Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.
The TeamFounded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.
The Dev Platform team builds the internal platform that Kraken's engineers use to build, ship and run software. Within Dev Platform, the AI Gateway is Kraken's company-wide LLM gateway: a single, governed entry point that gives teams self-service access to leading models from providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, with visibility into usage and cost, configurable budgets and rate limits, and routing across models and providers for efficiency and resilience.
The OpportunityBuild and extend the AI Gateway: new model and provider integrations, routing policies, budgets, rate limits, and usage and cost reporting
Design the APIs, SDKs and self-service tooling that let engineers across Kraken onboard to the gateway quickly and safely
Help teams migrate their LLM workloads onto the gateway with minimal disruption
Implement access control, key management and audit logging in partnership with Security
Instrument the gateway so teams can see latency, errors, token usage and cost for their own workloads
Own features end to end, from design through production, and keep the service reliable alongside SRE
Support internal users with clear documentation, debugging help and a tight feedback loop that shapes the roadmap
Contribute to code review, design documents and engineering practices across Dev Platform
Solid experience as a backend or platform software engineer building and operating APIs and distributed services in production
Strong skills in a backend language such as Rust, Python or TypeScript, with a habit of writing well-tested, maintainable code
Working knowledge of how LLM APIs behave: authentication, streaming responses, token accounting, rate limits and provider failure modes
Experience with observability, CI/CD and containers, and comfort with Kubernetes and a major cloud provider
Ability to design clean, well-documented APIs for internal customers and to weigh their feedback
Clear written and verbal communication, and the ownership to carry work from idea to production
Experience with API gateways, proxies or traffic management
Experience building LLM-powered systems, including routing, caching, evaluation or cost controls
Familiarity with authentication and authorization patterns (OAuth, OIDC, RBAC)
Contributions to open-source infrastructure or developer-platform projects
Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Our commitmentPayward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.
We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.
As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
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Skills Required
- Experience as a backend or platform software engineer building and operating production APIs and distributed services
- Strong skills in a backend language such as Rust, Python, or TypeScript
- Experience writing well-tested, maintainable code
- Working knowledge of LLM APIs, including authentication, streaming responses, token accounting, rate limits, and provider failure modes
- Experience with observability, CI/CD, and containers
- Comfort with Kubernetes and a major cloud provider
- Ability to design clean, well-documented APIs for internal customers
- Clear written and verbal communication
- Ownership of work from idea through production
- Experience with API gateways, proxies, or traffic management
- Experience building LLM-powered systems, including routing, caching, evaluation, or cost controls
- Familiarity with OAuth, OIDC, or RBAC authentication and authorization patterns
- Contributions to open-source infrastructure or developer-platform projects
Kraken Digital Asset Exchange Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kraken Digital Asset Exchange and has not been reviewed or approved by Kraken Digital Asset Exchange.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for many roles, with strong total compensation reported for in‑demand technical and senior positions. Market‑aligned packages are highlighted across key functions, indicating the ability to reach top‑of‑market for certain hires.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are available for most roles, complemented by bonus programs and the option to receive a portion of pay in crypto. This ownership‑oriented design is positioned as part of the standard total compensation approach.
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Flexible Benefits — A remote‑first operating model, flexible time off, and a remote‑workstation setup bonus emphasize autonomy and location flexibility. Core benefits are framed to support distributed work across multiple regions.
Kraken Digital Asset Exchange Insights
What We Do
Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms. Our mission is to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Globally, Kraken clients trade more than 200 digital assets and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Kraken was founded in 2011 and was one of the first platforms to offer spot trading with margin,, staking, regulated derivatives and index services. Trusted by over 10 million individuals, traders and institutions around the world, Kraken offers professional 24/7/365 client support along with one of the fastest, most performant trading platforms available. Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. In 2024, Kraken ranked 12th in Newsweek's Global Top 100 list of Most Loved Workplaces. This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to providing a flexible workplace that prioritizes wellbeing and career development. Kraken prioritizes client-centricity, security, and superior products, valuing merit and encouraging bold ideas within a transparent communication framework. Kraken offers a flexible, asynchronous, and globally remote work culture, allowing its employees (aka Krakenites) to balance team and personal needs. Kraken provides diverse learning and development programs, enabling Krakenites to chart their own professional paths in the crypto industry. Benefits include globally competitive compensation (with crypto payment options), flexible time off, wellness perks, and annual team retreats. Kraken's collaborative culture promotes authenticity, humility, and respect, encouraging candid interactions and valuing diverse perspectives from its global team. Crypto conviction is central to Kraken's ethos, driving product and service development. The company views challenges as opportunities for creative problem-solving, remaining adaptable in the fast-paced crypto industry. Kraken seeks individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a curious, self-starting approach to complex problems. The company fosters a culture of accountability and clear communication, valuing critical feedback for continuous improvement. Overall, Kraken's EVP reflects its commitment to building a bridge from traditional finance to crypto, both in its broader mission and in supporting employees transitioning to crypto careers.
Why Work With Us
Work at Kraken to be part of a mission-driven crypto revolution. Enjoy a flexible, remote-first culture that values bold ideas. Grow your career with competitive benefits and diverse learning opportunities. Join a collaborative team that embraces innovation, accountability, and globally inclusive perspectives.
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