Principal Software Engineer, APAC

Join a team of engineers and cryptographers building the infrastructure behind the next generation of financial systems.

We’re hiring a Principal Software Engineer based in APAC (Hong Kong or Singapore) to lead the design and evolution of our core backend systems. You will drive the architecture of the services powering wallet operations, transaction processing, and integrations across multiple blockchains. Your work will help ensure our systems remain fast, reliable, and secure as they scale across global financial markets. This role goes beyond implementation. You will guide architectural decisions, raise engineering standards, and mentor senior engineers across the team. You will work closely with product, security, and leadership to align technical execution with company priorities and ensure our infrastructure performs under real-world financial workloads.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of scalable, secure backend services and APIs.

• Define and evolve architecture for databases, microservices, and integrations.

• Own mission-critical projects end to end, from requirements to production and iteration.

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex performance and reliability challenges at scale.

• Collaborate with leadership to shape roadmap priorities and long-term technical vision.

• Mentor engineers, promote best practices, and represent Dfns in client discussions.

Requirements

• 10+ years of backend software engineering, with leadership in fintech or blockchain.

• Mastery of TypeScript, proven track record building scalable APIs and dev tools.

• Deep expertise with databases (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, NoSQL) and cloud (AWS).

• Strong knowledge of microservices, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and SSDLC.

• Familiar with public key infrastructure and secure backend architectures.

• Exceptional problem-solving, communication, and ability to influence technical direction.

Recruitment process

• Intro call with Co-CEO (30 min)

• Personality and cognitive tests (45 min)

• Coding test in a language of your choice

• Focus interviews with the hiring panel (180 min)

  • Code review

  • Architecture review

  • Security fundamentals

  • Culture check fit

• Final interview with CTO (30 min)

• Reference calls and background checks

Terms

• Title: Principal Software Engineer, APAC

• Salary: $160,000–240,000 per year (full-time)

• Equity: 150–300 stock options vested over 4 years

• Benefits: Healthcare and travel expenses

• Location: Hong Kong or Singapore (remote-first, office optional)

• Equipment: MacBook Pro + essentials