CoW DAO
Web3 company listing jobs in blockchain/crypto space
Open Positions at CoW DAO
14 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. ## 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 are looking for an enthusiastic, self-motivated, **Senior Backend Engineer** to help us build the next generation of decentralised trading protocols. As a dedicated backend engineer, you will gain ownership of our existing backend services and influence the creation, design, and execution of future features and products. You will work on technically challenging aspects of our off-chain services and our developer-facing APIs and help ensure the delivery of reliable and performant features to improve CoW Protocol. **Our Tech Stack** - **Backend Code:** Rust, Tokio, Cargo, Git (https://github.com/cowprotocol/services) - **Infrastructure:** Pulumi, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Grafana, Prometheus, Elasticsearch - **Other codebases:** Typescript, Python, Solidity ## What You Will Do - Architect and design our off-chain services (core auction protocol as well as the orderbook) to support feature growth and the rapidly changing requirements that come from being an application on a constantly evolving blockchain. - While your focus will be writing concurrent backend systems in Rust, you will also interact with our Smart Contracts written in Solidity and develop your understanding of auction mechanisms and DeFi protocols. - Participate in our on-call rotation to help ensure the reliability of our production systems (**on-call work is additionally compensated**). - Work closely with researchers and the product team to ship features and come up with new solutions for challenging technical problems. - Deliver high-quality code for features from concept until production (including state-of-the-art monitoring of our production systems). - Give thoughtful and in-depth code reviews of your colleagues’ contributions to our open-source codebase. ## Who You Are - You have 5+ years of production experience with **systems-level programming languages**, with at least 1+ year of hands-on production experience using **Rust**. - You have **practical experience working in web3** (ideally in DeFi and the Ethereum ecosystem). - You have excellent computer science, programming, and algorithmic skills. - Experience with operating, maintaining, and architecting complex software systems. - You care deeply about the quality, readability, observability, and testability of your code. - You proactively give technical direction to improve performance, prevent issues, optimise data usage, and refactor the codebase. - You are a team player, strong communicator, and gladly share your expertise with others. - You collaborate effectively with a remote-first team on a large, open-source codebase. - Ideally, someone senior who can mentor colleagues and provide direction. - You are excited to explore and gain experience with Ethereum. ## 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 DAO 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 DAO, 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.** When applying, mention the word **CANDYSHOP** to show you read the job post completely.
CoW DAO
33 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. Learn more. ## About the Role We are looking for a versatile **Lead Visual & Brand Designer** to take our brands to the next level and help shape design as a practice at CoW DAO. This is a **hands-on lead role** — a true *player-coach* moment. You’ll spend most of your time creating sharp, high-quality brand and marketing designs, while also guiding 1–2 designers and setting the standards that keep our visuals bold, consistent, and unmistakably CoW. 🐮✨ ## What You’ll Do * Lead the creative vision and visual evolution of CoW DAO’s brands across all platforms * Design high-quality visual assets for marketing, with a focus on digital content but not exclusively. This includes, but is not limited to, launch videos, social media assets, banner ads, swag, and physical collateral. * Mentor 1–2 designers, providing guidance, feedback, and support * Ensure a cohesive design language by bridging the gap between marketing visuals and product interfaces * Support product design either by acting as a sounding board or by stepping in to “pinch hit” from time to time * Foster a culture of continuous professional growth and collaboration between designers with a variety of skillsets * Shepherd the organizational structure for design at CoW DAO by identifying gaps and opportunities for impact, managing resources against a roadmap, and setting up processes that improve our ways of working ## Who You Are * 5+ years of experience as a Senior Visual Designer * Passionate about design and committed to excellence, with a growth mindset and eagerness to share knowledge * Previous experience **leading a small team or mentoring designers** * Expert with Figma, Adobe Suite, design systems, and remote design workflows * Knowledge of UI/UX and motion design * Versatile and hands-on; happy to take on new challenges and roll up your sleeves wherever needed * Experience working in tech companies; clear understanding of remote cross-team workflows, with good knowledge of how to design for digital products and digital media * Collaborative, easy to work with, and strong at prioritization - able to make thoughtful trade-offs when needed * Data-conscious and confident using numbers to inform design decisions ***Nice-to-haves*** * Familiarity with Web3 and designing for Web3 projects * Experience with motion design tools like After Effects, Rive, and Lottie * Strong understanding of color theory and visual styling ## What We Can Offer * **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 4000 USDC or USD with the refer-to-earn program. More details [here](https://example.com). ## Culture Life within the CoW DAO 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 DAO, 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.** *When applying, mention the word **CANDYSHOP** to show you read the job post completely.*
CoW DAO
