johnwhitton
Principal Engineer | Distributed Systems, Trading Systems | Rust, Platform Engineering, Engineering Leadership
I build distributed systems and financial infrastructure across trading platforms, payments, blockchain protocols, and enterprise software.
Throughout my career, I have deliberately sought technically demanding problems and invested heavily in mastering new domains—from enterprise software and large-scale integration platforms, to blockchain infrastructure, protocol engineering, and most recently, modern Rust-based trading systems.
Over the past eighteen months, I have made a deliberate investment in deepening my expertise in trading infrastructure. Building on my background in blockchain infrastructure and smart contracts, I focused on DeFi execution, intent-based architectures, arbitrage, market structure, and Rust systems programming. During this time, I consulted on a DeFi protocol that implemented leverage-token infrastructure, auction-based rebalancing, and lending integrations; contributed to public protocol development; and built Salus, a modular Rust trading platform for market data ingestion, graph construction, simulation, route evaluation, execution, replay, and strategy evaluation. Alongside the implementation work, I produced architecture case studies documenting distributed systems, execution infrastructure, stablecoin platforms, and protocol engineering.
Previously, I worked as a Senior Protocol Engineer and Engineering Manager at Eco, building stablecoin infrastructure, cross-chain settlement, and programmable payment systems. Before that, I helped scale Harmony through its mainnet launch, validator ecosystem, SDKs, and developer platform, and earlier led enterprise architecture and engineering initiatives spanning SAP, Salesforce, payments, logistics, manufacturing, and cloud platforms.
I enjoy working on technically demanding systems where architecture, performance, and correctness matter.
Rather than following the traditional path into trading infrastructure, I chose to build the systems myself.
Today, that curiosity is focused on trading infrastructure, distributed systems, financial platforms, protocol engineering, and developer tooling. Alongside my engineering work, I'm building a public technical portfolio documenting the architecture, implementation, and design decisions behind the systems I've built, making it easy for engineers, founders, and hiring managers to understand not only what I've built, but how I think.
Portfolio: https://portfolio.johnwhitton.com
Throughout my career, I have deliberately sought technically demanding problems and invested heavily in mastering new domains—from enterprise software and large-scale integration platforms, to blockchain infrastructure, protocol engineering, and most recently, modern Rust-based trading systems.
Over the past eighteen months, I have made a deliberate investment in deepening my expertise in trading infrastructure. Building on my background in blockchain infrastructure and smart contracts, I focused on DeFi execution, intent-based architectures, arbitrage, market structure, and Rust systems programming. During this time, I consulted on a DeFi protocol that implemented leverage-token infrastructure, auction-based rebalancing, and lending integrations; contributed to public protocol development; and built Salus, a modular Rust trading platform for market data ingestion, graph construction, simulation, route evaluation, execution, replay, and strategy evaluation. Alongside the implementation work, I produced architecture case studies documenting distributed systems, execution infrastructure, stablecoin platforms, and protocol engineering.
Previously, I worked as a Senior Protocol Engineer and Engineering Manager at Eco, building stablecoin infrastructure, cross-chain settlement, and programmable payment systems. Before that, I helped scale Harmony through its mainnet launch, validator ecosystem, SDKs, and developer platform, and earlier led enterprise architecture and engineering initiatives spanning SAP, Salesforce, payments, logistics, manufacturing, and cloud platforms.
I enjoy working on technically demanding systems where architecture, performance, and correctness matter.
Rather than following the traditional path into trading infrastructure, I chose to build the systems myself.
Today, that curiosity is focused on trading infrastructure, distributed systems, financial platforms, protocol engineering, and developer tooling. Alongside my engineering work, I'm building a public technical portfolio documenting the architecture, implementation, and design decisions behind the systems I've built, making it easy for engineers, founders, and hiring managers to understand not only what I've built, but how I think.
Portfolio: https://portfolio.johnwhitton.com
Experience: 11 years
Yearly salary: $0
Hourly rate: $0
Nationality: 🇦🇺 Australia
Residency: 🇺🇸 United States
Experience
Founder / Principal Engineer
Independent 2025 - 2026
Building distributed systems, trading infrastructure, financial infrastructure, and protocol engineering with modern Rust and AI-native software engineering. Recent work includes designing and building production-quality systems spanning market-data ingestion, graph construction, simulation, route evaluation, execution, replay, analytics, and protocol infrastructure while applying AI-native software engineering practices across architecture, implementation, documentation, and code review. Key initiatives include: • Salus — Modular Rust trading platform supporting market-data ingestion, graph construction, simulation, execution, replay, strategy evaluation, historical analysis, and multi-chain execution across Ethereum, Base, and Unichain. • Solver — Rust-based execution infrastructure evaluating more than 1,100 routes per second using Tycho, Substreams, Alloy, live liquidity ingestion, route evaluation, simulation, pricing, execution, and settlement. • EAVE — Rust-based Polkadot parachain and distributed application platform including validator infrastructure, protocol architecture, governance, tokenomics, developer tooling, and ecosystem design. Additional work includes protocol engineering, stablecoin infrastructure, lending systems, leverage tokens, intent-based execution, ERC-6909 resource management, cross-chain settlement, and distributed systems consulting. Selected outcomes: • Applied AI-native software engineering across a ~99K-line Rust codebase comprising 13 crates and 16 architecture and process documents • 3,400+ assets indexed • 4,500+ liquidity pools • 2.4M+ generated routes • Peak throughput exceeding 34,884 route evaluations per second • Approximately $300,000 in investor commitments for EAVE Also provide consulting and architecture services supporting distributed systems, financial infrastructure, blockchain networks, and protocol development.
