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- Tasks: Design and implement innovative hooks for Uniswap v4 to enhance DeFi trading.
- Company: Join a mission-driven foundation advancing decentralized finance through cutting-edge protocol engineering.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of DeFi innovation and make a real impact in the financial ecosystem.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in smart-contract engineering with a focus on DeFi protocols.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture with a focus on impactful projects and career development.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 £ per year.
Rockstar is recruiting for a leading organization dedicated to advancing decentralized finance (DeFi) through innovative protocol engineering and product design. The client is a mission-driven foundation supporting the growth, decentralization, and sustainability of the Uniswap ecosystem, with a focus on driving value across protocol innovation, developer support, governance, research, and security.
This role offers the opportunity to work at the forefront of DeFi, collaborating with a team committed to building impactful, open financial infrastructure. A senior builder is sought who operates at the intersection of protocol engineering and DeFi product design. This individual will design, prototype, and productionize Uniswap v4 hooks that unlock new markets.
Areas of focus include dynamic fee markets, JIT-aware liquidity protections, programmable compliance for RWAs, solver/intents integrations, perps/credit primitives, and beyond.
Why this role exists
- Hooks are the frontier. Uniswap v4 turns AMM behavior into a programmable surface. The ecosystem needs more production-ready hooks to go from tinkering to real usage.
- Builders need partners. High-quality hooks require deep protocol knowledge and product instincts designing the onchain mechanics, the incentives, and a path to distribution.
- The mandate: accelerate onchain trading activity and protocol support across Uniswap deployments. This role is central to that impact.
The work
- Bring product thinking for market-tailored hooks: Ideate/incubate high-leverage ideas across market segments: volatile pairs (ETH/USDx, xBTC/USDx), correlated/stable pairs (USDx–USDx), and order sizes from small retail to whales.
- Architect & ship hooks: Own the full lifecycle from whiteboard to an audited mainnet deployment that advances the roadmap (fee dynamics, liquidity management, MEV/LVR capture, KYC/attestations, JIT, etc.).
- Author canonical patterns: Publish reference implementations, hook templates, and “living specs” that other teams can safely extend.
- Design with distribution in mind: Co-create adoption plans with other DeFi protocols (lending/ALMs/vaults), aggregators/routers, intent layers, asset issuers.
- Own security & correctness: Threat model hooks, define invariants, fuzz and formally verify critical paths, and partner with external auditors.
- Data & feedback loops: Work with the data team to instrument events/metrics, write Dune/Flipside dashboards, and run controlled experiments to tune parameters (fees, tick ranges, JIT thresholds) based on observed flow, MEV, and LP PnL.
A week in this role might look like
- Ideate, architect, and implement a new stable-stable hook designed to win $100k+ trades (market-share target, slippage/fee behavior, routing incentives, aggregator integration plan).
- Design abstractions for reusability and code hygiene. Upstream libraries into a canonical toolkit.
- Pair programming and code reviews with an external team on a lending rehypothecation hook design and implementation.
- Write Foundry tests and fuzzers for beforeSwap/afterSwap invariants; benchmark gas and optimize with Yul where it pays.
- Coordinate with an aggregator on simulation support and revert reasons; land a PR to their router.
What Success Looks Like
- 3 months: Land one high-leverage hook in audit or on testnet with credible distribution partners. Establish a metrics schema and dashboard framework for hook evaluation (LP PnL, orderflow capture, effective liquidity).
- 6 months: Two production hooks with measurable flow/TVL and zero critical incidents. Clear adoption playbooks for routers, wallets, and solver layers; at least three third-party teams shipping on these patterns.
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years smart-contract engineering, with 2+ years shipping production DeFi at protocol teams (DEX, lending, perps, bridges, market making infrastructure, oracles).
- Deep Solidity and EVM internals; strong with Foundry, fuzzing, property tests; comfort reading/implementing community smart contracts.
- Knowledge of the most common security pitfalls.
- Deep and practical understanding of Uniswap v4 architecture (PoolManager, Hooks, singleton design, state scoping, callback surfaces).
- Practical understanding of Uniswap v3 concentrated liquidity model.
Nice-to-have signals
- Shipped a v4 hook on mainnet with end-to-end readiness – hands-on learnings and production experience are desirable.
- Emphasis on scalable and organized testing suites. Test-driven design practices.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
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v4 Hooks Architect employer: Rockstar
Contact Detail:
Rockstar Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land v4 Hooks Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the DeFi space. Attend meetups, webinars, or even online forums. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream role.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your past projects, especially those related to smart contracts or DeFi. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply; engage! When you find a role that excites you, reach out to current employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and express your enthusiasm for the position. It shows initiative and can help you stand out.
✨Tip Number 4
Keep it real with your interviews. Be prepared to discuss your thought process and problem-solving skills, especially around protocol engineering. We want to see how you think, so don’t hold back!
We think you need these skills to ace v4 Hooks Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for DeFi: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for decentralized finance shine through. We want to see how you connect with our mission and the Uniswap ecosystem. Share any relevant projects or experiences that highlight your commitment to advancing DeFi.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific requirements of the v4 Hooks Architect role. Highlight your experience with smart contracts, Solidity, and any relevant DeFi projects you've worked on. This helps us see how you fit into our team and the impact you can make.
Be Clear and Concise: We appreciate clarity in applications! Keep your writing straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where necessary to break down your skills and experiences, making it easier for us to see your qualifications at a glance.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about our company and culture.
How to prepare for a job interview at Rockstar
✨Know Your Hooks
Make sure you have a solid understanding of Uniswap v4 architecture and the specific hooks you'll be working with. Brush up on your knowledge of dynamic fee markets, liquidity protections, and compliance mechanisms. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you're not just familiar with the theory but can also apply it practically.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss past projects where you've tackled complex problems in DeFi. Think about how you designed, prototyped, and deployed solutions. Be ready to explain your thought process and the impact your work had on the project. This will demonstrate your ability to think critically and innovate in a fast-paced environment.
✨Collaborate and Communicate
This role requires working closely with other teams and stakeholders. Practice articulating your ideas clearly and concisely. You might be asked to collaborate on a hypothetical project during the interview, so be prepared to engage in discussions about design choices and distribution strategies. Show that you can work well with others and value their input.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect to face technical questions related to smart contracts, Solidity, and EVM internals. Brush up on common security pitfalls and testing practices. You may also be asked to solve coding challenges or review code snippets, so practice your coding skills and be ready to explain your reasoning as you go.
