Head of Engineering - Trading Systems (London)

Since our beginnings in 2017, we have grown to be a leading change-maker in the digital asset space, renowned for our partnerships and innovation. Today, we rock with over 180 team members around the world. Our diverse team hails from 42 nationalities, with backgrounds ranging from DeFi natives to PhDs. Predominantly remote, we have hubs in London, Brussels and Singapore, and host regular online and offline hangouts to keep the crew tight.

We are trading on more than 80 exchanges, and working with a wide array of asset issuers. As a well-established market maker, our distinctive expertise led us to expand rapidly. Today, our services span market making, options trading, high-frequency trading, OTC, and DeFi trading desks.

As the Head of Engineering at Keyrock, you will be responsible for leading our engineering team in the development and maintenance of our trading systems for the core Market Making Services team. We are seeking an experienced individual who thrives in fast-paced environments and possesses a deep understanding of building scalable, resilient, and performant trading systems. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of managing people, fostering a collaborative work environment, and driving product-centric initiatives.

• Lead and manage a team of talented engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
• Drive the design, development, and maintenance of high-concurrency, high-performance trading systems.
• Collaborate closely with product management to align engineering efforts with product goals and roadmap.
• Implement and enforce best practices in software development, including code reviews, testing methodologies, and deployment strategies.
• Ensure the scalability, reliability, and security of our systems by implementing robust architectures and engineering practices.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members, fostering their professional growth and development.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with System Architect and other Engineering managers to align with our company-wide technical strategy.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or relevant field experience.
• Proven experience building and maintaining high-concurrency, high-performance, low-latency trading systems.
• Strong proficiency in development and architecture of Rust systems. Node.js (JavaScript/TypeScript) and Python are nice to have.
• Proficient in data-intensive systems.
• Proven experience with AWS, Docker.
• Experience managing and leading engineering teams, with a focus on fostering collaboration and professional growth.
• Deep understanding of software engineering best practices, including agile methodologies, DevOps principles, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a passion for building scalable, reliable, and secure systems.
• Extensive expertise in finance and trading within the cryptocurrency sector.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment within the financial industry is a plus.

We would like the successful candidate to be based in the UK or Europe. Remote and flexible work options are available.

We value self-awareness in our recruitment process. We seek people who understand themselves and their career goals. We are after those with the right skills and a conscious choice to join our field. The perfect fit? A crypto enthusiast who’s driven, collaborative, and delivers solid, scalable outcomes.

• A competitive salary package, with various benefits depending on the method of engagement (employee or freelancer).
• Autonomy in your time management thanks to flexible working hours and the opportunity to work remotely.
• The freedom to create your own entrepreneurial experience by being part of a team of people in search of excellence.

As an employer we are committed to build an inclusive, diverse and non-discriminating work environment. We welcome employees of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, creed and sexual orientation. We hire, reward and promote entirely based on merit and performance.

Due to the nature of our business and external requirements, we perform background checks on all potential employees, passing which is a prerequisite to join Keyrock.