Principal Engineer, Consumer Trading

OKX • San Jose, CA

297d • $238,518 - $328,708

About The Position

As a Principal Engineer (equivalent to a Director level at OKX), you will be a key technical leader within our engineering team, driving the development and evolution of our consumer crypto trading, Stable coin as a service and our fiat deposit/withdrawal services. You will take ownership of critical architectural decisions, influence team strategy, and lead large-scale projects that shape the future of our platform. Your work will focus on solving complex, ambiguous problems with a long-term vision, ensuring our systems remain scalable, maintainable, and efficient.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional software development experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or staff engineering role.
• Strongly knowledgeable and informed about the crypto industry, with a strong sense of mission.
• Strong expertise in backend development with proficiency in one or more languages, preferably Java.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and API design.
• Experience with high-availability and high-throughput systems in a fintech or crypto-related domain.
• Proven track record in leading large-scale projects, setting technical direction, and mentoring engineers.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, caching mechanisms, and messaging queues.
• Familiarity with blockchain technologies, payment gateways, or fiat on/off-ramp solutions is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a pragmatic approach to decision-making.
• Strong hands-on coding skills with the ability to set high standards for code quality and software development best practices.
• Ability to review and improve code written by other engineers, ensuring maintainability, security, and scalability.

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience in a crypto exchange, fintech, or high-frequency trading platform.
• Understanding of security best practices in financial applications.
• Knowledge of cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure), Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key technical influencer, driving architecture, design, and best practices across the engineering organization.
• Take ownership of system-wide architecture, proactively addressing technical debt and improving system efficiency.
• Lead and execute complex projects, breaking down initiatives into parallel work streams for the team.
• Identify and resolve scaling bottlenecks, optimizing systems for high availability and performance.
• Make informed decisions balancing short-term business objectives with long-term system integrity.
• Drive security, quality, and observability best practices to ensure robust and maintainable systems.
• Write high-quality, maintainable, and extensible code that serves as a reference for other engineers.
• Conduct thorough code reviews to ensure adherence to best practices and mentor team members on improving code quality.
• Actively mentor engineers, contribute to technical hiring, and provide assessments for internal promotions.
• Work closely with product, security, compliance, and operations teams to align technical solutions with business needs.

Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package.
• L&D programs and Education subsidy for employees' growth and development.
• Various team building programs and company events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal