Senior Infrastructure Software Engineer - San Francisco

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

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.

• Architect 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.

• 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).