34 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. ## About the role We’re looking for an **Integration Engineer** to help make integrating with **CoW Protocol** seamless. CoW Swap is redefining how the world trades, and we need a technical powerhouse to help us scale that vision. As our Integration Engineer, you aren't just "onboarding partners"—you are the architect of their success. You’ll sit at the high-stakes intersection of Business Development and Core Engineering. If you love solving complex technical puzzles and want to be the reason the next big DeFi player successfully goes live on CoW Swap, this is your seat. You’ll be the face of our tech for partners, the voice of the partner for our dev team, and the person who ensures every new integration is a win. **Your goal?** To make our integration experience seamless and high-quality, setting the industry benchmark. ## What you’ll do - Serve as the first technical point of contact for partners integrating with CoW Protocol - As a member of the Business Development team, own the technical side of partner integrations from initial discussions through successful launch - Diagnose technical issues, troubleshoot creatively, and route blockers to the right internal teams when needed - Identify opportunities to deepen integrations and improve the partner experience - Improve SDKs, APIs, and developer documentation to make onboarding faster and easier - Act as an active feedback loop between partner teams and CoW Protocol’s product team, helping shape the roadmap - In partnership with BD teammates, monitor SLIs and proactively surface performance or integration issues to internal teams and partners - Join technical sales calls to assess feasibility and provide guidance - Maintain best-in-class documentation for CoW Protocol, keeping it up to date and incorporating insights gained from supporting integration partners - Support CoW Grants Program by helping structure technical bounties and evaluating submissions ## Who you are - Hands-on technical generalist with experience coding in **JavaScript / TypeScript and strong knowledge of Ethereum / EVM** - Strong communicator and persuasive collaborator who can clearly explain technical concepts and influence both engineers and non-technical stakeholders - Comfortable working across teams and acting as the bridge between partners, Business Development, and engineering - Creative and impact-oriented problem solver who actively identifies opportunities to grow partnerships while working closely with them on technical integrations - Able to navigate blockers by finding practical and elegant solutions that keep integrations moving forward - Proactive and autonomous, with a strong sense of ownership from problem discovery to resolution - Skilled at diagnosing technical issues, communicating solutions clearly, and driving them to completion - Attentive to documentation and process improvement ### *Nice-to-haves* - Experience with Solidity, Rust or Python - Knowledge of DeFi, Web3 infrastructure, or Ethereum tooling - Background in developer support, solutions engineering, or integrations engineering ## What we can offer - 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 DAO offers lots of opportunities for your individual growth **Referral Program** Earn 3000 USDC or USD with the refer-to-earn program. More details here. ## Culture Life within the CoW DAO 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 DAO, 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.** When applying, mention the word **CANDYSHOP** to show you read the job post completely.
CoW DAO
86 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. Learn more. ## About the Role We are looking for a versatile **Senior Visual Designer** to take our brands to the next level and help shape design as a practice at CoW DAO. This is a **hands-on lead role** — a true *player-coach* moment. You’ll spend most of your time creating sharp, high-quality brand and marketing designs, while also guiding 1–2 designers and setting the standards that keep our visuals bold, consistent, and unmistakably CoW. 🐮✨ ## What You’ll Do - Lead the creative vision and visual evolution of CoW DAO’s brands across all platforms - Design high-quality visual assets for marketing, with a focus on digital content but not exclusively. This includes, but is not limited to, launch videos, social media assets, banner ads, swag, and physical collateral. - Mentor 1–2 designers, providing guidance, feedback, and support - Ensure a cohesive design language by bridging the gap between marketing visuals and product interfaces - Support product design either by acting as a sounding board or by stepping in to “pinch hit” from time to time - Foster a culture of continuous professional growth and collaboration between designers with a variety of skillsets - Shepherd the organizational structure for design at CoW DAO by identifying gaps and opportunities for impact, managing resources against a roadmap, and setting up processes that improve our ways of working ## Who You Are - 5+ years of experience as a Senior Visual Designer - Passionate about design and committed to excellence, with a growth mindset and eagerness to share knowledge - Previous experience **leading a small team or mentoring designers** - Expert with Figma, Adobe Suite, design systems, and remote design workflows - Knowledge of UI/UX and motion design - Versatile and hands-on; happy to take on new challenges and roll up your sleeves wherever needed - Experience working in tech companies; clear understanding of remote cross-team workflows, with good knowledge of how to design for digital products and digital media - Collaborative, easy to work with, and strong at prioritization - able to make thoughtful trade-offs when needed - Data-conscious and confident using numbers to inform design decisions ***Nice-to-haves*** - Familiarity with Web3 and designing for Web3 projects - Experience with motion design tools like After Effects, Rive, and Lottie - Strong understanding of color theory and visual styling ## What We Can Offer - 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 4000 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.** When applying, mention the word **CANDYSHOP** to show you read the job post completely.
