Senior Software Engineer, Trust Defense

The Community You Will Join

The Identity Defense team plays a critical role in safeguarding Airbnb’s platform by ensuring that every user is who they say they are. We are responsible for preventing identity misuse, detecting fraudulent and duplicate accounts, and enforcing policies against underage use. We operate at the intersection of backend engineering, machine learning, and computer vision to deliver defenses at scale—while minimizing friction for trusted users.

What problems are we solving on Identity Defense?

Identity Misuse Detection

 

Fraudsters increasingly use fake, stolen, or AI-generated identities to gain access to the platform. Traditional verification signals are no longer enough in the face of sophisticated tampering techniques like deepfakes and synthetic imagery. Our team builds advanced detection systems that combine machine learning, computer vision, and biometric signals (like face match and liveness) to identify and stop bad actors in real time. We continuously evolve our models and systems to keep pace with rapidly advancing AI-driven attack vectors, ensuring Airbnb stays one step ahead.

 

Duplicate Account Prevention

 

Airbnb’s integrity depends on enforcing the principle of one account per person—but many users attempt to create duplicate accounts for fraudulent gain or due to gaps in our current systems. We’re tackling this challenge with new identity linking methods that combine graph-based analysis, embeddings, and device IDs. The scale, complexity, and ambiguity of identity data make this one of the most technically demanding problems at Airbnb. As we improve enforcement, we must balance trust and safety with user experience, avoiding friction for legitimate users while closing loopholes for fraud.

 

Underage User Enforcement

 

Airbnb prohibits users under the age of 18 from accessing the platform, but verifying age accurately—especially across global markets and varying document types—is a nuanced challenge. Fraudsters exploit OCR weaknesses or use borrowed identities to circumvent our policy. We are investing in government ID parsing improvements, tampering detection, and more robust age inference methods to ensure compliance while minimizing false positives. This space also requires deep collaboration with legal and policy teams to ensure regulatory alignment and defensibility across regions.

The Difference You Will Make

As a senior backend engineer on the Identity Defense team, you will:

• Design and implement scalable backend systems that support identity verification and fraud prevention at global scale
• Build and maintain services that power real-time detection and decisioning systems
• Train and deploy machine learning models for identity misuse detection and risk scoring
• Integrate advanced verification methods, including biometrics and NFC-based flows
• Collaborate closely with ML, iOS/Android, and web engineers to deliver end-to-end solutions
• Work with product managers, data scientists, and operations to identify risk trends and improve detection quality
• Contribute to foundational infrastructure including secure data handling, image processing, model serving, and feature engineering
• Shape technical direction and influence the team roadmap through long-term strategy and investment planning
• Mentor other engineers and promote best practices to strengthen Airbnb’s engineering culture and foundations

Your Expertise

• 5+ years of industry experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend development and/or applied Machine learning.
• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent work experience
• Proficient in Java, Python, or similar languages.
• Experience with machine learning and/or computer vision systems (e.g., face detection, liveness, tampering detection).
• Familiarity with ML infrastructure components such as model serving, feature stores, or embedding pipelines.
• Strong collaboration skills and experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving projects from concept to production.

Location

This position is US - Remote Eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. While the position is Remote Eligible, you must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Click here for the up-to-date list of excluded states. This list is continuously evolving, so please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from.

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process. 

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.