About CoW DAO

CoW DAO is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from the dangers of DeFi. It does this by supporting the development of CoW Protocol, CoW Swap, MEV Blocker, and CoW AMM, and by funding values-aligned projects through the CoW Grants Program.

CoW Protocol is the second-largest DEX aggregator by monthly volume and the first-largest intents-based exchange. MEV Blocker is currently involved in ~4% of all Ethereum transactions, making it the category leader. CoW AMM is the only live AMM that protects LPs from LVR (loss-versus rebalancing).

As a member of CoW DAO’s core team, you will have the opportunity to shape these essential products, and contribute to the Ethereum ecosystem more broadly.

Location: We are a fully remote team, and although we hire almost globally, there is a preference for this role to be based in Europe or remote +/- 4 hours CEST time

Please note we’re not hiring from the US, Australia, or New Zealand

Position: Full-time contractor

We need a DevOps Engineer who’s hungry for impact, loves building things from scratch, and enjoys keeping critical infrastructure running like a well-oiled machine. You’ll be working with a team that values autonomy, ownership, and a growth mindset—if that sounds like you, keep reading! 🚀

What You’ll Do

• Keep things running smoothly – You’ll build, maintain, and optimize our Kubernetes workloads while ensuring scalable, resilient cloud infrastructure using Infrastructure-as-Code
• Build cool stuff – Automate deployments, reduce tech debt, and optimize AWS costs to improve infrastructure efficiency
• Shape the future of DevOps at CoW – Drive CI/CD workflow standards, contribute to platform architecture & security, and enhance on-call and postmortem processes to foster a strong DevOps culture
• Strengthen our blockchain infrastructure – Deploy and manage Ethereum nodes & validators, establish SLAs, and ensure high availability across our network
• Teach and share – We love knowledge sharing! Be ready to collaborate, mentor, and even lead a small presentation for the team
• Automate and optimize – Modify and extend Pulumi configurations for AWS, fine-tune deployments, and continuously improve alerting solutions
• Enhance observability & security – Improve logging architecture, security measures, and database health to ensure reliable infrastructure performance
• Our DevOps Stack: AWS, Kubernetes, Pulumi, Flux, Ansible, OpenSearch, Nginx, Prometheus, Grafana, Docker and Linux
• Blockchain Nodes: Erigon, Reth, Nitro

Who You Are

• Kubernetes Mastery – You’ve deployed and maintained production-grade K8s clusters before
• Cloud & DevOps Expertise – Strong experience with AWS, CI/CD, Docker, and Linux
• Blockchain Expertise? Experience running Ethereum nodes (or other blockchain infra) is needed
• On-Call Ready – You’re comfortable handling incidents and making sure things don’t break (or fixing them fast if they do!)
• Monitoring Pro – You know your way around Prometheus, Grafana, and Elasticsearch
• Database Knowledge – We use Postgres, but any database experience is a plus
• Coding Background – You’ve written production-level code in Python, Go, Rust, or similar for at least 1-2 years
• Team Player & Communicator – We’re a remote team, so documentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration are key

What We Can Offer You

• Impact & Ownership – Your work will directly shape the future of DeFi.
• Flexibility – Remote-friendly with the option to join our Lisbon hub
• Token Plan – Be part of our mission and shape the future of CoW DAO
• Team Gatherings – Regular meetups & off-sites retreats to connect IRL.
• Well-being Learning Budget – We support your growth, mental health, active life style
• Hardware Budget – Get the setup you need to Moo 🐮

Ready to Join the Herd?

Hit that apply button and let’s chat! 🚀

Culture

Life within the CoW Protocol is an incredible adventure! We take pride in our collaborative approach, embracing autonomy and fostering a culture of big thinking and continuous growth. We value impact, ownership, simplicity, and team spirit. Plus, we’re all about feedback, coming together, and enjoying the journey along the way!

At CoW Protocol, we strive to create a space where everyone feels included and empowered. We believe that our products and services benefit from our diverse backgrounds and experiences. All qualified applicants are considered for positions regardless of race, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, marital status, gender identification, sexual orientation, or physical ability.

About CoW DAO

CoW DAO is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from the dangers of DeFi. It does this by supporting the development of CoW Protocol, CoW Swap, MEV Blocker, and CoW AMM, and by funding values-aligned projects through the CoW Grants Program.

CoW Protocol is the second-largest DEX aggregator by monthly volume and the first-largest intents-based exchange. MEV Blocker is currently involved in ~4% of all Ethereum transactions, making it the category leader. CoW AMM is the only live AMM that protects LPs from LVR (loss-versus rebalancing).