CoW DAO
93 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. Learn more. ## About the Role We are hiring a **Smart Contract Engineer** to help shape the next iterations of CoW Protocol and extend its real-world use cases. **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 United States, Australia, or New Zealand. **Position:** **Full-time contractor** ## What You Will Do You will join a small group of highly experienced smart contract engineers and work closely with them to architect, build, and iterate on the protocol, not just maintain it. If you enjoy digging deep into problems, are not afraid to throw away code, and like collaborating in public with a strong GitHub history, this role is for you. - Build new protocol features by designing and implementing smart contracts and ensuring they integrate cleanly with our off-chain infrastructure. - Work on sophisticated DeFi integrations such as flash loan-based flows with top protocols, as well as collaborations with leading wallets and lending markets. - Help reshape the next iteration of CoW Protocol, focusing on decentralization, verifiable execution, and pragmatic on-chain order settlement. - Support the health of the protocol by investigating suspicious transactions, detecting on-chain misbehavior, and contributing to CoW DAO governance discussions and proposals. - Review and advise on integrations from external teams, including grant proposals and support for grantees building on top of CoW Protocol. - Collaborate in a remote-first environment through code reviews, async discussions, and a public GitHub-driven development process with strong testing and CI. ## Tech You’ll Work With - Smart contracts: Solidity, Foundry (and occasionally Hardhat). - Backend and services: Rust and Kubernetes, where contracts connect to off-chain components. - Monitoring and debugging: Tenderly, Grafana, and Elasticsearch for tracing and alerting. - Data and analysis: Python, Dune Analytics. - Governance tools: Safe multisig, Snapshot. - Supported chains: Ethereum, Gnosis Chain, Arbitrum, Base, and potentially others as the roadmap expands. ## Who You Are - You have solid Solidity experience and a track record on EVM-compatible chains, ideally visible through meaningful GitHub activity and collaboration with others. - You are strong in Rust or Python; Rust is preferred, but deep Python skills plus a real willingness to learn Rust also work. - You are a problem solver who likes to dig into issues, reason about trade-offs, and architect “masterpiece” level solutions rather than quick hacks. - You are comfortable working in a highly async, remote setup, with thoughtful written communication and detailed code reviews. - You take ownership, follow through, and are curious about extending and reiterating on the protocol rather than just implementing tickets. ## Nice to Have - Familiarity with the DeFi ecosystem and major protocols. - Experience contributing to or maintaining open source projects. ## What We Can Offer - 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 5,000 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.** When applying, mention the word **CANDYSHOP** to show you read the job post completely.
CoW DAO
98 days ago
## About CoW DAO **CoW DAO** is on a mission to protect Ethereum users from MEV and optimize trade execution across DeFi. We achieve this through the CoW Protocol, CoW Swap (a leading intent-based DEX aggregator), and the innovative MEV Blocker, which together help secure, aggregate, and route trades for optimal outcomes. We also fund values-aligned projects via the CoW Grants Program. CoW Protocol is consistently ranked among the top DEX aggregators by monthly volume and is the largest intent-based exchange. Our MEV Blocker protects trades from harmful MEV extraction and is integrated across the Ethereum ecosystem. The CoW AMM is the only live AMM designed to protect liquidity providers from LVR (loss-versus-rebalancing). With over **100 open-source repositories** on GitHub, we're transparent, community-driven, and deeply committed to the open-source ethos. Our real-time Dune Analytics dashboard showcases billions in cumulative trading volume and a rapidly growing user base. As we continue to scale, CoW DAO remains at the forefront of DeFi innovation, prioritizing security, efficiency, and decentralization. ## 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 United States, Australia, or New Zealand. **Position:** **Full-time contractor** We are looking for a **Lead Researcher** to shape the future of decentralization, order flow, solver competition, and auction mechanisms at CoW DAO. This role is ideal for someone with a strong applied research background (**not purely academic**) and who has led research teams or major projects in the blockchain space. You’ll tackle complex challenges, see your work directly influence a live protocol, and stay on top of emerging **DeFi trends** to help our products remain innovative and competitive. ## What you’ll be doing - Drive research efforts around decentralization of the CoW Protocol, solver competition, and mechanism evolution. - Lead and manage the research team, providing mentorship, guidance, and oversight for ongoing projects. - Maintain a **hands-on mindset**, directly engaging with protocol challenges, experimentation, and modeling. - Collaborate with product and engineering to align research with strategic goals and roadmap priorities. - Stay informed on emerging DeFi and blockchain trends to keep CoW Protocol ahead of the curve. - Communicate insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, helping the team make data-driven decisions. ## What we’re looking for - Deep applied research experience in blockchain, DeFi, crypto-economics, or related fields. - Proven **leadership and management skills.** Experience mentoring, managing, or leading research teams or projects. - Strong **product ownership and project management** abilities, comfortable contributing to strategy, roadmap planning, and cross-team collaboration. - Pragmatic approach - you don’t just theorize; you drive research that results in shipped products or live systems. - Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data, research tools, or on-chain experimentation. - Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with a diverse, international, remote team. - Web3-native mindset, keeping up with the latest on-chain trends, advancements, and research. ## What we can offer - 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](https://cow.fi/). ## 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. *When applying, mention the word CANDYSHOP to show you read the job post completely.*