Discord

Senior Software Engineer - Safety Platform

Discord$196K — $245K *
Consumer Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in software development, focusing on backend services
  • Proficient in programming languages such as Python, Rust, or TypeScript
  • Experience in building and operating scalable production services
  • Proven track record of managing projects from start to finish
  • Familiarity with distributed systems and cloud platforms like GCP or AWS
  • Strong debugging skills to navigate complex codebases
  • Experience with observability tools and monitoring systems

Responsibilities

  • Own complex projects from design to post-launch monitoring
  • Build and maintain safety infrastructure
  • Apply an adversarial mindset to enhance user security
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver safety solutions
  • Debug and resolve issues in codebase and adjacent systems
  • Break down projects into manageable work streams for team execution
  • Contribute to design discussions and documentation

Benefits

  • Relocation assistance available for candidates moving to the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Office attendance requirements of one week per month in Los Angeles or two days a week in San Francisco
  • Work in a collaborative environment with a focus on high-quality outputs
  • Opportunity to contribute to open-source safety tools like Osprey
  • Flexible work arrangements to support a work-life balance
Full Job Description
The Safety Platform team is at the heart of keeping Discord safe for all users. We provide the infrastructure and services that enable scalable and reliable safety on Discord. We9re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who is capable of handling ambiguous, complex, multi-milestone projects.

Our team developed Osprey, the open-source investigation and incident response tool that allows safety teams to understand what is happening on their platforms and take actions at scale. Osprey has since been open-sourced and donated to ROOST, reflecting our commitment to industry-wide safety improvements.

As a Senior Engineer on Safety Platform, you9ll take full ownership of projects from identifying efficient solutions to gathering feedback and collaborating with cross-functional partners. You9ll deliver lovable products while maintaining Discord9s high quality bar, utilizing 80/20 thinking and a user-centric approach. You9ll embody a growth mindset, diving into new code and technologies to deliver safety solutions that protect millions of users daily.

What You9ll Be Doing
  • Own complex safety platform projects end-to-end, from initial design through post-launch monitoring and iteration
  • Build and maintain critical safety infrastructure
  • Apply an adversarial mindset to your work, thinking through security, scaling, and abuse scenarios to protect Discord9s users
  • Collaborate with Trust & Safety, ML, and product teams to understand requirements and deliver effective safety solutions
  • Debug and resolve issues within the team9s codebase and adjacent systems, participating in on-call rotations
  • Break down complex projects into smaller, prioritized work streams while managing stakeholders and dependencies
  • Contribute to technical design discussions and documentation, writing RFCs when necessary
  • Help establish best practices and maintain the team9s quality bar through code reviews and mentorship

What you should have
  • 5+ years of professional experience in a software development role, with a focus on backend services and infrastructure
  • Strong programming skills in languages like Python, Rust, or TypeScript
  • Experience building and operating production services at scale
  • Demonstrated ability to own projects end-to-end and deliver results on time
  • Experience with distributed systems concepts and cloud platforms (GCP/AWS)
  • Strong debugging skills and ability to navigate complex codebases
  • Experience with observability tools, metrics, and monitoring systems
  • Excellent communication skills with ability to work effectively with cross-functional partners
  • A quality-centered mindset with attention to the right details at every stage of development

Bonus Points
  • A strong passion for Discord and gaming
  • Experience tackling safety problems in collaboration with ML teams at large-scale social platforms

This position is US-based only. We are seeking candidates located in the Los Angeles area (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura Counties) or the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available to the San Francisco Bay Area.

This role requires either one week per month in a Los Angeles co-working space, or two days per week at our San Francisco Bay Area office.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $196,000 to $245,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

About Discord

Discord is a communication platform designed for creating communities. The platform allows users to create and join servers, which are essentially chat rooms, and communicate with other users via text, voice, and video. Discord was founded in 2015 and has grown rapidly, with over 250 million registered users as of 2019. The company has raised $480 million in total funding.
Learn more about Discord
Size
800 employees
Industry
Founded
2012

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