Senior Backend Engineer, US Exchange

Responsibilities

• Build the exchange backend: Design and implement scalable, low-latency backend services that power Polymarket’s exchange, using C/C++ or other performance-oriented systems languages (Go, Rust, Java).
• Optimize for performance & scale: Profile, tune, and debug systems with a focus on latency, throughput, memory usage, and correctness in production.
• Design distributed systems: Build and operate robust APIs, data pipelines, and event-driven systems using messaging and streaming platforms (Kafka, Pulsar, RabbitMQ).
• Own reliability & operations: Reinforce security, availability, performance, and scalability across backend systems, and participate in diagnosing and resolving production issues.
• Collaborate cross-functionally: Work closely with engineers across product, infra, and data to ensure tight integration between the exchange and the broader platform.
• Contribute to code quality: Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and architectural decisions to maintain a high bar for engineering excellence.

Requirements

• 4–7+ years of professional backend development experience, with strong proficiency in C/C++ (preferred) or another systems language (Go, Rust, Java).
• Solid understanding of algorithms, data structures, concurrency, memory management, and experience building low-latency, high-throughput systems.
• Comfortable working on complex systems end-to-end, debugging production issues on Linux, and taking responsibility for correctness and performance.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in trading systems, HFT, gaming, telecom, or other latency-sensitive domains.
• Production experience with Kafka, Pulsar, or similar streaming platforms at scale.
• Familiarity with gRPC, Protobuf, ZeroMQ, or similar technologies.
• Experience deploying systems in cloud environments (AWS/GCP) and using containers.

Benefits

• Competitive salary & equity.
• Unlimited PTO, Health, Vision, & Dental coverage.
• 401k match.
• Hardware setup — new MacBook Pro, big display, & accessories.