Staff Software Engineer, Safety Processing

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Staff Software Engineer, Safety Processing

San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles Area

Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join our Safety Processing team. This team plays a crucial role in ensuring trust and safety across Discord, processing signals from user reports and automated systems to identify and remove harmful or illegal content from our platform. You’ll lead backend projects, provide architectural guidance, and help build scalable systems that protect our users. Your work will directly impact the safety of our platform and help make Discord a place where everyone can belong. To learn more about Discord Engineering, take a look at our engineering blog.

What You'll Be Doing:

Lead, design, and build scalable backend systems for processing safety-related signals, primarily using Python

Guide and mentor the team through architectural and system design challenges, ensuring long-term scalability as Discord continues to grow

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build tools for content moderation and related compliance efforts. This includes in house solutions and vendors

Implement and enhance ML/AI models and automation to improve efficiency in content moderation and decision-making processes

Build solutions with an adversarial mindset, anticipating and addressing safety challenges such as malicious behavior and illegal content on the platform

Drive workstreams and provide leadership to the team, mobilizing others to accomplish projects and deliver impactful outcomes

What We Look For:

Python Expertise: Extensive experience developing and maintaining backend systems using Python

Architectural Leadership: Strong system design and architecture skills with the ability to build scalable, reliable systems for content moderation with an emphasis on large scale projects, programs, or initiatives measured in quarters or years

Leadership in Execution: Ability to define workstreams, lead projects, and guide other engineers through implementation

Adversarial Mindset: Experience in a domain that required an adversarial mindset such as trust, safety, security, or privacy

On-Call Experience: Experience being in a 24/7 on-call rotation for production systems

Bonus Points:

Experience working with ML/AI models in content moderation

Familiarity with Typescript/Javascript/React and frontend technologies

Familiarity with Rust

Previous experience at companies with a strong focus on safety, security, or trust & safety

This position is US-based only. We are seeking candidates located in the Los Angeles or San Francisco Bay Areas. Candidates in the Los Angeles area can work remotely. Candidates in the San Francisco area are required to be in the office 2 days per week. Relocation assistance may be available to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Candidates must be located within one of the following counties:

Los Angeles area: (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura Counties)

San Francisco Bay Area: (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties)

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $279,000 to $341,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.

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244 results found

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For government reporting purposes (EEO-1), we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Discord is required to file annual demographic reports with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Your responses help us meet this obligation. Each question below includes an “I don’t wish to answer” option. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

Additionally, we also have [optional] questions. These help us understand the composition of our broader applicant pool and have no impact on your application or hiring decisions. Your answers are kept secure, pseudonymized, and separate from your application and personal data. By answering, you consent to our use of your responses for the reasons above. If you change your mind later about sharing this information, you can withdraw consent anytime by reaching out to us at privacy@discordapp.com.

Discord is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.

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Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join our Safety Processing team. This team plays a crucial role in ensuring trust and safety across Discord, processing signals from user reports and automated systems to identify and remove harmful or illegal content from our platform. You’ll lead backend projects, provide architectural guidance, and help build scalable systems that protect our users. Your work will directly impact the safety of our platform and help make Discord a place where everyone can belong. To learn more about Discord Engineering, take a look at our engineering blog.

What You'll Be Doing:

Lead, design, and build scalable backend systems for processing safety-related signals, primarily using Python

Guide and mentor the team through architectural and system design challenges, ensuring long-term scalability as Discord continues to grow

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build tools for content moderation and related compliance efforts. This includes in house solutions and vendors

Implement and enhance ML/AI models and automation to improve efficiency in content moderation and decision-making processes

Build solutions with an adversarial mindset, anticipating and addressing safety challenges such as malicious behavior and illegal content on the platform

Drive workstreams and provide leadership to the team, mobilizing others to accomplish projects and deliver impactful outcomes

What We Look For:

Python Expertise: Extensive experience developing and maintaining backend systems using Python

Architectural Leadership: Strong system design and architecture skills with the ability to build scalable, reliable systems for content moderation with an emphasis on large scale projects, programs, or initiatives measured in quarters or years

Leadership in Execution: Ability to define workstreams, lead projects, and guide other engineers through implementation

Adversarial Mindset: Experience in a domain that required an adversarial mindset such as trust, safety, security, or privacy

On-Call Experience: Experience being in a 24/7 on-call rotation for production systems

Bonus Points:

Experience working with ML/AI models in content moderation

Familiarity with Typescript/Javascript/React and frontend technologies

Familiarity with Rust

Previous experience at companies with a strong focus on safety, security, or trust & safety

This position is US-based only. We are seeking candidates located in the Los Angeles or San Francisco Bay Areas. Candidates in the Los Angeles area can work remotely. Candidates in the San Francisco area are required to be in the office 2 days per week. Relocation assistance may be available to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Candidates must be located within one of the following counties:

Los Angeles area: (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura Counties)

San Francisco Bay Area: (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties)

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $279,000 to $341,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.

244 results found

No results found

Afghanistan+93

Åland Islands+358

Albania+355

Algeria+213

American Samoa+1

Andorra+376

Angola+244

Anguilla+1

Antigua & Barbuda+1

Argentina+54

Armenia+374

Aruba+297

Ascension Island+247

Australia+61

Austria+43

Azerbaijan+994

Bahamas+1

Bahrain+973

Bangladesh+880

Barbados+1

Belarus+375

Belgium+32

Belize+501

Benin+229

Bermuda+1

Bhutan+975

Bolivia+591

Bosnia & Herzegovina+387

Botswana+267

Brazil+55

British Indian Ocean Territory+246

British Virgin Islands+1

Brunei+673

Bulgaria+359

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Burundi+257

Cambodia+855

Cameroon+237

Canada+1

Cape Verde+238

Caribbean Netherlands+599

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Central African Republic+236

Chad+235

Chile+56

China+86

Christmas Island+61

Cocos (Keeling) Islands+61

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Congo - Kinshasa+243

Cook Islands+682

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French Polynesia+689

Gabon+241

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Georgia+995

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Guadeloupe+590

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Haiti+509

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Montserrat+1

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Nicaragua+505

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Wallis & Futuna+681

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Yemen+967

Zambia+260

Zimbabwe+263