Senior Software Engineer – Foundation

Block Tech; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Very attractive bonus plan

Relocation package

Pension plan

Company laptop

Internet reimbursement

In-house training budget

AI-driven productivity tools

Gym membership reimbursement

Regular social events

Dutch classes

Job summary

BlockTech in Amsterdam is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to own data infrastructure used by trading and research teams. You will design and operate real-time ingest, streaming, and storage layers, and set technical standards for the group.

You will work with Kafka, NATS, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and Iceberg, primarily coding in Rust with Python and SQL. This role emphasizes end-to-end ownership, reliability, and fast iteration in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years as a software engineer with production data infra experience.
• Proficiency in Rust, or strong C/C++ with Rust focus.
• Hands-on with Kafka, Redpanda, NATS, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and Iceberg, ideally self-hosted.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems and failure modes.
• End-to-end ownership mindset and accountability across data stacks.
• Good written and verbal English communication.
• Background in trading/fintech or data-sensitive domains.
• Experience with observability tools such as Grafana.
• Familiarity with WebSockets, compiler engineering, or systems security.

Responsibilities

• Own the ingest path from data sources to trading systems with low latency.
• Architect and operate the streaming layer (Kafka/NATS) for throughput and guarantees.
• Build and optimize the storage layer across PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and Iceberg.
• Run and maintain capacity, retention, and schema evolution for self-hosted infra.
• Design data quality checks and repair flows to prevent downstream issues.
• Enable other teams by providing reusable libraries and standards.
• Drive end-to-end projects from concept to production with ownership.
• Mentor engineers and influence the technical direction of the team.

Skills

Rust

C/C++

Distributed systems

End-to-end ownership

English communication

Observability mindset

Trading/fintech background

Tools

Kafka

NATS

PostgreSQL

ClickHouse

Iceberg

Redpanda

Job description

BlockTech is a fast-paced algorithmic trading firm. Specializing in crypto options, we facilitate global cryptocurrency derivatives and spot trading, while expanding into new markets. As we continue to grow rapidly, we are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to take technical ownership of the data infrastructure our trading and technology teams are built on.

Every decision at BlockTech starts with data: exchange feeds, our own trade and account events, and the history we query to make sense of both. The Foundation team owns the systems that move, aggregate, and store all of it. We run our own Kafka, NATS, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and Iceberg, self-hosted and tuned by us. We work primarily in Rust, with Python and SQL alongside.

This is a role for an engineer who has already built and operated data infrastructure at scale, and who wants their technical decisions to set direction rather than follow it.

What will you do?

You will own the pipelines and stores every other team depends on. When a researcher backtests a strategy, when a trader checks a position, when risk queries yesterday, they are all reading data your systems ingested, routed, and kept correct. As a senior engineer, you will also set the technical standards the rest of the team builds against.

You will:

Own the ingest path. Collect public and private exchange information and internal trading data with minimal latency impact, and land it in our trading systems in real time.

Architect the streaming layer. Design and operate our Kafka and NATS messaging systems for the throughput and delivery guarantees our critical flows depend on.

Build the storage layer. Develop real-time aggregation and long-term storage across PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and Iceberg, and make the structural calls that keep queries fast as volumes grow.

Run what you build. Own capacity, retention, schema evolution, and failure behavior for infrastructure we host ourselves, with no managed service to hide behind.

Make the data trustworthy. Design the detection and repair flows that catch gaps, duplicates, and drift, and correct them before anyone downstream notices.

Enable other teams. Work with trading, quantitative research, and engineering to make integrating with our platform straightforward, and turn recurring problems into shared libraries and frameworks.

Drive projects end to end. Take work from concept to production with full ownership, and bring in new tools and approaches when the current ones stop being the right answer.

Raise the bar. Mentor engineers, lead by example in code and design reviews, and influence the technical direction of the wider team.

What we're looking for

5+ years as a software engineer, including a track record of designing and operating production data infrastructure where reliability and correctness are non-negotiable.

Proficiency in Rust, or strong C/C++ with the appetite to work primarily in Rust.

Hands-on experience with the infrastructure we rely on: Kafka, Redpanda, NATS, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, and/or Iceberg. Ideally self-hosted rather than through managed or cloud services.

Solid understanding of distributed systems, with the judgment to reason about consistency, backpressure, and failure modes.

Systems-level thinking, including a feel for where hardware constraints start to matter.

A very strong sense of end-to-end ownership, and a critical mind that follows problems through to completion.

Good written and verbal communication skills in English.

A background in trading, fintech, or another domain where bad data has immediate consequences.

Experience with observability tooling such as Grafana.

Familiarity with WebSockets, compiler engineering, or systems security.

How we work

This is an on-site role in our Amsterdam office, built around a high degree of autonomy and end-to-end ownership. You will have hard problems to own from concept through to production, and the freedom to solve them your way. It is a strong fit for people who are energized by deep technical challenges, a wide variety of technologies, and a high level of responsibility.

What's in it for you?

• A full-time position in a relaxed and modern office in Amsterdam
• Competitive compensation consisting of a base salary combined with a very attractive bonus plan based on individual and company performance
• Outstanding performance is rewarded with the opportunity to buy into the trading fund
• Pension plan, company laptop, and reimbursement of your internet costs at home
• An extensive in-house training program and an annual learning & development budget
• The opportunity to work at the forefront of automated trading using technology built for speed and precision, in an environment that embraces AI to both accelerate productivity and advance our systems and models
• Gym membership reimbursement and the opportunity to engage in various sports during working hours, including kickboxing, CrossFit, fitness, and soccer
• Regular social events, including weekly Friday drinks, monthly outings, quarterly sports competitions, and bi-annual trips abroad
• Daily breakfast and warm lunch, plus snacks and drinks throughout the day
• For internationals: an all-in relocation package and Dutch classes

Our culture

At our core, we are a team of passionate trading and tech enthusiasts committed to revolutionizing trading through automation. Our collaborative approach ensures that everyone contributes to achieving our ambitious goals.

In this role, you will be both challenged and stretched, with ample opportunities for growth and development, both within and beyond your main responsibilities.

We invest in our people by offering competitive compensation and benefits, fostering innovation, and celebrating success. Our commitment to personal development transcends traditional norms; we provide an equal playing field, promote reverse leadership, and offer boundless growth opportunities for all our employees.

Join us to unlock your potential and drive innovation in the exciting world of algorithmic trading.

We believe in a clear and efficient application process that lets you showcase your skills, experience our culture, and discover if BlockTech is the right fit for you. Here’s what to expect: