Protocol Engineering Team Lead (Rust)

ChainSafe Systems, a blockchain research and development company, is seeking a dedicated Team Lead to join a Rust protocol implementation team.

As a team lead, you will join a small team and develop and maintain the Rust implementation of the a 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. Additionally, you will assist the Project Manager in scoping new tasks for the team and delegating tasks. You will also be meeting regularly and individually with each team member to discuss their career progress. The position is full-time and remote-friendly.

As a Team Lead and Protocol Engineer, you are responsible for pushing the team forward in terms of growth, both technical and personal. Additionally, 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 Rust code
• Manage a team of engineers by meeting with them regularly and understanding their individual needs
• Create, scope, and delegate tasks based on the project roadmap
• Communicate progress and blockers regularly with external teams
• Design and implement new features for the blockchain client
• Refactor and improve existing features in the blockchain client
• Ensure the client stays compatible with the other blockchain 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 blockchain client as a whole

Required skills and experience

• Senior Proficiency in Rust
• Knowledge of system design in Rust
• Be able to proactively dive into novel territory and share knowledge on what you’ve learned
• Experience managing a team of engineers

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

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.