Director of Engineering, Risk

Patreon is a media and community platform where over 300,000 creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. We offer creators a variety of ways to engage with their communities and build a lasting business including: paid memberships, free memberships, community chats, live experiences, and selling to fans directly with one-time purchases.

Ultimately our goal is simple: fund the creative class. And we're leaders in that space, with:

• $8 billion+ in revenue generated since Patreon's inception

• 60 million+ free new memberships for fans who may not be ready to pay just yet, and

• 10 million+ fans paying each month for exclusive access to creators' work and community.

We're continuing to invest heavily in building the best creator platform with the best team in the creator economy and are looking for a Head of Risk Engineering to support our mission.

This role is based in San Francisco and open to those who are able to be in-office 2 days per week on a hybrid work model.

About the Team

• Trust & Safety: Protects the platform from legal risks while ensuring it feels safe for creators and fans w/efforts like Content Moderation, Account Integrity, User Safety and more.

• Security: Protects user data and defends the platform against attacks, breaches and abuses across cloud, product and corporate security.

• Fraud: Builds tools to protect creators and the platform from financial harm.

• Compliance: Ensures the platform meets all regulatory, legal and payment partner requirements.

About the Role

• Own Patreon’s Risk strategy and execution across Trust & Safety, Security, Fraud Prevention, and Compliance—ensuring alignment with company objectives and evolving regulatory landscapes.

• Lead and grow a team of engineers responsible for building scalable systems to identify, mitigate, and respond to platform risks.

• Partner cross-functionally with Legal, Product and Safety & Fraud Operations to implement controls that minimize fraud, abuse, and regulatory risk while preserving user experience.

• Design and oversee the development of systems that monitor suspicious behavior, prevent payment fraud, and enforce content moderation policies.

• Builds automated solutions to ensure best in-class data protection and prevention of abuse at scale.

• Thought leader and advisor to the executive team on emerging risks, global compliance requirements (e.g., PCI, OFAC, GDPR), and security best practices.

About You

• A strong technical background; experience leading software engineering teams and developing risk-related systems at scale.

• Experience in marketplaces or platforms that handle UGC.

• Significant experience managing high performing teams w/a focus on Security or Risk.

• Significant experience in engineering leadership roles managing multiple teams.

• Proven success building and scaling cross-functional programs that combine technical solutions, policy, and operations.

• Deep understanding of financial fraud prevention, abuse detection, data privacy regulations, and trust frameworks.

• Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration; the ability translate complex risks into prioritized business impact.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong technical background in Security; experience securing platforms with high financial throughput and user-generated content.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or the equivalent

About Patreon

Patreon powers creators to do what they love and get paid by the people who love what they do. Our team is passionate about making this mission and our core values come to life every day in our work. Through this work, our Patronauts:

• Put Creators First | They’re the reason we’re here. When creators win, we win.

• Build with Craft | We sign our name to every deliverable, just like the creators we serve.

• Make it Happen | We don’t quit. We learn and deliver.

• Win Together | We grow as individuals. We win as a team.

We hire talented and passionate people from different backgrounds because workplace diversity and inclusion is critical to our ability to serve creators worldwide. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t match with every bullet point outlined above, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway. If you’re a creator at heart, are energized by our mission, and share our company values, we’d love to hear from you.

Patreon is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the interview process, please let us know via email at accomodations@patreon.

Patreon offers a competitive benefits package including and not limited to salary, equity plans, healthcare, flexible time off, company holidays and recharge days, commuter benefits, lifestyle stipends, learning and development stipends, patronage, parental leave, and 401k plan with matching.

Patreon operates under a hybrid work model, where employees based in office locations are expected to come into the office two days per week, excluding sick time and paid leave. The goal of this policy is to be intentional about the in-person time we spend together to strengthen the feeling of community at Patreon. Candidates hired into remote-eligible roles are not expected to meet the same requirements.

At Patreon, we believe in fair and transparent pay. In compliance with New York and California pay transparency laws, we are sharing the expected salary range for this role.

The posted salary range is dependent on the location and the level. This range may encompass multiple levels within the role’s job family. The final offer will be based on candidate’s experience, skills, competencies, and geographic location, aligning with the appropriate job level within Patreon’s leveling framework. For remote employees located outside CA and NY, salary may vary based on location and local market conditions.

Patreon reserves the right to modify or update compensation and benefits at any time.