Senior Staff Software Engineer, Payments

Coinbase Careers Page • $253K — $298K *

US-AnywhereRemote in Canada

Finance & Insurance

8 - 10 years of experience

Today

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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

10+ years in large-scale distributed systems in production.
Extensive experience in money-movement architecture (PSPs, ISO 20022).
Proficient in backend programming (Python, Go, Java).
Solid background in designing high-availability, high-performance systems.
Experience in anticipating scaling challenges and implementing solutions.
History of leading cross-functional teams and mentoring senior engineers.
Strong commitment to technical excellence and best practices.

Responsibilities

Define the technical strategy for Payments to support product growth.
Architect the Payments platform for reliability and efficiency.
Lead design and rollout of major cross-team initiatives.
Establish technical standards for financial correctness in payments.
Collaborate with various teams to ensure cohesive architectures.
Mentor senior engineers to enhance system design quality.
Utilize data to identify and improve platform reliability and efficiency.
Represent Payments in executive forums and align stakeholders on strategy.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Opportunity for stock equity and bonuses.
Collaborative work environment promoting technical excellence.
Potential for career development through mentorship opportunities.

Full Job Description

Payments Platform is at the front door of Coinbase's financial ecosystem. Our mission is to move old money into crypto and power financial access and payments for the crypto economy globally. As the bridge between the traditional financial world and the crypto economy, we build and operate the fiat on- and off-ramps and payment services that let Coinbase's customer-facing products deliver reliable, seamless payment processing and connect customer fiat funds into crypto.

We're seeking a deep technical leader to define the engineering vision for Payments, shape architectural cohesion across our global payment rails and funds-flow systems, drive platform-level reliability and cost efficiency, and lead the next evolution of how fiat moves into and out of Coinbase.

What you'll be doing (ie. job duties):

Define and drive the multi-quarter technical strategy for Payments, spanning rails, orchestration, and transfers, to support new products, geos, and significant growth in payment volume.
Architect and evolve the core Payments platform (rails integrations, routing, and funds-flow services) for high availability, low latency, and cost efficiency at global scale.
Lead end-to-end design and rollout of large, cross-team initiatives (e.g., new global rails, decomp/migrations, resiliency programs), breaking high ambiguity into clear milestones and measurable outcomes.
Set and enforce technical standards for financial correctness across Payments, including idempotency, reconciliation, failure-mode handling, and auditability for all money-movement paths.
Partner closely with FinHub, Payments Risk, Regulatory Platform, and Product to design cohesive architectures that balance customer experience, risk controls, compliance, and unit economics.
Provide deep technical mentorship to senior/staff engineers across Payments pods, upleveling system design quality, review rigor, and long-term maintainability.
Use data and observability signals (e.g., success rates, latency, cost, incident patterns) to identify structural platform gaps and lead systematic reliability and efficiency improvements.
Represent Payments in executive and cross-org forums, clearly communicating tradeoffs, aligning stakeholders on strategy, and securing buy-in for high-impact technical bets.

What we look for in you (ie. job requirements):

10+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems in production.
Deep money-movement architecture experience (PSPs, ISO 20022, routing, double-entry, high-volume payment systems)
Deep expertise in backend programming (e.g., Python, Go, Java) and cloud-native architecture.
Proven track record designing highly available, high-performance systems.
Ability to anticipate scaling bottlenecks before they occur and take decisive, proactive measures.
Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives and mentoring senior engineers.
Commitment to technical excellence, sharing best practices, and fostering a strong engineering culture.
Ability to distill complex technical concepts into clear and actionable solutions.

Nice to haves:

Experience designing and operating ledgering or trading systems at large scale.
Strong financial acumen with experience handling accounting data and financial transactions with high precision and reliability.
Experience collaborating closely with finance and accounting teams.

Job ID: P77633

Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual base salary for this position can range as detailed below. Total compensation mayalso include equity and bonus eligibility and benefits (including medical, dental, and vision).

Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus):

$253,895-$298,700 USD

Application Limit: Candidates may submit a maximum of 3 applications within a 6-month period.

About Coinbase Careers Page

Coinbase Careers Page

There has never been a better time to join the global team of Coinbase professionals, a leading force in the cryptocurrency industry and a hub for innovation and growth.

Work You’ll Do

Join Coinbase's market-leading team to assist some of the most innovative companies and individuals in mastering the digital currency landscape. Transform financial transactions and systems with the best minds at Coinbase, where leadership in technology and consulting converges to drive digital innovation. Lead from a unique position in the marketplace, at the intersection of technology, financial expertise, and digital innovation. Work with a global team of business and technology advisors to help clients and the company navigate through the evolving world of digital currencies. Collaborate with a dedicated group of professionals who are experts in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency – all committed to advancing the industry.

Introducing the Coinbase Professional Growth and Development Initiative

The initiative is building a market-leading team to help some of the most well-known companies and professionals master their financial digital transformation journey with Coinbase.

Do Innovative Work

Join a dedicated group of experts at the forefront of blockchain technology and digital currencies, where industry expertise meets digital innovation.

Drive Innovation

Deliver targeted solutions on the most trusted platforms through a depth and breadth of consulting experience and innovation that’s second to none.

Be Part of a Great Team

Work on a wide range of technology projects and harness the capabilities of a team known for its global scale and solution development.

Future-Proof Your Career

Advance your career with near-limitless opportunities in a company that offers unmatched training, development, and certification support.

Explore

Discover how Coinbase is leading the way in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency solutions, making financial systems more accessible and efficient.

The Coinbase Employment Experience

The combined service capabilities, global scale, and joint solution development help clients and employees overcome challenges and lead transformation in the financial industry. Clients and professionals around the globe look to Coinbase for new strategies and solutions to drive innovation and growth in the era of digital finance. Bringing together dedicated professionals, Coinbase empowers individuals to thrive in the era of digital disruption.

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