XMTP Labs, Inc. is hiring a

Web3 Principal Protocol Engineer

About

XMTP, Inc. was co-founded by Matt Galligan and Shane Mac, and is headquartered on the web. Our mission at XMTP Labs is to build a secure, open, and decentralized communication protocol that connects creators, communities, apps, and users. We set out to design a modern organization from the start—one that’s global, remote, and asynchronous-by-default.

We’re backed by some of the best investors in tech and crypto: a16z Crypto Fund, Offline Ventures, Sound Ventures, Distributed Global, Redpoint, IDEO CoLab and many more key ecosystem investors and operators. See the full list here.

Experience

• 8+ years of experience building distributed software systems, with substantial exposure to cryptographic protocols and blockchain technologies.
• Proven experience in leading protocol teams, especially in guiding mechanism design and implementation.
• Demonstrable experience in designing, building, and operating crypto-based decentralized systems.
• Extensive experience in evaluating and making crucial decisions on trade-offs in peer-to-peer system design.
• Proven experience in setting the strategic direction for system design and security protocols, with hands-on experience building with and on various protocols, underlining a thorough understanding of protocol design principles.
• Specialization in at least one or two of the following areas: smart contract development, protocol mechanism design, consensus algorithm design. A well-rounded, "T-shaped" expertise profile is preferred.
• Proficiency in building with Golang and Solidity, and experience with networking protocols, specifically with peer-to-peer network implementation like libp2p.
• A proven aptitude for adversarial systems design, including identifying and mitigating potential security risks.
• Nice to have
  • Experience with off-chain scaling solutions such as state channels or layer-2 solutions.
  • Previous involvement with privacy-preserving technologies like zk-SNARKs or zk-STARKs.
  • Contributions to open-source projects, particularly in the domains of blockchain, cryptocurrency, or decentralized systems.
  • Familiarity with DevOps, operations, and container orchestration technologies like Kubernetes and Docker.

Responsibilities

• Leadership in design, development, and implementation of protocols for decentralized systems within the blockchain and cryptocurrency domain.
• Leading and facilitating protocol design sessions, mentoring junior team members, contributing with technical expertise and innovative solutions.
• Evaluating and making strategic decisions on trade-offs in system design, considering factors such as security, scalability, efficiency, and cost, and guiding the team on implementing these decisions.
• Write and maintain robust, efficient, and secure code using languages such as Golang and Solidity.
• Setting coding standards and best practices for the team, ensuring code quality and security.
• Overseeing the implementation of networking protocols, making strategic decisions.
• Utilize technologies like libp2p for the implementation of peer-to-peer networking protocols.
• Leading adversarial thinking and mitigation strategy in system design. Addressing potential security risks, identifying vulnerabilities and deploying appropriate mitigations.
• Keeping the team updated with the latest developments in cryptoeconomics and networking protocols, providing guidance on how they could affect the system.
• Building, collaborating, and maintaining relationships with other teams and stakeholders, ensuring seamless integration and alignment of technologies and systems.
• Troubleshooting high-level system issues, guiding the team on performance tuning tasks, and directly handle debugging, and performance tuning tasks to ensure system stability and high performance.
• Mentor and guide other engineers, fostering an inclusive and innovative team culture.

Benefits

• Generous and competitive compensation package
• Salary range between $160-250k (depending on experience + location)
• Remote-first environment with semi-yearly gatherings to connect IRL
• Full paid Medical, Dental, Vision insurance
• Parental Leave
• IT Equipment and WFH setup
• Monthly Wellness and Life>
• Personal assistant
• Flexible vacation (with minimum requirements to ensure rest and time-off to pursue your passions outside of work)
• And much more!

Culture

We think of ourselves as a “grown-up” startup—building a company that’s fair, equitable, and rewarding for everyone to work at, with an emphasis on having fun while building an ambitious project.

Joining XMTP Labs today represents not just an opportunity to play a key role in building an essential part of the next web, but also in establishing the core DNA of the company.

Here's an inside look at XMTP and some of the frequently asked questions about our culture, answered by one of our co-founders and core team members.

XMTP, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building an inclusive team with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. We value diversity at our company and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Please notify your recruiter of any disabilities or time preferences based off your current location and time zone.

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