Senior Staff Software Engineer, Onboarding and Identity

Are you ready to unleash your potential and make a significant impact in the world of finance? At Coinbase, we are driven by a mission to enhance economic freedom globally. Join us as we develop the onchain platform that will shape the future financial system. We are looking for a dedicated individual who shares our passion for crypto and blockchain technology, someone who is eager to contribute to the evolution of the financial system. We seek a proactive problem-solver who thrives under pressure and values feedback to continuously improve. Our culture is intense and may not suit everyone. However, if you're looking to build the future among exceptional colleagues who demand excellence, you've found the right place. Although many roles at Coinbase offer flexibility, in-person collaboration is important. Throughout the year, attendance at various team and company-wide retreats is required to promote teamwork and company alignment. We are currently on the hunt for a Senior Staff Software Engineer to join our Identity team within the Platform Product Group. This team is responsible for creating the scalable, reliable, and compliant backbone that powers diverse Coinbase products, ensuring a seamless and high-quality entry into the crypto economy for our users. About the Team: The Identity engineering team manages essential identity features including onboarding, verification, and access controls. This role focuses on our Onboarding & KYC platform, a critical area that influences user conversion, compliance with regulations, and trust in our platform. Key Responsibilities: Lead the Onboarding & KYC platform: Act as the primary technical owner, ensuring that onboarding and identity signals integrate efficiently with other products, services, and data platforms within Coinbase. Architect a modernized platform: Spearhead a multi-quarter overhaul to transition legacy systems into a geo-specific architecture that supports scalability and evolving compliance needs. Define technical vision and standards: Serve as the technical authority, driving domain abstraction and creating a targeted architecture that extends beyond KYC to a more comprehensive onboarding infrastructure. Enhance reliability and zero-downtime evolution: Design high-availability systems ensuring critical identity processes remain resilient during modernization efforts. Optimize customer experience: Reduce onboarding friction while maintaining strict compliance, focusing on improving conversion, correctness, and consistency. Innovate beyond the current roadmap: Explore and prototype cutting-edge concepts such as AI-driven onboarding and on-chain KYC, considering how AI can redefine identity systems. Cultural and technical leadership: Mentor other engineers, elevate engineering standards, and introduce new paradigms and best practices across the team. Cross-functional influence: Collaborate with Product, Design, Compliance, Legal, and other engineering teams to align on requirements for complex, high-stakes projects. What We Look For: 12+ years of backend engineering experience with a proven track record in technical leadership for critical platforms. Excellent system design and coding skills, with experience managing high-availability services. Proven experience migrating legacy systems with minimal or no downtime. In-depth knowledge of distributed systems, reliability, observability, and operational excellence. Strong communication skills, able to foster alignment among senior stakeholders. Ability to lead large, ambiguous cross-functional initiatives from start to finish. Experience mentoring senior engineers with direct and actionable feedback. Preferred Qualifications: Experience in Identity, Authentication/Authorization, Onboarding, KYC, Fraud/Risk, or Compliance systems. Interest in the impact of AI on onboarding processes; experience integrating AI capabilities is a plus. Background in fast-paced, high-growth internet or software environments. Job #P74261 Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual base salary for this position ranges from $253,895 to $298,700 USD, depending on your work location. Total compensation may also include equity, bonus eligibility, and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Please note that each candidate may submit a maximum of four applications within any 30-day period. We encourage you to carefully assess how your skills align with our roles before applying. Commitment to Equal Opportunity Coinbase is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected basis. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will also be considered in accordance with applicable laws. Coinbase is also dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance due to a disability, please reach out to us. Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates: Depending on your location, data protection regulations may govern how we manage candidate data. By submitting your application, you agree to our data processing practices. AI Disclosure: For select roles, Coinbase is trialing an AI tool for initial interview screenings. A human recruiter will review your responses. This tool will not make final employment decisions. To request a reasonable accommodation due to disability, please contact us.

Created: 2026-03-10