Remote DeFi Protocol Engineer: Build Secure Smart Contracts

Placements24; Richards Bay; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Token-based compensation

Health benefits

Remote-friendly with occasional team {

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a DeFi Protocol Engineer in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. You will design, develop, audit, and deploy secure DeFi contracts across leading blockchain networks and collaborate with a global engineering team on innovative financial instruments.

The role emphasizes cutting-edge DeFi research, security best practices, and scalable protocol design, with strong autonomy and growth opportunities in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in developing and deploying production-ready smart contracts on blockchain platforms like Ethereum.
• Expertise in smart contract languages such as Solidity.
• Strong understanding of DeFi concepts, protocols, and economic models.
• Experience with blockchain development tools and frameworks (Hardhat, Truffle, Foundry).
• Proficiency in testing methodologies and tools for smart contracts.
• Knowledge of common smart contract vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.
• Experience with performance optimization and gas cost reduction techniques.
• Excellent problem-solving and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy secure and efficient smart contracts for DeFi protocols (lending, borrowing, trading, yield farming).
• Conduct rigorous security audits of smart contracts and protocols to identify vulnerabilities.
• Research and implement novel DeFi mechanisms to enhance protocol performance and user experience.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and build new features.
• Stay updated with blockchain tech and smart contract languages (Solidity, Vyper).
• Optimize gas efficiency and overall protocol performance.
• Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing.

Skills

Solidity

Ethereum

Hardhat

Truffle

Foundry

Smart contract testing

Gas optimization

Security auditing

DeFi concepts

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

Hardhat

Truffle

Foundry

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a DeFi Protocol Engineer in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. You will design, develop, audit, and deploy secure DeFi contracts across leading blockchain networks and collaborate with a global engineering team on innovative financial instruments.

The role emphasizes cutting-edge DeFi research, security best practices, and scalable protocol design, with strong autonomy and growth opportunities in a fast-paced startup environment.