Engineering Lead (Rust) in London

About Keyrock Since 2017, Keyrock has become a leading change‑maker in the digital asset space, known for partnerships and innovation. With over 180 team members worldwide, we operate remotely from hubs in London, Brussels and Singapore, and maintain trading desks across 80 exchanges. We pioneer the use of Rust for algorithmic trading, support Web3 startups, and advance DeFi, RWA and NFT protocols through liquidity injection, research and governance initiatives. At Keyrock, we are actively building the future of digital assets.

Mission Statement

The Tech Lead bridges business objectives and technical execution. A hybrid role combining hands‑on engineering, architectural leadership and team enablement, a Tech Lead drives implementation and delivery of engineering initiatives within their Business Unit, ensuring systems are built to high standards of reliability, performance and maintainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Own delivery of entire work‑streams, aligning architecture and engineering decisions with strategy.
• Balance live coding with architecture design, peer reviews and cross‑functional communication.
• Mentor and elevate engineers, providing structured feedback and empowering ownership.
• Guide system design, ensuring scalability, resilience and performance across applications and infrastructure.
• Uphold engineering best practices, enforce coding guidelines and embed automation and validation in the delivery pipeline.
• Manage technical debt, lead refactoring initiatives and maintain long‑term maintainability.
• Collaborate closely with product, design and QA to define scope, refine requirements and plan delivery transparently.
• Anticipate technical risks and propose mitigations early to safeguard delivery timelines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline.
• 5+ years in a Technical Leadership role guiding teams and driving delivery of complex projects.
• Expertise in architecting and maintaining high‑concurrency, low‑latency trading systems at scale.
• Advanced proficiency in Rust; knowledge of Node.js and Python is advantageous.
• Deep experience with data‑intensive architectures and real‑time data pipelines.
• Proven track record deploying, optimising and operating AWS environments for ultra‑low‑latency workloads.
• Hands‑on experience containerising applications and managing Kubernetes clusters in production.
• Familiarity with GitOps workflows to automate infrastructure provisioning and deployments.
• Solid command of software engineering best practices, including Agile methodologies, DevOps principles and end‑to‑end CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of DevSecFinOps principles to embed security, compliance and cost‑governance throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Demonstrated leadership of engineering teams, fostering collaboration, mentorship and continuous growth.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills, partnering effectively with Product, Architecture, Quantitative Research and Operations.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving mindset, building scalable, reliable and secure systems.
• Deep domain knowledge of finance and trading, particularly within the cryptocurrency sector.
• Experience in fast‑paced, dynamic financial or fintech environments is highly desirable.

Soft Skills & Competencies

• Ownership & Reliability – Deliver high‑quality service, meet deadlines and follow through on commitments.
• Initiative & Problem‑Solving – Drive solutions independently with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Operational Diligence – Respond strategically to technical and operational challenges, ensuring robust trading infrastructure.
• Curiosity & Growth Mindset – Continuously improve technical skills and stay ahead of industry trends.
• Excellent Communication – Collaborate within a fully remote global team.

Recruitment Philosophy

We value self‑awareness in our recruitment process, seeking people who understand themselves and their career goals. We hire, reward and promote entirely based on merit and performance.

Our Offer

• A competitive salary package, with various benefits depending on the method of engagement.
• 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 building 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.
• We would like the successful candidate to be based in the UK or Europe. Remote and flexible work options are available.