Staff Data Engineer, Market Data

ABOUT THE ROLE Coinbase is building the future of institutional trading as part of the Everything Exchange, powering the systems that allow the world’s largest financial institutions to trade across markets with speed, depth, and trust. As a Staff Data Engineer, Market Data, you will lead the design, construction, and operation of the ticker plant and distribution backbone that delivers real‑time market data to our unified trading platform. This is a rare opportunity to architect market‑data infrastructure from the ground up, with the autonomy of a startup and the reach of a global fintech leader. You will work closely with product, engineering, and operations teams to ensure that our market‑data feeds are reliable, low‑latency, and scalable, supporting both internal trading desks and external partners. WHAT YOU'LL DO You will design and build high‑throughput, low‑latency components such as feed handlers, data normalizers, and distribution engines that ingest, process, and publish market data from multiple venues. You will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of these systems, from architecture and implementation to monitoring, incident response, and continuous improvement. You will collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders to define data quality and performance requirements, translate them into engineering solutions, and deliver features that directly impact trading efficiency and profitability. You will champion best practices in observability, testing, and code quality, raising the bar for the lean team you lead. You will also evaluate and responsibly integrate generative AI tools to enhance data processing workflows, ensuring human oversight and measurable business outcomes. WHAT YOU'LL NEED You bring at least five years of backend engineering experience, with a proven track record of building and maintaining production systems that deliver sub‑millisecond latency and high throughput. You have hands‑on expertise with market‑data protocols such as FIX, ITCH/OUCH, and multicast, and you are comfortable designing and implementing feed handlers and normalizers. Your technical stack includes low‑latency Java or C++ and high‑throughput messaging libraries such as Aeron or SBE. You have a deep understanding of venue connectivity, exchange APIs, and the challenges of real‑time data distribution. You are a self‑starter who can deliver features end‑to‑end, operate the systems you build, and drive reliability and performance improvements. Excellent communication skills, the ability to mentor junior engineers, and a collaborative mindset are essential. You are comfortable working in a fast‑paced, remote‑first environment and can thrive with asynchronous collaboration and quarterly in‑person surges. WHY REMOTE Coinbase operates as a remote‑first organization that values flexibility, autonomy, and a distributed culture. Your day will be structured around asynchronous communication, shared documentation, and real‑time collaboration tools, allowing you to work from any location that best supports your productivity. The remote model gives you the freedom to design your own work environment while still being part of a tightly integrated team that meets quarterly for intensive in‑person “surges” to align on strategy, review progress, and foster deep collaboration. This blend of remote flexibility and focused in‑person time ensures you can maintain high performance while enjoying a healthy work‑life balance. BENEFITS Coinbase offers a competitive compensation package that includes a base salary, equity, and bonus potential. You will receive comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) plan with company match, and generous paid time off. The company provides a remote work stipend to support your home‑office setup, a learning and development budget for continuous skill growth, and access to wellness programs. Additional benefits include parental leave, flexible scheduling, and a culture that prioritizes mental and physical well‑being.