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Open to considering remote candidates in the US and Canada.
Interested in helping us change the world of payments forever? The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is looking for a thought leader with a rare mix of strong product experience and technical blockchain expertise. Dozens of major businesses are building on Stellar, and you’ll play a key role identifying their needs from a product perspective, proposing improvements to the Stellar Protocol to meet those needs, and software architecting the ultimate solutions. This position combines high-level strategic thinking, strong communication with stakeholders, and going hands-on to code up proofs of concept.
In this role, you will:
- Work on the hard problems in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, such as blockchain interoperability, confidentiality and decentralized finance
- Work with businesses building on Stellar to understand their use cases, and devise solutions on the Stellar network
- Build proofs of concept that demonstrate how Stellar can be used by key businesses
- Identify common needs across businesses, and propose CAPs that help the Stellar Protocol meet those needs
- Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and business leaders to realize product visions
- Play a key role in the direction of the Stellar network: advising on scalability, trust models, deciding where to draw the on-chain / off-chain line, and evolving the protocol to meet the needs of next-generation finance
- Contribute to the development and implementation of sound crypto-economics
- Contribute to the positive development of existing and new technology partnerships
You have:
- Hands-on experience building novel cryptocurrency systems. These include, but are not limited to, decentralized finance (Uniswap, 0x, MakerDAO), confidentiality (grin, zcash, zkvm) and L2 solutions (payment channels, lightning)
- 5+ years of real-world software engineering experience
- 3+ years of product management experience
- Expertise in blockchain technology, cryptography, and distributed systems
- Compass, is collaborative, and deeply care for the people around you
- The experience to engineer elegant products that address the needs of users and businesses while minimizing complexity
- A knack bringing engineers, product designers, and business leaders together behind a shared vision
- Experience and love building open source software
- Focused focused on real-world results and are pragmatic
What is the meaning of Layer 2?
Layer 2 in the context of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology refers to a secondary framework or protocol that is built on top of an existing blockchain system (the main chain or Layer 1)
The primary purpose of Layer 2 solutions is to solve the scalability and speed issues that many blockchains face, especially those that have become popular and heavily used, like Ethereum
Here are the key aspects of Layer 2 solutions:
- Scalability Enhancement: They help in scaling the main blockchain by handling transactions off the main chain. This reduces the burden on the main chain, allowing for faster and cheaper transactions.
- Types of Layer 2 Solutions: There are various forms of Layer 2 solutions, including state channels, sidechains, plasma chains, and rollups. Each has its own mechanism for interacting with the main chain and handling transactions.
- State Channels: These involve two parties engaging in numerous transactions outside of the main chain, which are then consolidated into a single transaction. This is especially useful for situations where multiple transactions occur between the same parties.
- Sidechains: These are separate blockchains that are connected to the main chain via a two-way peg. They operate independently and can have their own consensus mechanisms but are secured by the main chain.
- Plasma Chains: Plasma chains are similar to sidechains but with a more hierarchical structure. They report back to the main chain regularly and are optimized for mass transaction handling.
- Rollups: Rollups process and store transaction data on a sidechain but post transaction data to the main chain. They come in two varieties: optimistic rollups and zk-rollups, each with its own method of transaction verification.
- Security Considerations: While Layer 2 solutions are generally secure, they can have different security models compared to the main chain. This is an important consideration for users and developers.
- Impact on User Experience: For end-users, Layer 2 solutions can greatly improve the experience by reducing transaction fees and increasing transaction speeds.
- Adoption and Development: Many blockchain projects are actively developing Layer 2 solutions to enhance their networks. This is an ongoing area of innovation in the blockchain space.