Staff Software Engineer - New Markets Japan (Japanese proficiency required)

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Who We Are:</strong></p> <p><strong>Alpaca is a US-headquartered, global leader in agent-first brokerage infrastructure&nbsp;</strong>for stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, fixed income, 24/5 trading, and more.<br><br>Amongst our subsidiaries, Alpaca is a licensed financial services company, serving hundreds of financial institutions across 40 countries with our institutional-grade APIs. This includes broker-dealers, investment advisors, wealth managers, hedge funds, and crypto exchanges, totalling over 10 million brokerage accounts.<br><br>Our global team is a diverse group of experienced engineers, traders, and brokerage professionals who are working to achieve our mission of opening financial services to everyone on the planet. We're deeply committed to open-source contributions and fostering a vibrant community, continuously enhancing our award-winning, developer-friendly API and the robust infrastructure behind it.<br><br><strong>Alpaca is proudly backed by $400 million in funding from top-tier global investors including Portage Ventures, Spark Capital, Tribe Capital, Social Leverage, Horizons Ventures, Opera Tech Ventures, SBI Group, Derayah Financial, Unbound, Peak XV, Elefund, and Y Combinator.</strong><br><br><strong>Our Team Members:</strong></p> <p>We're a dynamic team of 400+ globally distributed members who thrive working from our favorite places around the world, with teammates spanning the USA, Canada, Japan, Hungary, Nigeria, Brazil, the UK, and beyond!<br><br>We're searching for passionate individuals eager to contribute to Alpaca's rapid growth. If you align with our core values—Stay Curious, Have Empathy, and Be Accountable—and are ready to make a significant impact, we encourage you to apply.</p></div><h2 data-renderer-start-pos="1180"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT APPLY UNLESS YOU'RE BUSINESS LEVEL OR FLUENT IN JAPANESE</span></h2> <h2 id="Your-Role" data-renderer-start-pos="1180"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Your Role:</span></h2> <p data-renderer-start-pos="1191"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As a Staff Engineer, we want you to be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the systems and services that form Alpaca's foundation and empower millions of users who trade billions of dollars worth of assets. We will look to you to contribute to regional recruitment initiatives, help drive cross-functional team projects, mentor teammates with respect to our engineering principles and practices, and foster Alpaca culture in the Japan region. We expect you to participate in operational reliability engineering during regional business hours, helping to ensure proactive 24x7 stability of our platform.</span></p> <p data-renderer-start-pos="1817"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For this role, we are seeking an experienced backend engineer who is dedicated to delivering seamless and high-quality software solutions. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of designing and building scalable applications, is comfortable challenging conventions and advocating for innovative solutions, and can bridge engineering work with Japan-specific regulatory, vendor, and partner requirements. In this position, we would like you to have the autonomy to architect and implement solutions that meet our strategic objectives while also actively contributing to the goal-setting process alongside a collaborative, cross-functional team.</span></p> <h2 id="Things-You-Get-To-Do" data-renderer-start-pos="2470"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Things You Get To Do:</span></h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-indent-level="1"> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="2494"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Design highly scalable, mission-critical brokerage systems for the Japan market.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="2494"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Develop and enhance the middle- and back-office systems, including gRPC microservices, REST and gRPC APIs, and third-party vendor integrations specific to the Japan market (e.g.&nbsp;<span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JPX</span></span></span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JSCC</span></span></span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JASDEC</span></span></span>, banks, identity verification vendors).</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="2817"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Work closely with Alpaca's core teams to enhance and transform the core framework, enabling support for multiple languages, currencies, and markets, with a particular focus on Japan-specific requirements such as <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">NISA</span></span></span>, MyNumber, withholding tax, and JP-GAAP accounting.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3089"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Collaborate with tech leads in other regions both synchronously and asynchronously, primarily through Slack and meetings, to align with global teams.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3242"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coordinate in Japanese with local regulators, vendors, partners, and business stakeholders, and translate those requirements into technical specifications for the global engineering team.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3433"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Troubleshoot incidents and reported bugs to maintain system integrity and performance.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3523"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Participate in on-call rotations and assist with timely engineering projects and production issues during Japan business hours.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3654"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thrive in a global environment, effectively navigating regulatory requirements and building scalable solutions to support Alpaca's expansion in Japan.</span></p> </li> </ul> <h2 id="Who-You-Are-(Must-Haves)" data-renderer-start-pos="3808"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Who You Are (Must-Haves):</span></h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-indent-level="1"> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3836"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Native or <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JLPT</span></span></span> N1 level fluency in Japanese, with the ability to read, write, and communicate professionally with local regulators, vendors, and partners.