Staff Software Engineer, Backend - FinHub (Ledger)

Coinbase; United States; Hybrid; USD 218,025 - 256,500; Full time

Job summary

Coinbase is seeking a Staff Engineer for the FinHub - Ledger team to own the architectural direction of core ledgering systems handling billions of transactions. You will drive scalable, highly available infrastructure and mentor engineers across the organization.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration with engineering, product, and finance, with a remote-first culture that includes quarterly in-person surges. You’ll shape the technical roadmap and advance platform reliability.

Qualifications

• 8+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems in production.
• Backend languages include Go, Python or Java with cloud-native architecture.
• Experience with ledgering, trading systems, or high-precision transaction processing.
• Ability to lead cross-functional technical initiatives and mentor engineers.
• Hands-on with Go, Kubernetes, and Postgres; anticipation of scaling bottlenecks.
• Uses generative AI responsibly with human oversight for business-ready outputs.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Backend Go/Python/Java

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

Ledgering/Trading systems

Technical mentorship

AI integration

Tools

Go

Kubernetes

Postgres

Job description

Ready to do the most impactful work of your career? AtCoinbase, 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 USD - $256,500 USD

• 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.