Lead Smart Contract Engineer - Build Omni Pro, VAR Token Ecosystem, Core Protocol

Variational is building a decentralized derivatives protocol for professional trading. Our goal is to provide the infrastructure for sophisticated trading, risk management, and capital-efficient markets on-chain. We've built the first version of the protocol and an early version of Omni Pro. As we move into the next stage, we're redesigning and expanding parts of the protocol, strengthening the architecture, and preparing the platform for production. We're looking for a Lead Smart Contract Engineer to help us build that next generation. What You'll Do You'll work directly with the founders and take ownership of the protocol's smart contract architecture. Your work will include: - Designing and implementing core protocol smart contracts - Building execution, margin, collateral, liquidation, settlement, and risk systems - Architecting secure interactions between on-chain and off-chain infrastructure - Designing upgradeable contract architecture and protocol integrations - Improving security, testing, performance, and gas efficiency - Reviewing technical designs and helping guide architectural decisions This is a hands-on engineering role. You'll spend as much time thinking about system design and protocol behavior as you will writing Solidity. Building VAR Token VAR is the native token of the Variational protocol and an important part of the platform's long-term architecture. You'll help design and build the infrastructure around VAR, including: - Token architecture and smart contracts - Distribution, vesting, and treasury infrastructure - Protocol integrations - Revenue-driven buyback and burn mechanisms - Infrastructure supporting future protocol incentives and ecosystem growth The goal isn't simply to launch a token—it's to build secure, scalable infrastructure that becomes a core part of the protocol. What We're Looking For We're looking for engineers who enjoy building production systems and solving difficult protocol problems. You should have strong experience with several of the following: - Solidity and EVM development - Foundry or Hardhat - Smart contract security - DeFi protocols or blockchain infrastructure - Go or Rust - Distributed systems and backend architecture Experience with derivatives, exchanges, perpetuals, options, or financial infrastructure is a strong plus, but we're ultimately looking for engineers with excellent technical judgment, strong ownership, and the ability to simplify complex systems. What We Offer - High ownership and real influence over protocol architecture - Direct collaboration with the founders - Flexible engagement (full-time, part-time, or consulting) - Fully remote work environment - Competitive compensation If you enjoy building protocol infrastructure, care deeply about software quality, and want to work on technically challenging problems with a team, we'd love to hear from you.