What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and maintain scalable distributed backend systems powering platform and product capabilities.
- Own backend services end-to-end: from architecture and implementation to monitoring and long-term reliability.
- Work closely with product and engineering peers to actively shape product decisions — not just execute specs.
- Scope solutions with the clients building on our API: turn a vague request into a concrete proposal, and the proposal into a plan the team can build.
- Build and evolve Web3 platform backend components, including protocol integrations, support for newly emerging blockchain networks, and reliable interactions with smart contracts.
- Ensure high standards of code quality, performance, security, and observability.
- Operate comfortably in a fast-paced startup environment, balancing speed and correctness.
- Use AI as a core part of your engineering workflow — designing, reviewing, debugging and shipping with it.
- Contribute to technical discussions, reviews, and mentorship within the engineering team.
What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years of experience designing and building distributed backend systems.
- Strong knowledge of algorithms, data structures, and software design patterns.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Strong desire to actively contribute to product evolution, not just implementation.
- Comfortable working directly with customers — hearing a vague problem and coming back with a concrete proposal.
- Hands-on, daily use of AI in your engineering work.
- You should be able to talk concretely about where it has changed how you build, and where you've learned not to trust it.
- High standards for code quality, system reliability, and user experience — you care about getting it right, not just getting it done.
- Strong ownership mindset — you take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.
- Clear and proactive communication in a distributed team.
- Pragmatic decision-making: knowing when to move fast vs. go deep.
- Ability to learn quickly and adapt.
Technical Skill Set
- Excellent knowledge of Golang is a plus, not a blocker.
- Experience with containerized systems: Docker & Kubernetes.
- Experience with databases: SQL (Postgres); NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra).
- Experience with monitoring and observability tools: Sentry, Prometheus, Grafana.
- Hands-on experience with AWS (Amazon Web Services).
- Experience with Python 3.
- Comfort experimenting with and integrating AI-assisted workflows into daily engineering work.
Bonus Points
- Hands-on Web3 experience: Blockchain systems, dApps, Smart contracts.
- Prior experience in a startup environment that emphasizes trust and autonomy.
- Located in time zones close to Europe for smoother collaboration.
- Collaborative mindset and respect for different perspectives.
- Curiosity and willingness to challenge existing solutions when better ones exist.
Interview Process
- Screening Call – 30 minutes
- Hiring Manager Interview – 45 minutes
- Technical Interview – 90 minutes (includes a real-world challenge where you'll work with AI tools directly)
- System Design Interview – 90 minutes
- Team Interview – 60 minutes
- Founders Call – up to 60 minutes
- Reference Check
Why You Should Join
Company Overview Zerion API Trusted by 50+ top crypto and fintech brands Powering 2k+ active clients monthly Over 10B total requests processed
Culture & Benefits
- A lean, senior AI-native team shipping at outsized scale
- Salary & Benefits: Competitive salary, medical insurance, coworking membership, and additional benefits.
- Unlimited Days Off and Flexible Work Schedule
- Remote Work Essentials: Equipment to work from home comfortably
- Stock Options
- Travel: Industry events and annual team offsite
- Distributed Team: Fully remote with asynchronous collaboration
To All recruitment agencies and individual recruiters: Zerion only accepts resumes from its partners. Please include the word WATERMELON somewhere in your answer to the application question.
