

• 8+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems in production.
• Backend programming with Go, Python, or Java.
• Experience designing highly available, high-performance systems including ledgering or high-precision processing.
• Mentor engineers and lead cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience with Go, Kubernetes, and Postgres.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build foundational backend systems with a focus on performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Drive strategic technical direction for cross-team initiatives across engineering, product, and finance.
• Establish and evolve platform best practices, frameworks, and architectural standards.
• Provide deep technical mentorship and guide design decisions for senior engineers.
• Shape the team's technical roadmap with leadership to anticipate scaling bottlenecks.
• Embed AI into engineering and operational practices to improve systems and workflows.

Skills

Distributed systems

Go

Python/Java

Cloud-native architecture

Leadership

Mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Architectural design

Generative AI

Tools

Kubernetes

Postgres

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.

As a Staff Engineer on the FinHub - Ledger team within the Platform group, you'll own the architectural direction of Coinbase's core ledgering systems that process billions of transactions. This team builds the foundational infrastructure that powers financial accuracy and reliability across the company. You'll make critical technical decisions, drive platform improvements, and lead high-impact cross-functional projects that define how we build scalable, highly available systems at Coinbase's growing scale.

What you’ll do:

• Architect and build foundational backend systems with a focus on performance, scalability, and reliability across ledgering and transaction processing infrastructure

• Drive strategic technical direction for complex, cross-team initiatives spanning engineering, product, and finance

• Establish and evolve platform best practices, frameworks, and architectural standards that raise the quality bar for the broader engineering organization

• Provide deep technical mentorship, guide design decisions, and develop senior engineers across the team

• Shape the team's technical roadmap by collaborating with engineering leadership to identify high-leverage investments and anticipate scaling bottlenecks

• Embed AI into engineering and operational practices to drive system improvements and workflow efficiency

Required skills and experience:

• 8+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems in production, with deep expertise in backend programming (e.g., Go, Python, Java) and cloud-native architecture

• Proven track record designing highly available, high-performance systems, including experience with ledgering, trading systems, or high-precision transaction processing

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical initiatives, mentor engineers, and translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable solutions for technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Hands-on experience with technologies such as Go, Kubernetes, and Postgres, with the ability to anticipate scaling bottlenecks and drive proactive architectural improvements

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

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):

$218,025—$256,500 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.