Engineering Manager / Senior Protocol Engineer
ECO 2023 - 2025
Built stablecoin infrastructure, programmable money systems, and cross-chain execution services for a blockchain-based financial platform. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Led cross-functional team of 8–10 engineers, product, and research staff across backend, DevOps, protocol, and platform engineering initiatives • Owned hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, career development, and delivery execution across engineering teams • Designed and delivered cross-chain routing, execution, and settlement infrastructure across Ethereum and Layer-2 ecosystems • Built and operated wallet, routing, proving, and payment services supporting bend.eco and the broader Eco stablecoin ecosystem • Developed intent-based execution systems and protocol infrastructure supporting programmable money and distributed financial applications • Operated production AWS infrastructure using Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, MongoDB Atlas, PagerDuty, and Datadog • Delivered major protocol initiatives including Currency 1.5 and ecosystem infrastructure upgrades
Ecosystem Architect
Harmony 2019 - 2020
Led developer platform, ecosystem engineering, and distributed infrastructure initiatives for Harmony Layer 1 blockchain. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Scaled engineering organization from 6 to 20 engineers through recruiting, onboarding, mentorship, and developer advocacy • Led delivery of mainnet launch, token swap, staking infrastructure, APIs, SDKs, developer tooling, and ecosystem integrations • Coordinated 50+ production network upgrades across distributed blockchain infrastructure supporting 300+ nodes and 600+ validators • Built developer platforms, APIs, SDKs, monitoring systems, and operational tooling supporting network growth and adoption • Managed partner integrations, developer onboarding, validator enablement, and ecosystem growth initiatives • Implemented monitoring, DevOps processes, and operational practices supporting highly available distributed systems
CTO
Loyyal 2016 - 2018
Led engineering, architecture, and delivery for a blockchain-based payment and loyalty platform serving enterprise customers and strategic partners. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Led distributed engineering teams across the United States and Africa delivering enterprise blockchain and payment infrastructure • Owned hiring, onboarding, performance management, engineering processes, and technical delivery • Built enterprise transaction-processing, payment, and loyalty systems using Ethereum and Hyperledger technologies • Designed and operated private blockchain networks, permissioned APIs, and enterprise integrations on IBM Cloud infrastructure • Delivered Dubai Points, a blockchain-based loyalty and tourism platform supporting large-scale partner participation • Managed strategic partnerships and technical delivery across IBM, Deloitte, Emirates Airlines, and CIBC • Established engineering processes, delivery practices, and agile methodologies across distributed teams • Designed platform architecture supporting loyalty, rewards, payments, and partner integrations • Led early blockchain adoption initiatives using Ethereum and smart contract technologies • Worked with product, business, and engineering stakeholders to define platform strategy and execution roadmap • Helped scale the organization and engineering capabilities leading into the CTO role
Manager Enterprise Systems Architecture
EFI 2009 - 2015
Led enterprise architecture, planning, and delivery initiatives across EFI's global technology organization. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Managed annual planning, prioritization, resource allocation, and delivery across 100+ initiatives with annual budgets exceeding $3M and coordination across 50+ staff • Designed and delivered EFI Business Integration Services (EBIS), a service-oriented architecture integrating SAP, Salesforce, licensing, ecommerce, logistics, manufacturing, and external partner systems • Led architecture and delivery of strategic initiatives including licensing, ecommerce, employee systems, enterprise integration, and platform modernization • Coordinated engineering teams, product owners, architects, and business stakeholders to align technology delivery with organizational objectives • Mentored product owners, scrum masters, engineering leads, and developers while driving Agile adoption and engineering best practices
Founder
Global Enterprise Solutions 2000 - 2009
Founded and scaled a specialist SAP and enterprise integration consultancy serving clients across Australia and the United States. Key responsibilities and achievements: • Grew the business to approximately $800,000 annual revenue while recruiting and managing engineering consultants and operations staff • Led enterprise architecture, SAP implementations, systems integration, and consulting engagements across finance, logistics, manufacturing, and government sectors • Managed client delivery, budgeting, partner relationships, vendor coordination, consultant placement, and business operations • Delivered large-scale SAP and enterprise software implementations spanning revenue management, financial systems, logistics, and operational platforms
Skills
agile
architecture
aws
ci-cd
co-founder
consulting
decentralize
docker
founding-engineer
golang
javascript
kubernetes
nosql
protocol-engineer
research
rust
solidity
sql
typescript
english