Lead Blockchain Engineer – Build the Core Technology Behind Variational

About Variational Variational is building a decentralized derivatives protocol for professional trading. Our vision goes beyond a trading application. We're building the underlying protocol, execution infrastructure, and developer platform that power sophisticated on-chain derivatives. Omni Pro is our professional trading interface, while the protocol itself is designed to support high-performance trading, capital-efficient markets, and future financial products. We've already built the first version of the protocol and an early version of Omni Pro. Now we're looking for a senior engineer to help us build what comes next. The Opportunity We're looking for an engineer who enjoys understanding how systems work, questioning design decisions, and building infrastructure that's expected to scale. You'll work directly with the founders, participate in architecture discussions, and own major technical decisions across the platform. You'll have the freedom to propose better solutions, redesign components when necessary, and help define how the protocol evolves. What You'll Build Your work will span both on-chain and off-chain infrastructure, including: - Core protocol architecture - Smart contracts and protocol integrations - Omni Pro and trading infrastructure - Execution, clearing, settlement, margin, collateral, and liquidation systems - Risk engines and supporting backend services - APIs, indexing, event processing, and distributed infrastructure - Performance optimization, monitoring, testing, and security You'll move between architecture, implementation, code reviews, and production operations as the platform continues to grow. Building VAR Token VAR is the native token of the Variational ecosystem and an important part of the protocol's long-term architecture. As part of this role, you'll help design and build the infrastructure around VAR, including: - Smart contract architecture - Token issuance, distribution, and vesting - Treasury and protocol integrations - Revenue-driven buyback-and-burn infrastructure - Secure, upgradeable systems that support future protocol expansion Our goal is to build VAR as a deeply integrated protocol component rather than simply launching another token. Who You Are You've built production systems and enjoy solving difficult engineering problems. You probably have experience in several of these areas: - Solidity and EVM development - Go, Rust, or TypeScript - Blockchain protocols or DeFi infrastructure - Distributed systems - Cloud infrastructure and backend services - Smart contract security - System architecture and technical leadership Experience with exchanges, derivatives, trading platforms, or financial infrastructure is a strong advantage, but exceptional engineers from other distributed systems backgrounds are equally encouraged to apply. What We Offer - A leading role in shaping the architecture of the Variational protocol - Direct collaboration with the founders and significant influence on technical direction - Small, highly collaborative engineering team with minimal bureaucracy - Flexible engagement (full-time, part-time, or consulting) - Remote-first environment - Competitive compensation If you're looking for a role where you can influence architecture, build production blockchain infrastructure, and solve challenging protocol engineering problems alongside a small, experienced team, we'd love to talk.