Software Engineer, AI Automation

About The Company
Coinbase is a leading global cryptocurrency exchange and financial technology platform dedicated to increasing economic freedom worldwide. With a mission to create an open financial system for the world, Coinbase leverages blockchain technology and digital assets to redefine how individuals and institutions participate in the economy. The company is committed to innovation, security, and compliance, ensuring a trusted environment for its users. Coinbase continuously strives to build a more inclusive and accessible financial ecosystem, fostering growth and adoption of digital currencies across diverse markets. As a pioneer in the industry, Coinbase emphasizes transparency, customer-centricity, and technological excellence to maintain its position at the forefront of the evolving financial landscape.
About The Role
We are seeking a visionary, AI-forward Principal Software Engineer to lead Coinbase’s AI Automation initiatives. In this strategic role, you will serve as the technical North Star, architecting advanced agentic AI systems that will underpin multiple organization-wide projects. Your expertise will drive the development of complex multi-agent architectures capable of autonomous execution, reasoning, and decision-making. Reporting directly to the VP of Engineering, you will operate with high autonomy, shaping the future of Coinbase as an AI-driven enterprise. This role involves designing foundational primitives, orchestration layers, and tools that enable scalable AI adoption across teams. You will also partner with leadership to identify automation opportunities, ensuring our AI strategy delivers significant operational leverage. As a key leader, you will bridge the gap between engineering and AI, applying best practices in backend development to cutting-edge generative AI systems, and mentoring senior engineering talent to elevate organizational AI literacy and engineering standards.
Qualifications

• Deep expertise in AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and agentic frameworks
• Extensive experience with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) and multi-agent architectures
• Strong background in backend software engineering, with a focus on scalable, reliable, and high-performance systems
• Proven ability to develop and deploy AI solutions at a global scale
• Strategic leadership experience, including defining and executing technical strategies across multiple domains
• Visionary mindset with a forward-looking understanding of AI’s impact on business processes
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, especially in evaluating, grounding, and ensuring deterministic outcomes in AI systems
• Excellent mentorship abilities to elevate team capabilities and AI literacy

Responsibilities

• Design and architect sophisticated multi-agent AI systems capable of autonomous reasoning and complex task execution
• Develop evaluation frameworks to reliably assess AI system performance and mitigate issues such as hallucinations
• Build and enhance the core AI platform, including primitives and orchestration tools, to facilitate organization-wide AI adoption
• Partner with executive leadership to identify and prioritize automation opportunities that maximize operational efficiency
• Apply advanced backend engineering principles to ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of AI solutions
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to embed AI into Coinbase’s products and operational workflows
• Mentor senior individual contributors and engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence in AI engineering
• Stay ahead of industry trends, continuously evaluating emerging AI technologies and frameworks for strategic integration

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $297,670—$350,200 USD, commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning
• Flexible work arrangements with remote-first policies complemented by in-person participation and team offsites
• Access to cutting-edge AI and blockchain technologies
• Collaborative and innovative work environment fostering growth and impact

Equal Opportunity
Coinbase is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration 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 characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the application and employment process. Coinbase values diversity and is dedicated to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply and join us in shaping the future of finance.