Staff Software Engineer, Safety Processing

Discord is a gaming-focused communication platform serving a highly engaged community of daily active users. The Staff Software Engineer will lead backend projects for the Safety Processing team, designing scalable systems that process safety signals and support content moderation. The role also provides architectural guidance, mentors engineers, and develops ML/AI-enabled automation to protect users from harmful or illegal content.

Responsibilities:

• 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 enhanceML/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

Requirements:

• 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
• 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)
• Experience working with ML/AI models in content moderation
• Familiarity withTypescript/Javascript/React and frontend technologies
• Familiarity with Rust
• Previous experience at companies with a strong focus on safety, security, or trust & safety