Principal Software Engineer (AI-First Ecosystem)

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of?

At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system.

To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be.

While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.

At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. Achieving that ambitious goal requires more than just code - it requires world-class engineering velocity, quality, and security. Coinbase is accelerating its strategic commitment to AI-driven development. We believe that the deep integration of artificial intelligence will fundamentally rewrite the laws of software engineering efficiency. The Developer Experience (DevX) organization sits at the center of this transformation, tasked with turning this conviction into reality.

We are looking for a highly visionary, and hands-on, Principal Software Engineer to lead the technical evolution of software development at Coinbase. While DevX leadership focuses on organizational scale, you will be one of the key architects and technical pioneers driving Coinbase’s advancement in AI-driven engineering.

In this role, you will determine how to leverage this technology to not just enhance workflows, but to reimagine them for the next decade. You will design and build the architecture for a powerful, intelligent ecosystem for thousands of engineers, blending resilient infrastructure fundamentals with cutting-edge AI agents. Your goal is to build the tools and systems that enable our teams to move faster and more reliably than any other engineering organization in the industry, shifting focus from routine implementation to high-value architecture and product creation.

What you’ll do (ie. job duties):

• Architect an AI-First Ecosystem: Deeply embed AI agents into the development loop - automating test generation, refactoring legacy code, proactively detecting bugs, and optimizing performance before code ever hits production.
• Pioneer LLM Integration: Execute on our strong thesis on how LLMs and agents will rewrite the SDLC. You will prototype, build, and deploy the next generation of autonomous engineering tools.
• Bridge the Gap Between AI and Fundamentals: You understand that advanced AI tools require a stable, rigorously tested underlying architecture. You will partner closely with infrastructure counterparts to ensure AI tools scale securely and performantly.
• Treat Platform as a Product : Guide the technical direction to build and scale a best-in-class Internal Developer Platform that treats internal engineers as customers. The platform must be an enabler of speed, removing friction so engineers can focus on solving crypto’s hardest problems.
• Define the AI-Native Engineering Standard: As AI handles more implementation tasks, you will help define the changing workflows, technical standards, and best practices required for the next generation of engineering at Coinbase.

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

• Deep AI Conviction & Application: ou have a strong thesis on how LLMs and agents will rewrite the SDLC. You have experience or a clear plan for practically applying AI to solve engineering bottlenecks.
• Principal-Level Technical Authority: Deep technical judgment in engineering fundamentals - CI/CD, public cloud (AWS/GCP), container orchestration, and modern testing methodologies. You have a proven track record of driving cross-organizational architectural shifts that impact Xs (thousands?) of engineers’ productivity.
• Product Mindset: You possess deep empathy for developers. You treat the platform as a product, consistently gathering feedback and iterating to reduce friction and improve user satisfaction.
• AI Agents: Direct experience deploying internal AI assistants, "Copilot-at-scale" initiatives, or autonomous coding agents.
• Quality at Speed: You know how to leverage automation to drive high velocity without sacrificing quality. You design systems where security and reliability are standard, enabling frequent, safe deployments at massive scale.

Nice to haves:

• Have previous experience at a fast paced, high growth stage internet/software company

Job #: P71844

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

Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus):

$253,895—$298,700 CAD

Please be advised that each candidate may submit a maximum of four applications within any 30-day period. We encourage you to carefully evaluate how your skills and interests align with Coinbase's roles before applying.

Commitment to 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 basis protected by applicable law. Coinbase will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.  For US applicants, you may view the Employee Rights and the Know Your Rights notices by clicking on their corresponding links. Additionally, Coinbase participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. 

Coinbase is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us at accommodations[at]coinbase.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.   For quick access to screen reading technology compatible with this site click here to download a free compatible screen reader (free step by step tutorial can be found here).

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Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required. For US applicants only, by submitting your application you are agreeing to arbitration of disputes as outlined here.    

AI Disclosure

For select roles, Coinbase is piloting an AI tool based on machine learning technologies to conduct initial screening interviews to qualified applicants. The tool simulates realistic interview scenarios and engages in dynamic conversation. A human recruiter will review your interview responses, provided in the form of a voice recording and/or transcript, to assess them against the qualifications and characteristics outlined in the job description.  

For select roles, Coinbase is also piloting an AI interview intelligence platform to transcribe and summarize interview notes, allowing our interviewers to fully focus on you as the candidate. 

The above pilots are for testing purposes and Coinbase will not use AI to make decisions impacting employment. To request a reasonable accommodation due to disability, please contact accommodations[at]coinbase.com