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="3994"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Business-level English fluency, with the ability to collaborate effectively in English-only team meetings, design discussions, code reviews, and written documentation.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4165"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proven experience in designing and developing complex financial systems, preferably including double-entry accounting.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4287"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strong understanding of accounting principles, ledger structures, and transaction reconciliation.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4388"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience in building scalable, high-availability financial applications that handle multi-currency transactions.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4506"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Familiarity with regulatory compliance requirements in financial markets, with a preference for experience in Japan (<span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">FIEA</span></span></span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">FSA</span></span></span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JSDA</span></span></span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">JIPF</span></span></span>, or related frameworks).</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4673"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proficiency in at least one statically typed language (e.g. Go, Rust, Java, Kotlin, C#, Scala, or C++), with expertise in designing robust and efficient system architectures.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4851"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working with financial APIs, market data integrations, and trade settlement processes.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="4952"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with global teams, local regulators, vendors, and internal stakeholders, bridging Japanese and English contexts.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5123"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strong computer science fundamentals and proven software engineering architecture experience.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5220"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ability to work independently in a fully remote, globally distributed team, and under pressure in a fast-paced environment.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5347"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strategic thinking and the ability to translate technical concepts into business strategies.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5443"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience with domain-driven design and event-driven design.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5508"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Strong problem-solving skills paired with a proactive mindset.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5574"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ability to lead and troubleshoot incidents or bugs with authority during Japan business hours.</span></p> </li> </ul> <h2 id="Who-You-Might-Be-(Nice-To-Haves)" data-renderer-start-pos="5672"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Who You Might Be (Nice-To-Haves):</span></h2> <ul class="ak-ul" data-indent-level="1"> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5708"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proficiency in Go, or willingness to ramp up quickly — Go is Alpaca's primary backend language.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5807"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience in the Japanese financial services sector (securities firms, banks, brokerages, or fintech).</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="5914"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hands-on experience integrating with Japan market infrastructure such as <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text">JPX</span> (<span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">TSE</span></span></span>/<span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text"><span class="_kqswh2mm"><span class="_5pioz8co _189e1dm9 _1il9buyh _19lc184f _d0altlke" data-testid="definition-highlighter">OSE</span></span></span>), <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text">JSCC</span>, <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text">JASDEC</span>, or major Japanese banks.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6044"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience with Japan-specific products such as <span data-highlighted="true" data-vc="highlighted-text">NISA</span>, iDeCo, tokutei-koza, or MyNumber handling.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6144"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working in a startup or fast-growing technology company.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6215"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Knowledge of emerging technologies.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6254"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience or passion for financial markets.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6302"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience managing vendors and organizational budgeting.</span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"> <p data-renderer-start-pos="6363"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Experience working with global, English-speaking teams across multiple time zones.</span></p> </li> </ul><div class="content-conclusion"><h3><strong>How We Take Care of You:</strong></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Competitive Salary &amp; Stock Options</span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Health Benefits</li> <li style="font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New Hire Home-Office Setup: One-time USD $500</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monthly Stipend: USD $150 per month via a Brex Card</span></li> </ul> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alpaca is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce.<br></span></em></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><a href="https://files.alpaca.markets/disclosures/AlpacaRecruitmentPrivacyPolicy.pdf"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recruitment Privacy Policy</span></em></a></span></p></div>