Protocol Engineer - Platform
About The Position
As a Senior Platform Engineer, you will own the infrastructure that runs institutional-grade blockchain operations, with a particular focus on Ethereum validator infrastructure, consensus and execution client operations, and the platform layer that ensures reliability, observability, and scalability. This role is deeply involved in the core work of blockchain, including validator clusters, client diversity, MEV infrastructure, slashing protection, and the operational complexities of running Ethereum at an institutional scale. You will also manage the broader platform stack, including Kubernetes (EKS, GitOps with FluxCD), AWS, Kafka, secrets and key management (KMS/HSM, MPC), Postgres, and the observability layer. Collaboration with clients to understand their systems, translate requirements into platform capabilities, and integrate solutions will be a key part of your responsibilities.
Requirements
- Substantial experience building and operating distributed systems in production, with a strong emphasis on reliability and security.
- Deep comfort with the modern infrastructure stack: Kubernetes, AWS (or equivalent), infrastructure-as-code, GitOps, observability tooling, CI/CD.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals in at least one systems-capable language (Go, Rust, Python, TypeScript).
- Experience operating systems that handle or move value (e.g., custody, payments, exchanges, key management, HSMs, MPC) or a proven track record in adjacent high-stakes domains.
- Comfort being customer-facing, including engaging with client engineers, understanding their constraints, and shipping into their environments.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- High agency and the ability to proactively identify and address work without waiting for direction.
- For staff candidates: a track record of setting technical direction across multiple teams or engagements and growing engineers.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with MEV infrastructure (mev-boost, relay operation, builder/proposer separation) and its impact on validator profitability and performance.
- Broader multi-chain infrastructure experience (Solana, Cosmos-SDK chains, L2s, or other PoS networks).
- Experience with distributed validator technology (DVT) like Obol, SSV, or similar.
- Experience with MPC, threshold signing, or secure enclaves (Nitro, SGX) in production.
- Familiarity with tokenization or DeFi protocol integration at the infrastructure level.
Responsibilities
- Own and operate Ethereum validator infrastructure at scale, including consensus clients (Lighthouse, Prysm, Teku, Nimbus) and execution clients (Geth, Nethermind, Besu, Reth), along with the tooling to maintain their health, diversity, and performance.
- Build and maintain the platform layer supporting validator operations, encompassing cluster lifecycle management, client upgrades, peer connectivity, fork tracking, and the observability stack.
- Manage slashing protection, key management, and signer infrastructure (Web3Signer, distributed validators, HSM/MPC-backed signing) with the rigor required for institutional staking.
- Harden shared platform infrastructure, including EKS environments, GitOps pipelines, secrets management, networking, CI/CD, and the data plane.
- Partner closely with clients on integration work across staking, tokenization, DeFi, and validator engagements, translating their constraints into platform requirements and delivering code to bridge any gaps.
- Generalize patterns from client work into reusable platform capabilities to streamline future engagements.
- Operate production systems where the failure mode involves institutional money and reputation, including on-call duties, incident response, and post-mortems.
- Contribute to architecture decisions across various modules such as staking, MPC quorum coordination, policy engine, and vaults.
Benefits
- Competitive base salary and discretionary bonus
- Hybrid/Flexible Working Arrangements
- Flexible Time Off (paid)
- 3% 401(k) company contribution
- Company-paid health and protective benefits for employees, partners, and other dependents
- Generous paid Parental Leave
- Competitive family planning benefits for US employees
- Opportunities to learn about the Crypto industry
- Smart, entrepreneurial, and fun colleagues
- Free daily snacks and weekly breakfasts/lunches
- Employee Resource Groups
- Free coaching and counseling sessions through Headspace
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
