Machine Learning Engineer, Risk AI/ML

Details

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.

We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join our Risk AI/ML team. We are dedicated to building the sophisticated models that protect our customers and make Coinbase the most trusted platform in crypto. Your work will directly prevent fraud, account takeovers, and scams, while enabling future products like instant guest checkout and Coinbase Cards.

This is a hands-on technical role where you will leverage our cutting-edge, self-service ML platform to rapidly design, deploy, and iterate on the models that defend millions of users.

Responsibilities

• Focus on Modeling: Use our centralized, self-service ML platform to own the end-to-end development of ML models, from ideation to production.
• Improve Core Model Performance: Join a high-priority "pod" to enhance our core models, including the Scam Models, Transfer/Transaction Risk Models, Withdrawal Limit Models, and Account Takeover models.
• Rapidly Respond to Threats: Act on new threat data (identified by our Risk Operations partners) to build, train, and deploy permanent ML models that replace temporary rules—targeting a deploy-to-production timeline of under one week.
• Build & Deploy Scalable Models: Develop production-grade AI/ML models and pipelines that enable reliable, real-time predictions, leveraging our platform's automated CI/CD pipelines and centralized feature store.
• Apply Advanced ML: Apply modern methodologies (e.g., deep learning, NLP, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), sequence modeling, and LLMs for NLP and conversational agents) to solve complex, crypto-native challenges—all while focusing 100% on modeling, not infrastructure plumbing.
• Build Context-Aware Risk Systems: Go beyond a single score. Help build the adaptive logic that decides which friction (a quiz, an LLM agent, a human review) to apply to which user (e.g., new user, high-value trader), balancing security with user experience.
• Collaborate and Execute: Work closely with stakeholders from Risk Operations, Platform Engineering, and Product Management to close the feedback loop, turning new threats into automated defenses.

Requirements

• 4+ years of professional experience in software engineering and/or AI/ML, with experience deploying AI/ML systems into production.
• Passion & Values: A commitment to building an open financial system and a strong desire to protect users from fraud and scams. Embody Coinbase core cultural values: add positive energy, communicate clearly, be curious, and be a builder.
• AI/ML Knowledge: Familiarity with applied AI/ML techniques (e.g., Risk ML, deep learning, NLP, recommender systems, anomaly detection).
• Technical & Coding Skills: Proficient coding skills (e.g., Python) with experience in AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch). Experience in building backend systems with a focus on data processing or analytics is a plus.
• Team Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively on technical initiatives and contribute to impactful AI/ML solutions.
• Communication Skills: Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice to Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or a related field.
• Familiarity with modern data and AI/ML infrastructure (e.g., Feature Stores like Tecton, Model Serving like RayServe, Apache Airflow, Spark, Kafka).
• Experience with Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) or Sequential Models (like LSTMs).
• Experience with LLMs (NLP, fine-tuning, agentic systems) or Reinforcement Learning.
• Understanding of MLOps best practices, including monitoring and improving production models.
• Experience with data analysis and visualization tools.

Compensation

Job ID: GPML04US

Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full time offers from Coinbase also include bonus eligibility + equity eligibility + benefits (including medical, dental, and vision).

Pay Range:

$154,000—$154,000 CAD

Benefits

• Extended Health Care Benefit (coordinates with Provincial Coverage)
• Dental Care
• Vision Care
• Consult+ (Virtual Health Care)
• Life & Accident Insurance
• Disability Coverage
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Wellness Stipend
• Mobile/Internet Reimbursement
• Connections Stipend
• Learning and Development Allowance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Travel Medical Policy - Global Traveler
• Fertility Benefits
• Generous Time off/Leave Policy

Other Notes

Coinbase is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides information about applicant data privacy, AI disclosure for pilot screening tools, and reasonable accommodation contact information in the original posting.