About GFX Labs

Based in Chicago, GFX Labs is a research and development company founded in 2021, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of decentralized finance (DeFi). The company designs and builds cutting-edge tools and platforms for financial services, on-chain data integration, and professional trading experiences. Beyond product development, GFX Labs plays a key role in DeFi governance, contributing to the evolution of major blockchain protocols. With a mission to innovate and democratize finance, the company collaborates with regulators and industry leaders to shape the decentralized financial ecosystem. Its team of experts is committed to delivering impactful solutions for the future of blockchain-based finance.

GFX Labs operates two distinct divisions. Our primary division focuses on Oku, our comprehensive DeFi application. We have partnered with the Uniswap DAO, the leading decentralized exchange, and recently announced a collaboration with Morpho to integrate borrowing and lending into Oku.

Our second division is dedicated to research and development. This work spans various areas, including analyzing the economic safety of on-chain financial mechanisms, designing user experiences, and indexing data for integration into existing products. The GFX team possesses a wide range of skills and has a strong track record of delivering high-quality services to industry-leading organizations.

Why work at GFX?

• Any firm can pay a high salary and offer good incentives (as will we), but most can’t offer interesting, challenging, and rewarding work.
• We have something to prove. Our team is young and hungry. We like to move fast and make things. We know when to double down and when to cut our losses. We are going to make mistakes, and we are going to build a better product because of them. We don’t micromanage or have a huge team of product managers. We want self starters who take charge and solve problems.
• We don’t care if you went to school, what grades you got, or your age. Show us what you have built, what problems you have solved, and what skills you have.

About the Role

As a Principal Engineer at GFX Labs, you’ll be at the forefront of developing innovative solutions within the Wormhole ecosystem, focusing on creating seamless user experiences that bridge multiple blockchain networks. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on development, requiring expertise in both frontend and backend development.

You’ll be responsible for architecting and implementing sophisticated web applications that interact with Wormhole and the numerous chains they are deployed on. Your work will directly impact how users interact with cross-chain applications and services, requiring a deep understanding of both web development best practices and blockchain-specific challenges.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the technical design and implementation of complex web applications, ensuring high performance, reliability, and an exceptional user experience
• Build and optimize React-based frontends with seamless wallet integration across multiple blockchain networks
• Develop robust backend services to support frontend applications, focusing on scalability and cross-chain functionality
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define technical requirements and architectural decisions
• Mentor other engineers and contribute to technical standards and best practices
• Prototype new features and capabilities within the Wormhole ecosystem

You might be great for this role if you have

• 1+ years of experience in Web3 frontend engineering.
• 2+ years of experience in Web3 backend engineering.
• 3+ years of experience in frontend engineering.
• 5+ years of experience in api service development.
• Attention to detail with excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Thrive in an environment where you have significant independence.
• You are proactive and driven by curiosity.
• You have a strong work ethic with disciplined execution skills.
• Robust Web3 experience.

What you’ll do at GFX

• Develop top-tier user experiences with DeFi protocols across an array of blockchains
• Create smooth, pixel-fit experiences for customers
• Partner with design on UX strategy
• Build an engineering culture that attracts the most talented people to join us

We’d love to hear from you if…

• You love tackling ambitious projects with the ability to change DeFi as we know it
• You care about all aspects of customer experience
• You can see things from a high level, and dive into the details with equal confidence
• You think DeFi can improve day-to-day financial tooling

… and you really care about these details

• You want to create brand new experiences
• You can operate autonomously
• You are pro-active and are driven by curiosity
• You can build robust systems on both web and native platforms
• You can handle complexity, but prefer simplicity

Tools we are using today

• Golang, React, Node, Figma
• Postgresql, Temporal, NATS, Clickhouse
• Gitlab and Github
• DigitalOcean, fly.io, Kubernetes, KNative, Pulumi, Terraform

Benefits

• $150k-$200k
• Stock options
• Full medical, dental, and vision
• Flexible vacation policy

We’re headquartered in Chicago, and thus, we are primarily looking for team members in Chicago. Only Applicants based in North America will be considered. We strongly prefer Chicago applicants.

A relocation bonus is available for Americans to relocate to Chicago.