About the role

Role Overview

Senior Software Engineer, Data Layer (Platform group)

You will shape the GraphQL API platform that connects client applications to Coinbase backend services, handling the majority of user traffic across Consumer, Base, and Institutional products.

Responsibilities

Deliver projects end-to-end: scoping, system design, implementation, rollout, and production validation.
Design and build high-reliability, low-latency systems at scale, including:
- Caching
- Upstream service optimization
- Efficient connection management
Build and improve the API framework and tooling used by hundreds of engineers to build, test, and ship independently.
Drive operational excellence for T0 services:
- Own SLOs
- Improve observability
- Lead incident response
- Reduce operational toil
Partner with product engineering teams to:
- Design API schemas
- Support service launches
- Evolve the platform to meet consumer needs
Set the technical bar through code/design reviews and mentor engineers; contribute to architectural direction.

Required Skills & Experience

5+ years of professional engineering with demonstrated ownership of complex, production-grade distributed systems.
Deep backend proficiency in Go, Java, or similar, with hands-on experience building:
- Microservices
- API platforms
- High-availability systems
Proven end-to-end delivery across architecture, implementation, monitoring, and iteration, with reliability and performance as non-negotiables.
Experience decomposing systems into clean APIs/abstractions used by multiple teams.
Comfort owning on-call and driving incident response across multi-service architectures.
Ability to align technical decisions with cross-functional stakeholders and translate platform capabilities into actionable plans.
Responsible use of generative AI with human oversight to improve workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.

Nice-to-Haves

Not explicitly stated beyond the requirements.

Pay & Benefits

Annual base salary range (excluding equity/bonus): $186,065 USD – $218,900 USD.
Total compensation may include equity and bonus eligibility, plus medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

About Coinbase

Coinbase is a remote-first technology company focused on increasing economic freedom through its finance and trading platform. It operates consumer and institutional products and provides backend and platform services that power client applications. The role sits within Coinbase’s Platform and Data Layer teams building the API infrastructure for the company’s services.

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