2x Quantitative Researcher/engineer

**Quantitative Trading & Market Microstructure Specialist - High-Performance DEX**:
**Compensation**:$180K - $220K

We are building a **high-performance blockchain operating system** that fundamentally redefines what's possible on Ethereum by prioritizing unparalleled throughput, decentralization, and security. We are now expanding the team for **O2**, a new, early-stage project: a next-generation decentralized exchange (DEX) running on our modular execution layer. Designed as a **Central Limit Order Book (CLOB)**, our goal is to build the **fastest DEX ever constructed**, leveraging parallel execution to unlock high-frequency trading efficiency fully on-chain.

You will play a foundational role, leveraging your expertise in market making and quantitative trading to model, simulate, and optimize the market behavior of our core CLOB protocol. This is a highly hands-on role where you will design and test trading strategy logic, build simulation frameworks, and collaborate with engineering and research to inform critical protocol-level design decisions.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- **Strategy & Optimization**: Leverage prior market making experience to **run, tune, and improve automated trading strategies** both on-chain and across centralized exchanges (CeFi).
- **Liquidity Provision**: Ensure consistent liquidity provision, real-time adaptation to market conditions, and reliable execution across multiple markets.
- **Risk & Security**: Identify and mitigate manipulative or **adversarial behavior in markets**, protecting the exchange and ensuring fair trading conditions. Analyse system architecture and trading logic for vulnerabilities, providing input on risk controls.
- **Collaboration & Design**: Collaborate with engineering, product, and research teams to design resilient trading bots and contribute to protocol-level market logic.
- **Operations**: Develop and refine operational workflows for **monitoring, alerting, risk management**, and daily trading routines (e.g., runbooks, escalation paths).
- **Research & Simulation**:Design and test strategy logic** for liquidity provision and execution. Build simulation frameworks to evaluate pricing and order flow under real-world conditions.

**Requirements**:

- **Domain Experience**:3+ years of direct experience in market making, quantitative trading, or liquidity provision** (**crypto experience strongly preferred**).
- **Market Knowledge**: Strong understanding of **order book mechanics, market microstructure, and liquidity dynamics**.
- **Systems Experience**: Hands-on experience with **automated trading systems**, including parameter tuning, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
- **Technical Comfort**: Comfort working close to code (Python, Rust, or similar), enough to prototype or review logic.
- **Trading Environment**: Familiarity with **both CeFi and DeFi trading environments** and their unique operational considerations.
- **Operational Design**: Ability to design structured operational flows (shift rotations, runbooks, escalation paths, monitoring).
- **Mindset**:High agency** (takes proactive steps to drive projects), a **hacker mindset** (thinks like an adversary to spot risks), curiosity, and a bias toward action.

**Preferred Qualifications**:

- Strong background in **quantitative analysis, algorithmic trading, or market microstructure**.
- Experience with DeFi protocols, centralised exchanges, or on-chain trading bots.

**Benefits**

- **Impact**: Foundational role in building what is intended to be the **fastest fully on-chain DEX** using a groundbreaking CLOB model, defining the future of decentralized finance.
- **Culture**: Join a globally dispersed team united by innovation, high agency, and an empathetic culture. We value courage, optimism, and mission-driven substance over performative trends.
- **Growth**: Opportunity to dive deep into cutting-edge technologies (Ethereum Rollups, parallel execution) and rapidly expand in-house trading expertise.
- **Compensation**: Competitive compensation package (details provided upon inquiry).

**Commitment to Equality and Accessibility**: