Protocol Engineer

Company Description

ChainSafe Systems is a blockchain R&D firm on a mission to realize the potential of Web3 infrastructure through sustainable, open-source development. Our vision is to create a world with organizations that empower people to build and innovate through blockchain agnostic tools and other distributed technologies.

We are global leaders in the industry, unique in our work across multiple blockchain ecosystems, and currently are pioneering technology and infrastructure related to Ethereum, Cosmos, Polkadot and Filecoin. We are actively pursuing the development of our own product suite, having recently released Files, which allows users to upload and store files on IPFS and Filecoin with the goal of furthering development to provide a decentralized alternative to cloud storage.

ChainSafe is a unique company in a unique space, growing quickly and building a global reputation in this nascent space. Beyond offering experience across every major blockchain space to our team, we provide an open, inclusive, and supportive environment where we help folks reach their full potential as a human and as a professional.

Here’s what you might want to know before reading on:

• Our stack is progressive and open-source and includes Go, Rust, and TypeScript.
• We spearhead ecosystem projects like Lodestar, Web3.js, Forest, >Mina-rs, and Gossamer.
• We are global, remote-friendly, and open to contractors (who can commit to a minimum of 35 hours a week). For those local to Toronto, our casual, open-concept office in Chinatown has meeting rooms, lounge areas, and space to pull up a chair.

Culture fit and alignment to our core values are extremely important to us. We are fueled by an immense intellectual curiosity of what technology can do and the impact it can have. You will thrive here if you are intensely driven by tackling technical challenges that no one else has solved yet and are inspired by the possibility of building the next generation of web infrastructure and decentralized systems.

Job Description

We are seeking for dedicated Protocol Engineers to join one of our protocol implementation teams.A protocol engineer at ChainSafe will join one of the following teams:

• Lodestar (eth2 implementation in TypeScript)
• Gossamer (Polkadot host implementation in Go)
• Forest (Filecoin implementation in Rust)
• Mina-rs (Mina implementation in Rust)
• or, a potential new team

As a protocol engineer, you will join one of the above teams (currently sized between 4-6 people) and develop and maintain the implementation of the blockchain protocol, often referred to as a node or a blockchain client. You will be tasked with implementing new features, occasionally from a technical specification or a reference implementation; maintaining existing features; and ensuring the implementation stays compatible with the current specification of the protocol, and updating the code when upgrades are made to the network. Every implementation is open-source. The position is full-time and remote-friendly.

As a protocol engineer, you have a desire to implement and deploy novel protocols that have never been implemented before in that language, you have a passion for open-source software and understanding that you will be maintaining code that will be widely used on a decentralized network, you are able to clearly communicate and document your thoughts, and you have a desire to contribute to the space.

Responsibilities

• Read and understand a protocol specification and be able to break it into issues and turn it into code
• Design and implement new features for the client
• Refactor and improve existing features in the client
• Ensure the client says compatible with the other client implementations
• Collaborate with and assist team members on their issues
• Collaborate with other protocol implementation teams to share knowledge on the protocol, whether it be high-level protocol details or technical details that are common to every client
• Communicate effectively with the team and document your code and the client as a whole

Qualifications

Required skills and experience

• Proficiency in Rust, Go, or TypeScript
• Knowledge of system design in one of the above languages
• Be able to proactively dive into novel territory and share knowledge on what you’ve learned

Nice to have

• Experience with blockchain protocols, whether it be usage of a blockchain API, knowledge of how a blockchain operates, or any other experience
• Experience with distributed systems, peer-to-peer systems, network programming, and cryptography
• Experience writing software from a technical specification or a reference implementation
• Experience maintaining a large codebase with many components and keeping it well-designed, future-proofed, and modular
• Experience with documenting a large codebase, both for internal and user-facing components
• Familiarity with open-source software principles

Additional Information

Why join us

Founded by Developers for Developers, we foster an Agile environment where tasks are assigned based not just on what you know but what you want to learn. We offer fast opportunities for personal growth, mentorship, professional development funding, tons of autonomy and responsibility, a results-driven environment, close collaboration with an international team, exposure to a wide array of ecosystems and trailblazing technologies, and flexible work hours.

At ChainSafe, we are a compassionate group of builders and makers, working to bring our ideas to life. You’ll be part of a team that believes in the vital importance of community and contributing to advance humanity with open-source and decentralized technology.

We care deeply about our values and look for these in every team member: A dedication to self-improvement and professional development; a commitment to community and collaboration; a drive for accountability, diligence, and autonomy; and above all fostering a place of acceptance, friendliness, and compassion.

Tell us who you are and learn more about us

If you are ready to join us, assemble your highlights (GitHub, portfolio, LinkedIn) and show us your best work. Get ready to have incredible conversations with passionate developers like yourself. For our team’s project highlights, explore our Discord, GitHub, and website.

We welcome your fresh perspectives and ideas

At ChainSafe, diversity and inclusion is more than a statement; equality and accessibility are guiding principles embedded in who we are - and why we do what we do. We recognize the benefits of a diverse team and aspire to embed respect for all people into our culture, values, and day-to-day practices. We encourage women, LGBTQIA+ people, people of colour, and members of any other group underrepresented in the blockchain space (or tech in general) to apply.

ChainSafe is a remote-first company with an international team. We offer opportunities for personal and professional learning and growth, value autonomy and responsibility, and have a results-driven environment, flexible work hours and time-off policy, as well as competitive salary.