Principal EVM Engineer - Smart Contracts Team

MLabs

1d • Remote

About The Position

We are a fast-growing software company dedicated to supporting and evolving a leading open-source, proof-of-stake distributed ledger platform. Our network is EVM-compatible and specifically engineered to meet the demands of enterprise and Web3 applications that require industry-leading speed, security, and sustainability.
We are looking for a Seasoned Java Engineer with deep blockchain protocol experience to join our Smart Contracts Team. In this role, you will be a key contributor to the evolution and optimization of our EVM implementation. You will work on a "plain Java" codebase (no heavy frameworks) where high performance, low latency, and high throughput are the baseline requirements.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Computer Science (or similar field) or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of software development experience, with at least 4+ years specifically in blockchain protocol development.
• Java Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in the Java language and VM. You should be comfortable working in a "plain vanilla" Java environment without the crutch of libraries or frameworks.
• EVM Expertise: Deep architectural knowledge of EVM-based blockchains and experience writing/debugging smart contracts.
• Leadership: Experience in a Tech Lead or Team Lead capacity, with a proven ability to mentor and guide engineers up to the Staff level.
• Computer Science Fundamentals: A rigorous grasp of concurrency, performance optimization, and high-performance architectural design patterns.
• Quality Focus: Strong adherence to test-driven development (TDD), CI/CD processes, and cryptographic security principles.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with Hyperledger Besu.
• Expertise with compilers, parsers, interpreters, or Garbage Collector (GC) tuning (Hotspot/GraalVM).
• Experience with Protobuf and compile-time dependency injection (e.g., Dagger).
• Familiarity with Web3 tooling (JavaScript/TypeScript) and data-flow analysis.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate daily on the design and implementation of core blockchain features.
• Innovate on transaction processing, execution algorithms, and EVM opcodes.
• Bridge the gap between the Ethereum roadmap and our native network innovations.
• Contribute to open-source clients focusing on VM state transitions and performance improvements.
• Implement community-requested improvement proposals (HIPs).
• Test and validate the EVM using both Ethereum community tools and native consensus node testing suites.
• Focus on Craft: Spend approximately 80% of your time designing, coding, and testing.

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation: High-growth salary structure.
• Equity & Tokens: Direct stake in the ecosystem’s success through equity and token grants.
• Performance Bonuses: Annual bonuses based on impact and delivery.
• Comprehensive Health: Full health insurance and 401k matching (for US-based employees).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior