Distributed Systems Engineer

Location: Remote - Flexible work location (Preference is North America)

Remote | Full-time

Compensation: $180K - $300K

We are hiring on behalf of our client who is an innovative organization building the next generation of market infrastructure to redefine how value is discovered, priced, and distributed in real time. The mission centers on bringing structure, transparency, and efficiency to systems where value is currently fragmented and opaque.

Operating at the intersection of distributed systems, market structure, and applied cryptography, the firm is defining a new category for MEV distribution that merges economic efficiency with emerging regulatory frameworks. Based in New York and San Francisco, the organization consists of a high-leverage team focused on building systems that impact real-world economic flows.

The successful candidate will design and build core systems from first principles. This is an opportunity to turn ambiguous problems into production-grade infrastructure, defining architecture and making critical tradeoffs in a fast-moving environment. The role involves working across the full stack of real-time distributed systems, including data ingestion, low-latency execution, and auction mechanisms.

Key Responsibilities

• System Architecture: Design and implement the core system architecture for a real-time, high-stakes distributed platform.
• End-to-End Ownership: Own systems from initial concept and design through implementation and production deployment.
• Technical Problem Solving: Translate ambiguous, high-level objectives into concrete, scalable technical solutions.
• Performance Optimization: Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, latency constraints, and complex system failures.
• Technical Leadership: Drive technical direction across various components and services while establishing engineering best practices and code quality standards.
• Collaboration: Work closely with product and business functions to ensure technical decisions align with intended economic outcomes.
• Cultural Impact: Define engineering standards, influence future hiring, and set the cultural bar for the engineering organization.

Requirements

• Systems Programming: Advanced proficiency in Rust and strong systems programming experience.
• Distributed Systems: Extensive experience building or operating distributed systems with real-world constraints regarding latency, scale, and fault tolerance.
• Architecture & Design: A proven ability to design complex systems from scratch, demonstrating a strong intuition for tradeoffs between performance, complexity, and reliability.
• Autonomy: A track record of taking end-to-end ownership of products or systems in ambiguous environments with minimal structure.
• Modern Workflows: Experience leveraging AI tools and agent-based workflows to accelerate the development lifecycle.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in systems where both correctness and low latency are mission-critical.
• Experience with blockchain consensus internals, validator client architecture, or low-level protocol development.
• Familiarity with virtual machines or low-level execution environments.

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation: Competitive base salary commensurate with experience.
• Equity: Significant equity stake as an early member of the engineering team.
• High Impact: Opportunity to shape the foundational engineering culture and build systems that mediate real economic flows.

Interview Process

The following stages outline the evaluation process for this role:

1. Initial Interview: A discussion with the Founder/CEO to align on vision and role expectations.
2. Technical Assignment: A take-home assignment designed to evaluate practical problem-solving and architectural skills.
3. Technical Review: A deep-dive interview focused on the review of the take-home assignment and broader technical expertise.

Due to the high volume of applications we anticipate, we regret that we are unable to provide individual feedback to all candidates. If you do not hear back from us within 4 weeks of your application, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion. We genuinely appreciate your interest and wish you the best in your job search.

Commitment to Equality and Accessibility:

At MLabs, we are committed to offer equal opportunities to all candidates. We ensure no discrimination, accessible job adverts, and providing information in accessible formats. Our goal is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace with equal opportunities for all. If you need any reasonable adjustments during any part of the hiring process or you would like to see the job-advert in an accessible format please let us know at the earliest opportunity by emailing human-resources@mlabs.city.

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