About Nexus
Nexus is building the foundation for verifiable finance, an economic system where every transaction, order, and settlement can be proven on-chain with cryptographic assurance. To do this we’re developing a DEX Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for the AI economy, powered by idle compute from millions of people around the world, and verified with zero-knowledge proofs. This is finance rebuilt for the future: verifiable, scalable, and open to all.
Nexus has raised $25M in Series A funding from Lightspeed, Pantera, Dragonfly, SV Angel, and more.
Role Overview
We are headquartered in San Francisco, and this role will be an in-person, hybrid role with the rest of the Nexus team.Nexus is seeking a Senior Infrastructure Software Engineer — with the potential to grow into a Tech Lead — to design and scale the core infrastructure powering our Layer 1 blockchain and its first core application: a high-performance DEX enshrined in the L1 protocol.
This role requires deep expertise in low-latency distributed systems and the ability to deliver secure, production-grade infrastructure for financial applications. You’ll work closely with Product, Research, and Security to build a system that meets the performance, reliability, and fairness requirements of modern trading systems — in a decentralized context.
ResponsibilitiesArchitect and implement low-latency, high-throughput financial infrastructure for Nexus’s Layer 1 and DEX.
Own major roadmap milestones: public testnet → mainnet → institutional-grade performance.
Optimize consensus and transaction pipelines for speed, determinism, and security.
Collaborate with cryptography and protocol teams to integrate cutting-edge zero-knowledge proofs into production systems.
Mentor mid-level engineers and establish engineering best practices for reliability, security, and observability.
Ensure high availability and fault tolerance for mission-critical financial systems.
What Success Looks Like
Mainnet launch with enterprise-grade reliability and sub-second transaction finality.
DEX achieves low-latency trade execution comparable to centralized systems while maintaining decentralization.
Engineering systems and tooling enable <10 min developer onboarding to first transaction.
High-frequency trading performance benchmarks met or exceeded.
Engineering team scaled while maintaining high velocity and code quality.
6–10+ years in software engineering, with at least 3+ years in infrastructure or systems roles.
Expertise in low-latency, high-throughput systems (e.g., HFT, distributed trading platforms, real-time financial exchanges).
Strong programming background in Rust (preferred), C++, Go, or similar systems languages.
Deep knowledge of network protocols, concurrency, and distributed systems.
Experience delivering secure, production-grade systems with measurable performance gains.
Previous experience in DeFi infrastructure, Layer 1 blockchains, or consensus protocols.
Familiarity with MEV prevention, transaction ordering, or fairness protocols.
Exposure to cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, or formal verification.
Competitive salary
Meaningful ownership in the Nexus protocol
Health insurance for employees and their dependents
401(k)
Define the engineering strategy and technical foundation for the future of decentralized finance.
Work on bleeding-edge technology at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and zero-knowledge cryptography.
Shape the engineering culture, processes, and products at an early, high-impact stage.
Play a pivotal role in building the next generation of financial infrastructure on Nexus Layer-1.
Nexus is committed to diversity in our workforce and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO).
Top Skills
What We Do
Nexus is the supercomputer for everyone, powering the world’s most complex computation to build the Verifiable Internet
