Staff Performance Engineer, Trading Infrastructure
Job Description
About Helius
Helius is building the core infrastructure for Solana - empowering developers to create the next generation of crypto-powered applications. Our mission is to accelerate the development of internet capital markets by making it easier, faster, and more intuitive to build on-chain.
Thousands of teams - from early-stage startups to industry leaders like Coinbase, Phantom, and Jupiter - rely on Helius APIs, webhooks, and indexing tools to power their products. Backed by Haun Ventures, Founders Fund, and Foundation Capital, we’re a small, senior team obsessed with performance, simplicity, and scalability in decentralized systems.
Read our Helius Manifesto to see how we work and what we value.
About the Role
We're looking for a Staff Performance Engineer to own the most latency-critical systems at Helius. These services are responsible for streaming Solana's state changes across our global network and providing real-time data APIs to traders, exchanges, and DeFi protocols. They handle massive throughput, and small optimizations create outsized impact. You'll lead performance strategy, drive cross-team architectural decisions, and dig into the hardest bottlenecks to make our products faster and more efficient. The problems are challenging, the expectations are high, and the improvements you ship will be felt across the Solana ecosystem.
What You'll Do
- •Set technical direction for performance across Helius' most latency-critical systems, influencing architecture and engineering standards company-wide
- •Profile, tune, and optimize the low-level Rust services that power traders and financial institutions
- •Design systems for low-latency environments where microseconds matter
- •Lead cross-team initiatives to identify and eliminate systemic performance bottlenecks
- •Own foundational systems end-to-end and keep them simple, reliable, and easy to operate
- •Mentor engineers and raise the bar on performance engineering and operational rigor
What You'll Bring
- •8+ years of systems-level engineering in Rust or C++
- •Deep experience tuning high-throughput, latency-sensitive systems
- •Track record of leading ambiguous, cross-team technical projects and shipping durable systems
- •Strong intuition for hardware, operating systems, and network performance
- •Ability to operate with high ownership on difficult technical problems and make decisions legible to stakeholders
- •A desire to push performance to the limit, not just make it "good enough"
Nice to Have
- •Experience in trading systems (DeFi or TradFi)
- •Background in performance-obsessed environments like Cloudflare, Netflix, or similar
Why Helius
- •High-impact work: Your code will power applications used by millions across the Solana ecosystem, including Coinbase, Jupiter, and Phantom
- •Serious engineering: Build fast, reliable systems and user experiences across distributed infra and high-throughput backends
- •Ownership & growth: Lead critical initiatives, influence architecture and product direction, and take on more responsibility as the company scales
- •Remote-first flexibility: Work where you’re most effective with a flexible, fully distributed team
- •Competitive comp & perks: Market-leading salary, meaningful equity, generous vacation, wellness budgets, and support for learning and travel
- •Mission-driven team: Join ambitious builders who move fast, take ownership, and are shaping the future of decentralized apps
About Helius
Helius is at the forefront of enabling the next generation of decentralized applications and infrastructure. We provide critical developer tools and services that streamline the creation, deployment, and scaling of innovative solutions across the blockchain ecosystem. Our mission is to empower builders with the robust, reliable, and user-friendly platforms they need to unlock the full potential of Web3, making complex blockchain interactions intuitive and accessible. Our culture thrives on innovation, collaboration, and a shared passion for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the crypto space. We are a team of problem-solvers, continuously exploring new technologies and methodologies to deliver exceptional value to our developer community. At Helius, we value intellectual curiosity, ownership, and a commitment to excellence, fostering an environment where every team member is encouraged to contribute meaningfully and grow professionally. Joining Helius means becoming an integral part of a fast-paced, high-impact organization deeply embedded in the future of decentralized technology. You'll work alongside leading experts in blockchain and distributed systems, contributing to open-source initiatives and proprietary tools that will shape the Web3 landscape. If you're looking for an opportunity to craft foundational infrastructure, solve challenging technical problems, and leave a lasting mark on the blockchain industry, Helius offers an unparalleled platform for your career.
Ready to Apply?
To submit your application for this position, please visit Helius's official website and follow their application process.