As a member of CoW DAO’s core team, you will have the opportunity to shape these essential products, and contribute to the Ethereum ecosystem more broadly.

About the Role

Location: We are a fully remote team, and although we hire almost globally, there is a preference for this role to be based in Europe or remote +/- 4 hours CEST time

Please note we’re not hiring from the US, Australia, or New Zealand

Position: Full-time contractor

We’re looking for an experienced Backend Team Lead who will manage and guide our engineering team while also being highly technical. This person will help resolve problems, offer mentorship, and ensure the team delivers clean, maintainable code while avoiding over-complication. You’ll work closely with our Tech Lead, collaborating on both high-level technical decisions and hands-on execution to drive the team’s success.

This position is a mix of technical expertise and people management—ensuring that the team has everything they need to succeed, both technically and personally.

What you will do

• Lead, support, and mentor the backend team: Guide team members in developing their technical skills, improving performance, and overcoming challenges while providing mentorship, feedback, and opportunities for career growth
• Encourage clean and simple solutions: Foster a development culture that prioritizes simplicity, efficiency, and streamlined workflows to enhance productivity and maintainability
• Code reviews and technical guidance: Perform code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and ensure that the team’s code adheres to best practices and high-quality standards
• Work closely with the Tech Lead: Collaborate closely with the Tech Lead to support the team in implementing solutions, overcoming obstacles, and ensuring smooth development processes
• Problem-solving: Identify roadblocks or inefficiencies in the team’s processes and help resolve them in a way that aligns with CoW’s long-term goals
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Work closely with product, research, and other engineering teams to ensure smooth delivery of features and high-quality results

Our Tech Stack

• Backend Code: Rust, Tokio, Cargo, Git (https://github.com/cowprotocol/services)
• Infrastructure: Pulumi, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Grafana, Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Flux
• Other codebases: Typescript, Python, Solidity

Who you are

• Technical expertise: You have experience in backend development (languages such as Rust, Go, Python, etc.) and building distributed systems. While Web3 experience is a plus, it’s not a requirement.
• People-oriented leader: You have experience leading teams, providing mentorship, and fostering a growth-oriented environment. You know how to motivate people, resolve conflicts, and build trust within a team
• Tech-Savvy Leader: You can step in and help with complex technical challenges, but your main focus is on the people and processes
• Simplifying Solutions: You care about and understand the importance of keeping things simple and ensuring that the team follows best development practices
• You work well with others: You have a collaborative mindset and can work with both technical and non-technical team members and ensure everyone is aligned with the team’s goals
• Code quality: You are experienced in code reviews and are passionate about helping team members improve through constructive feedback
• Remote team leadership experience: As a remote-first company, we need a Team Lead with a strong track record of managing fully remote teams, fostering collaboration, and maintaining high engagement and productivity across different time zones
• Excited about web3: While you don’t need prior web3 experience, you’re eager to explore the space, especially with EVM chains, and learn more about DeFi and blockchain technologies

What we can offer you

• Flexible work environment: Join our hub in Lisbon or work remotely
• Token plan: Have a stake in our mission and shape the future of CoW DAO
• Periodic gatherings: Enjoy opportunities to connect with the rest of the team through regular trips
• Conference allocation: Stay up-to-date with ecosystem advancements using our conference budget
• Learning budget: Use our learning budget to support your higher ambitions
• Hardware budget: Take advantage of a hardware budget for acquiring necessary equipment
• Make an impact: You are joining a startup where you can make a huge difference. Your work matters!
• Flat hierarchies mean fewer processes and bureaucracy - see more of your ideas come to life!
• Flexible work and vacation times: Prioritize work-life balance through our robust flexible work policy and vacation allowance
• Growth: If you’re someone who loves taking the initiative and getting things done, CoW offers lots of opportunities for your individual growth

Referral Program

Earn 6.000 USDC or USD with the refer-to-earn program. More details here.

Culture

Life within the CoW Protocol is an incredible adventure! We take pride in our collaborative approach, embracing autonomy and fostering a culture of big thinking and continuous growth. We value impact, ownership, simplicity, and team spirit. Plus, we’re all about feedback, coming together, and enjoying the journey along the way!

At CoW Protocol, we strive to create a space where everyone feels included and empowered. We believe that our products and services benefit from our diverse backgrounds and experiences. All qualified applicants are considered for positions regardless of race, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, marital status, gender identification, sexual orientation, or physical ability.