Join Coinbase as a Senior Software Engineer to shape the API platform that connects client applications to backend services.
AI in the day-to-day
Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs.
Requirements
- Experience
- 5+ years
Benefits
Joblaze summary
In the role of Senior Software Engineer on the Data Layer team at Coinbase, the individual will be responsible for designing and implementing a robust API platform that supports high user traffic across various products. Key skills include proficiency in backend languages like Go or Java, along with experience in building scalable microservices and managing complex distributed systems. This position is ideal for seasoned engineers with a strong track record in project ownership and cross-functional collaboration, particularly in high-stakes environments. Coinbase emphasizes a culture of high performance and continuous improvement, making it a dynamic place for ambitious professionals.
Joblaze insights
- Listed 4 days ago on Joblaze — tracked directly from Coinbase's career page.
- Coinbase has 163 other open roles including Strategic Program Lead, Supervisor, Customer Success Team, Staff Applied Data Scientist, Pricing.
- 913 active Go roles on Joblaze right now.
- 885 active Java roles on Joblaze right now.
- 108 active GraphQL roles on Joblaze right now.
- Salary band is above the typical range for Backend roles (median ~$166,000).
- Pays more than 68% of the 488 salaried Go roles we track (median $157,000).
Quick facts
- Is the Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer role remote?
- It's hybrid — Coinbase expects some on-site time in Remote - USA.
- What's the salary range?
- Coinbase lists $186,065–$218,900 for this role.
- How much experience is required?
- At least 5 years of relevant experience for this Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer role.
- Where is the role based?
- Coinbase is hiring for this position in Remote - USA.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: GraphQL, Java, Go.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Coinbase targets senior candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer role at Coinbase.
From the original posting
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.
Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Data Layer team within the Platform group, you'll shape the API (GraphQL) platform that connects every client application to Coinbase's backend services, handling the majority of user traffic across Consumer, Base, and Institutional products. You'll own the critical systems that route and serve API requests at scale, improving reliability, performance, and developer experience for hundreds of engineers building on this foundation layer.
What you'll do:
- Own and deliver projects end to end, from scoping and system design through implementation, rollout, and production validation, driving measurable progress on the team's highest-priority initiatives.
- Design and build high-reliability, low-latency systems serving millions of users, tackling challenges like caching, upstream service optimization, and efficient connection management at scale.
- Build and improve the API framework and tooling that hundreds of engineers depend on, making it fast and easy for teams across the company to build, test, and ship independently.
- Drive operational excellence across T0 services: own SLOs, improve observability, lead incident response, and reduce operational toil so the team can invest in high-leverage work.
- Partner cross-functionally with product engineering teams to design API schemas, support service launches, and ensure the platform evolves to meet their needs.
- Set the technical bar through code and design reviews, mentor engineers across the team, and contribute to architectural direction.
Required Skills and Experience:
- 5+ years of professional engineering experience with demonstrated ownership of complex, production-grade distributed systems.
- Deep proficiency in backend languages (Go, Java, or similar) with hands-on experience designing microservices, API platforms, and high-availability systems.
- Track record of delivering projects end to end, including scoping, architecture, implementation, monitoring, and iteration, in environments where reliability and performance are non-negotiable.
- Experience decomposing complex systems into clean APIs and abstractions adopted by multiple consuming teams, with comfort owning on-call responsibilities and driving incident response across multi-service architectures.
- Demonstrated ability to align technical decisions with cross-functional stakeholders, translating platform capabilities into actionable plans with frontend engineers, product teams, and platform consumers.
- 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)).
- 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.