Director of Engineering

Job Description

Job Description

Jito Labs is architecting the future of high-performance distributed systems on Solana. We believe Solana represents the future of internet-scale finance - a world where anyone, anywhere can access transparent, efficient, and fair markets. To realize this vision, we need to solve some of the hardest technical challenges in distributed systems and quantitative finance.

At Jito Labs, you'll work alongside a small, nimble group of engineers and operators who are passionate about solving complex technical challenges at the cutting edge of Solana trading and infrastructure. Our team culture emphasizes :

High ownership : Every team member drives significant technical decisions and shapes our product roadmap.

Fast execution : We ship rapidly and iterate based on real-world feedback. Progress, not motion.

Technical excellence : We tackle complex problems with elegant, scalable solutions.

Sustainable growth : Strong financials and proven market fit enables us to focus on long-term impact.

If you're excited about :

• Solving complex distributed systems challenges
• Working with cutting-edge trading infrastructure
• Contributing to open-source blockchain technology
• Making a tangible impact on one of the fastest-growing L1 blockchains
• ...then we want to hear from you.

We offer competitive compensation, significant equity, and the opportunity to work on problems that matter. Don't just watch the future of blockchain unfold - help us build it.

The Opportunity

We have exceptional engineers building mission-critical infrastructure for Solana. As we've grown, we've reached the inflection point where we need to level up our engineering operations to match the caliber of our team and the scale of our ambitions.

We're looking for a Director of Engineering to build the operational foundation that will let us scale efficiently while maintaining the speed and quality our users expect.

What You'll Do

Build world-class engineering operations (80% of your focus)

Set engineering standards : Define and implement standards for code quality, documentation, testing coverage, and architectural review

Create clarity and alignment : Establish sprint planning, roadmap processes, and priority-setting frameworks so the team operates with clear direction

Own the release process : Design deployment procedures with proper testing, monitoring, and incident response protocols

Enable leadership focus : Take ownership of day-to-day technical decision-making and engineering operations, allowing company leadership to focus on strategic initiatives

Lead and scale the team (20% of your focus)

Mentor engineers and help them grow their skills and impact

Build team culture and rituals that support high performance

Foster collaboration between product, operations, and engineering

Eventually recruit and hire as we scale beyond our current team

Who You Are

Must-haves

Proven operator :  You've built and run engineering teams of 10-50+ people at high-growth startups or infrastructure companies.

First principles thinker : You adapt best practices from previous roles rather than copy-paste them. You understand the "why" behind processes and tailor solutions to our stage, team size, and needs - not implement a FAANG engineering playbook at a 20-person startup.

Process builder : You've shipped processes for software development from scratch—CI / CD, testing frameworks, deployment pipelines, on-call rotations, metrics, and more.

Technical credibility : You can review code, debug production issues, and earn respect from strong engineers. You've written production code in the last 3-5 years and are not afraid to dive into challenge issues.

Startup velocity : You move fast, prioritize ruthlessly, and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty.

Low ego : You're here to solve problems, not collect a title. You'll write code, fix bugs, and do whatever it takes.

Nice-to-haves

Experience with Rust, distributed systems, or high-performance infrastructure

Background in crypto / blockchain infrastructure

Previously scaled engineering from chaos to order at a fast-growing startup

Operated in extremely high-stakes environments where downtime costs millions

Benefits