DeFi Protocol Engineer

Placements24; Noord-Kaap; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Token-based compensation

Fully remote

Generous time off

Professional development budget

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly skilled DeFi Protocol Engineer to join our fully remote team. This role focuses on designing, developing, and maintaining the core infrastructure of decentralized finance protocols on the blockchain.

You will build secure, scalable smart contracts and backend systems, collaborate with economists and product managers, and stay ahead with new DeFi technologies. Remote work offers flexible scheduling and a supportive, security‑driven culture.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Blockchain Engineer with a strong focus on DeFi.
• Expertise in Solidity.
• Backend development with Go, Rust, or Node.js.
• Strong cryptography, distributed systems, and blockchain consensus knowledge.
• Experience with DeFi protocols, yield farming, tokenomics desirable.
• Commitment to security best practices in a remote setting.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy secure and efficient smart contracts for DeFi protocols.
• Architect and implement scalable backend systems that interact with blockchain networks.
• Ensure security, robustness, and economic stability through testing and auditing.
• Collaborate with economists, PMs, and other engineers to define protocol mechanics.
• Stay at the forefront of DeFi innovation, researching and implementing new technologies.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues to ensure high availability.

Skills

Blockchain Engineer

DeFi experience

Solidity

Go

Rust

Node.js

Distributed systems

Cryptography

DeFi protocols

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and innovative DeFi Protocol Engineer to join their fully remote team. This role focuses on designing, developing, and maintaining the core infrastructure of decentralized finance protocols. You will be instrumental in building robust, secure, and scalable financial applications on the blockchain, contributing to the future of decentralized finance. This is an exceptional opportunity for a passionate engineer who thrives in a challenging, fast-paced, and collaborative remote environment, dedicated to advancing the DeFi ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy secure and efficient smart contracts for DeFi protocols (e.g., lending, borrowing, trading, staking).
• Architect and implement scalable backend systems that interact with blockchain networks and support DeFi applications.
• Ensure the security, robustness, and economic stability of DeFi protocols through rigorous testing and auditing.
• Collaborate with economists, product managers, and other engineers to define and refine protocol mechanics.
• Stay at the forefront of DeFi innovation, researching and implementing new technologies and strategies.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in production environments, ensuring high availability of DeFi services.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Blockchain Engineer with a strong focus on Decentralized Finance (DeFi).
• Expertise in smart contract development languages like Solidity, with a deep understanding of DeFi primitives.
• Proficiency in backend development languages (e.g., Go, Rust, Node.js) and database management.
• Strong understanding of cryptography, distributed systems, and blockchain consensus mechanisms.
• Experience with DeFi protocols, yield farming, and tokenomics is highly desirable.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and a commitment to security best practices in a remote setting.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and significant potential for token-based compensation.
• Fully remote work environment with flexible scheduling.
• Opportunity to shape the future of decentralized finance.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off and professional development budget.
• A highly collaborative and innovative team culture.