Demo

Lead Engineer | AI-Powered Governance Platform (DeFi)

C&D Talent Advisory - Academy
Menlo Park, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 3/20/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 4/18/2026
Remote | United States

$250,000 – $315,000 Token Performance Bonus

AI | DeFi | Data Infrastructure | Automation Systems

Snapshot

Join a high-impact AI DeFi venture incubated by one of the earliest and most influential protocols in the Ethereum ecosystem ($8B TVL).

This role sits at the center of a major transformation — building an AI-powered governance engine designed to reshape how decentralized systems operate.

This is not just backend engineering — this is architecting the foundation of AI-native governance systems at scale.

Ideal Candidate Profile

  • Has built early stage systems in data / AI / backend-heavy environments
  • Thinks in systems, not just services
  • Comfortable leading in high-ambiguity environments
  • Strong ownership mindset with execution speed


What You'll Build

Phase 1 — Automation & Data Infrastructure

  • Workflow automation (Notion database sync, governance pipelines)
  • Data pipelines across:
    • Blockchain nodes
    • DEX APIs
    • Lending protocols
  • Risk analytics data platform (accurate, historical, queryable)
  • Monitoring, validation, and deterministic systems

Phase 2 — AI-Native Platform Foundations

  • AI agent infrastructure (execution environments, guardrails, provenance)
  • Knowledge-work interfaces:
    • Tree explorers
    • Diff systems
    • Cognitive UI layers
  • Event-sourcing architecture cryptographic proof systems
  • Human AI collaboration tooling

What You'll Do

  • Lead architecture and development of core platform systems
  • Build and scale automation engines data infrastructure
  • Drive projects end-to-end:
    • Design build deploy iterate
  • Define engineering standards:
    • Testing
    • Observability
    • Reliability
  • Operate in a fast-moving, ambiguity-driven environment

Tech Stack

  • TypeScript
  • Node.js
  • PostgreSQL
  • React
  • Python / Go / Rust / Java
  • APIs
  • Data Pipelines
  • AI Integrations


What We're Looking For

  • 5 years building production-grade backend systems
  • Strong TypeScript / Node.js expertise (non-negotiable)
  • Advanced SQL relational data modeling (PostgreSQL preferred)
  • Experience building data pipelines with third-party APIs
  • Proficiency in at least one: Python, Go, Rust, or Java
  • Proven ability to lead technical projects end-to-end


Bonus:

  • AI/ML or agent-based systems
  • DeFi / blockchain experience
  • Event sourcing / complex system design
  • Open-source contributions


Compensation & Benefits

  • $250,000 – $315,000 base
  • Token-based incentives
  • Performance bonuses
  • Work on systems with real-world financial impact


Location & Eligibility

Remote (United States only)

  • Must be US-based & authorized to work
  • Fully distributed, async-first environment


Why This Role

  • Operate at the intersection of AI DeFi data infrastructure
  • Build AI-augmented tools for knowledge work and governance
  • Work on systems with real economic and protocol-level impact
  • Join at a early stage / transformation phase with high ownership
  • Fully remote, high-autonomy environment


If you want to architect systems that redefine how data, decisions, and governance operate at scale — this is where you build the future. Apply now...

Salary : $250,000 - $315,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Lead Engineer | AI-Powered Governance Platform (DeFi)?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Lead Engineer | AI-Powered Governance Platform (DeFi) career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$101,387 - $124,118
Income Estimation: 
$119,030 - $151,900
Income Estimation: 
$92,017 - $124,111
Income Estimation: 
$111,369 - $141,168
Income Estimation: 
$117,871 - $153,580
Income Estimation: 
$109,939 - $144,341
Income Estimation: 
$114,500 - $144,633
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Lead Engineer | AI-Powered Governance Platform (DeFi) jobs in the Menlo Park, CA area that may be a better fit.

  • C&D Talent Advisory - Academy Palo Alto, CA
  • Remote | United States $250,000 – $315,000 Token Performance Bonus AI | DeFi | Data Infrastructure | Automation Systems Snapshot Join a high-impact AI DeFi... more
  • 29 Days Ago

  • Microsoft AI Mountain View, CA
  • Overview As Microsoft continues to push the boundaries of AI, we are on the lookout for passionate individuals to work with us on the most interesting and ... more
  • 8 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!