Full-Time

Senior Engineer

Ledger Team

Posted on 11/20/2024

Alpaca

Alpaca

201-500 employees

API-first brokerage for stock trading

Fintech
Financial Services

Senior

Remote in USA

Category
Backend Engineering
FinTech Engineering
Software Engineering
Required Skills
gRPC
Postgres
Go
Google Cloud Platform
Requirements
  • 5+ years experience working on systems at scale
  • Strong coding skills, preferably in Go
  • Experience with IDLs (e.g., protobuf)
  • Experience with RPC frameworks (e.g., gRPC)
  • Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., GCP)
  • Experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL)
  • Obsessed with performant, defect-free, maintainable code
  • Strong problem solver with a proactive mindset
  • Collaborator capable of creating alignment with technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Ability to debug issues or foresee problems and avoid them entirely
Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with internal stakeholders–including finance, operations, and product teams–to deliver high-impact features/projects
  • Build backend systems/components with integrity, maintainability, scalability, and stability in mind
  • Own the delivery of high-visibility features/projects, from design to deployment
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to improve the health of Alpaca’s systems

Alpaca Securities LLC operates in the stock brokerage industry by providing an API-first brokerage service that allows other businesses to create their own trading applications. This service enables companies to integrate stock trading functionality into their platforms without needing to become brokers themselves, which saves them time and resources. Alpaca's API also supports Local Currency Trading, allowing international investors to trade US stocks in their local currency. Additionally, Alpaca offers crypto wallets and coin pair trading, expanding the financial services available to its clients. Unlike traditional brokers, Alpaca focuses on a business-to-business model, catering primarily to other companies that want to offer trading services to their customers. The goal of Alpaca is to simplify the trading process for businesses and their users while providing a secure and efficient platform for executing trades.

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$84.5M

Headquarters

San Mateo, California

Founded

2015

Growth & Insights
Headcount

6 month growth

7%

1 year growth

9%

2 year growth

10%
Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Alpaca's self-clearing capability opens up new business opportunities, including seamless asset transfers and securities lending.
  • The support for limit orders and extended hours trading for fractional shares enhances Alpaca's appeal to global investors, providing more trading flexibility.
  • Strategic partnerships and investments, such as the $15M from SBI Group, accelerate Alpaca's expansion into Asian markets, broadening its global footprint.

What critics are saying

  • The fintech and stock brokerage sectors are highly competitive, requiring Alpaca to continuously innovate to maintain its edge.
  • Transitioning to self-clearing involves complex business processes and compliance requirements, posing operational risks.

What makes Alpaca unique

  • Alpaca's API-first brokerage service allows businesses to integrate stock trading functionality without becoming brokers themselves, a unique offering in the fintech space.
  • The Local Currency Trading API simplifies trading for international investors by allowing them to trade US stocks in their local currency, a feature not commonly found among competitors.
  • Alpaca's transition to self-clearing at DTCC positions it as a mature player in the fintech industry, reducing intermediary layers and enhancing operational efficiency.

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Benefits

Competitive salary & stock options

Medical, dental, & vision

Home office setup stipend

Monthly Brex Card stipend