Bitnomial is building the next generation US-based global derivatives exchange, starting with digital assets and progressively expanding to encompass a full spectrum of commodities worldwide. Bitnomial operates a US CFTC regulated exchange (DCM), clearinghouse (DCO), and brokerage (FCM). Bitnomial offers the Bitcoin Complex comprising physically delivered Bitcoin Futures, Options, Deci Futures, and Hashrate Futures used by brokers, hedge funds, institutions, and trading firms around the world.
Role OverviewBitnomial is hiring an engineer to design and own core services across the exchange and clearing stack: matching engines, order lifecycle, margin and risk systems, position netting and settlement, market data, and collateral flows. The codebase is Haskell. The environment is low-latency, high-correctness, and directly connected to regulated capital markets. The work is systems design under regulatory, latency, and failure constraints.
This role is designed for two types of candidates: engineers from the trading or prop firm world (typically Java or C++) who want to work in Haskell, and Haskell engineers who want to apply their skills to exchange and clearing infrastructure. Strength in either background is sufficient. Strength in both is exceptional.
Core RequirementsEngineering FundamentalsStrong software engineering skills in a compiled, statically typed language (Haskell, Java, C++, Scala, OCaml, Rust)
Comfort with concurrent and multithreaded systems
Experience designing systems where correctness and latency both matter
Ability to reason about failure modes, edge cases, and state management
Clear written communication: design documents, technical tradeoffs, and architectural decisions
Trading systems path: Experience building or operating order execution, risk, margin, settlement, or market data systems, in any language. Understanding of exchange or clearing workflows, position management, or collateral systems.
Haskell path: Production Haskell experience or deep familiarity with typed functional programming (strong type systems, effect management, property-based testing). Willingness to learn trading and clearing domain concepts.
Linux systems proficiency: debugging, profiling, deployment
Comfort with networked systems: TCP, binary protocols, serialization formats
Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL preferred)
Familiarity with market protocols (FIX, binary protocols) or message systems (Kafka) is a plus
Candidates should be able to:
Own services end-to-end from design through production, including observability and operational runbooks
Debug across application, network, and system layers without waiting for someone else to narrow the problem
Make sound technical decisions independently in ambiguous situations
Operate with the rigor expected when systems handle real capital in regulated markets
Experience with matching engine or OMS internals, real-time risk and margin systems, high-throughput persistence and serialization, or reconciliation and surveillance pipelines is valuable but not required.
If a candidate lacks the fundamental technical baseline described above, the role is not a fit.
Compensation Range: $150K - $210K
Bitnomial Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
We love being in River North, just steps from world-class food, architecture, and the energy of Chicago’s tech and trading scene. It’s the perfect place to build the future of finance.
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

