Software Engineer, Launchpad

About Protocol Labs

Protocol Labs drives breakthroughs in computing to push humanity forward. Protocol Labs is a product-development lab, but behind the protocols and tools we build, behind the research and implementations, are passionate people, teammates and community members. Most teams in the Protocol Labs Network are fully distributed and work remotely around the world. Engineers, researchers, and operators work in the open to improve the internet — humanity’s most important technology — as we explore new advances at the intersection of many exciting fields (crypto, networks, distributed systems) and cultures (startups, research, open source, distributed work).

Define and build elegant software for tomorrow’s web.

We are hiring Software Engineers to join the Web3 development community through PL Launchpad, our new cohort-based web3 onboarding program. Many developers are excited about the decentralized web and blockchains, but are looking for support, guidance, and expert training as they get started with their new web3 careers. We are building the on-ramp to web3, helping web2 experts upgrade & apply their existing expertise.

Starting with a curated 6-week Web3 onboarding experience, you’ll learn the fundamentals of protocols like IPFS, Filecoin, IPLD, and libp2p through hands-on labs, training, and projects, while forming relationships across the Protocol Labs Network and team-matching to a web3 role at the intersection of your skills & interests.

Launchpad Software Engineering in the Protocol Labs Network

Launchpad is our program to accelerate the transition to web3 by providing a bridge to onboard new developers from the web2 community, equipping them with the skills, tools & connections to fluidly impact projects across the Protocol Labs Network. Starting with learning the fundamentals of IPFS, libp2p, Filecoin and other related projects, we will accelerate your ability to lay the foundation for a more resilient, more secure, distributed version of the web. Our community values rigorous engineering with a passion & curiosity to apply your skills in new platforms & environments. We strike a balance between pragmatism (put it on a ship ⛴), deeply informed protocol design, and strict application of strong engineering principles. All of this happens in a community defined by curiosity, passion, and a love for open source.

As a Software Engineer in the Protocol Labs Network, you will…

• Build the next generation of peer-to-peer software, working on projects like libp2p, IPFS and Filecoin, or one of the hundreds of projects built on these foundations
• Participate in the design and implementation of performant and resilient distributed applications
• Develop solutions to hard problems, such as low-trust distributed systems and forming new products
• Work alongside a cross-functional team including engineering, design, community, product, and business
• Build a personal project that highlights your interests and learnings from Launchpad
• Land multiple OSS contributions to core protocols and tooling, guided by a senior mentor within the PL Network
• Receive personal 1:1 mentorship from the experts behind the PL Protocols
• Build relationships with founders, leaders & engineers from across the Web3 community
• Team-match with a project aligned with your unique skills, interests, and passions

You may be a fit for this role if you have…

• BS degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, a related field or equivalent practical experience
• 3+ years of industry experience as a Software Engineer (or equivalent practical experience)
• A solid understanding of CS principles and how to apply them in software design
• Experience designing and shipping web2 projects with significant complexity.
• Depth in one of the following domains: distributed systems, networking, storage, production engineering/benchmarking, productivity tools, or DevOps
• Proven track record of independently driving projects in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication skills on both technical and non-technical issues
• A keen awareness of teamwork, process, and patterns of successful collaboration
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Bonus Points

• Experience leading open source projects, and/or guiding their communities
• Experience with Javascript, Go or Rust
• Security engineering and/or cryptography principles and practices
• Large-scale systems (especially networking, performance, storage, or reliability engineering)
• Experience building with decentralized building blocks such as DHTs, consensus protocols, smart contracts, blockchain, p2p networking, etc.

What is PLN Launchpad?

PLN Launchpad is a hiring program designed to accelerate the development of the Web3 by hiring software engineers from diverse development backgrounds & teams into a six-week, full-time onboarding program designed to train, develop, and team-match technical talent at scale with opportunities in Web3 across the Protocol Labs Network (PLN).

Launchpad aims to help accelerate non-Web3 talent into this new frontier and help web3-savvy contributors quickly ramp up their InterPlanetary web3 knowledge, grow strong PL Network community bonds, and find their best-fit role in the PL Network.

Read more about Launchpad here.

What’s it like to work at Protocol Labs?

Protocol Labs mission is to improve humanity’s most important technology, the Internet. We build protocols, systems, and tools to improve how it works. Today, we are focused on how we store, locate, and move information. Our projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and more.

As a distributed team, we hire anywhere in the world, and at various levels of experience (entry, senior, staff). We look for people with unique perspectives and diverse backgrounds.

We have a great benefits package, including parental leave, contributions to your retirement, competitive pay, and unlimited time off. For U.S.-based employees, we also provide platinum-level health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.

If you’re passionate about the future of computing and a more democratized internet, we want to talk to you.