Full Stack Engineer (FinTech)

Index Industries; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Index Industries, a stealth fintech startup in Chicago, is hiring a Full Stack Engineer to help build production-grade features for a platform handling real financial flows. You will work across web app, API, and blockchain integrations, writing robust code and shaping architecture.

The role emphasizes ownership, craft, and speed in a small, early-stage team. 4+ years in full‑stack engineering, TypeScript/Node.js, and React/Next.js are expected, with AWS and PostgreSQL experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Advanced smart contract experience in the DeFi space.
• Hands-on with leading protocols and infrastructure (e.g., Centrifuge, Fireblocks, oracles).
• Design, integrate, and optimize protocol interactions for institutional and retail users.
• Able to deploy and operate infrastructure on AWS.
• Senior-level backend software engineer with fintech exposure.
• Fluent across the Web2 financial technology ecosystem.
• Operates autonomously with minimal direction and 4+ years of full-stack experience.
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript, Node.js (NextJS/Express), and React/Next.js.
• Solid PostgreSQL knowledge and REST/GraphQL API design.
• Familiar with blockchain tooling: ethers.js, wallet connections, on-chain reads.
• Experience with event-driven architectures (Kafka, Pub/Sub).
• Bonus: fintech experience; Solidity or Rust is a differentiator.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain full‑stack features across the web app and API layer.
• Design and implement backend services in TypeScript/Node.js with PostgreSQL.
• Develop React/Next.js frontends that are fast, accessible, and production‑grade.
• Integrate with blockchain data sources, smart contracts, and wallet infrastructure.
• Collaborate with PM and design on feasibility and tradeoffs; write tests and participate in code reviews.

Skills

TypeScript

Node.js

React/Next.js

PostgreSQL

REST/GraphQL API design

Blockchain

Smart contracts

Web3 tooling

Ethereum / Ethers.js

Autonomy / ownership

Tools

AWS

Kafka

Wallet connections

Oracles

Job description

Index Industries is a venture-backed startup, focused on building foundational infrastructure at the intersection of fintech and blockchain. We are currently in stealth mode, developing USHP - a next-generation product designed to address critical gaps in financial systems.

We are a small, deliberate team at an early stage. The people joining now will shape not just what we build, but how we build it, our culture, our standards, and our long-term trajectory. We are not looking for passengers; we are looking for builders who take ownership and thrive in environments where the path is still being defined.

Due to the nature of our work, specific product details are shared during the interview process under NDA.

USHP is building two related products: a proprietary daily predictive index of U.S. home prices, and an on-chain token whose value tracks that index. The token is collateralized by real U.S. residential properties and pays staking yield from the net income generated by the underlying portfolio. The protocol includes a full DeFi integration suite: Pendle yield tokenization, Aave/Morpho collateral, and Uniswap/Curve liquidity.

Full Stack Engineer

About the Role You’ll be one of the early engineering hires, writing code that goes directly into production and shapes the architecture of a platform handling real financial flows. We value craft, speed, and clean abstractions — not committee‑driven engineering.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain full‑stack features across our web app and API layer
• Design and implement backend services in TypeScript/Node.js with PostgreSQL
• Develop React/Next.js frontends that are fast, accessible, and production‑grade
• Integrate with blockchain data sources, smart contracts, and wallet infrastructure
• Work closely with the PM and design on implementation feasibility and tradeoff decisions
• Write tests, participate in code reviews, and own your features end‑to‑end

Requirements

• Advanced smart contract experience in the DeFi space.
• Hands‑on with leading protocols and infrastructure: ideally Centrifuge, Fireblocks, oracles, and a range of DeFi protocols.
• Able to design, integrate, and optimize protocol interactions that meet the standards of both institutional and retail users.
• Comfortable deploying and operating infrastructure on AWS.
• A strong senior‑level backend software engineer.
• Fluent working across the Web2 financial technology ecosystem.
• Operates autonomously with very little oversight.
• Takes ownership end to end and moves quickly with minimal direction.
• Operates with sense of urgency 4+ years of full‑stack engineering experience
• Strong in TypeScript, Node.js (NextJS or Express), and React/Next.js
• Solid understanding of relational databases (PostgreSQL) and REST/GraphQL API design
• Familiarity with blockchain tooling: ethers.js or viem, wallet connections, on‑chain reads
• Experience with event‑driven architecture (Kafka, Pub/Sub, or similar)
• Bonus: prior fintech experience (payment rails, ledger systems, compliance infrastructure)
• Bonus: Solidity or Rust (even hobby‑level) is a real differentiator

Compensation: $140K–$200K base + equity