Remote Backend Jobs

Protocol Engineer

Location: Fully Remote (±3 hours UTC)

Salary: Up to $160,000 + benefits

We're partnered with a cutting-edge decentralised infrastructure company operating at the intersection of zero-knowledge cryptography and financial primitives is building the next generation of high-performance on-chain systems. As part of its continued protocol expansion, the organisation is hiring a Protocol Engineer to design and deliver core infrastructure powering advanced exchange and settlement architecture.

This role sits deep within the protocol layer, focused on building robust, production-grade systems that combine cryptographic innovation with real-world financial mechanics. The Protocol Engineer will work across zero-knowledge infrastructure, matching engines and smart contract interfaces to ensure scalable, secure and verifiable decentralised execution.

Key Accountabilities as Protocol Engineer

• Protocol Design and Implementation – Architect and build order book-based exchange and settlement systems, delivering scalable, production-grade Rust infrastructure.
• Zero-Knowledge Infrastructure – Develop zkVM-based solutions (SP1, RISC Zero) enabling verifiable off-chain computation and integrate cryptographic primitives into live systems.
• High-Performance Engineering – Optimise low-latency Rust components across execution, memory and concurrency layers.
• Cryptoeconomic Design – Contribute to incentive models, adversarial analysis and core security assumptions underpinning protocol integrity.
• Smart Contract Development – Build Solidity interfaces bridging on-chain and off-chain environments with secure state management.
• Security and Audits – Support internal reviews and external audits, maintaining rigorous engineering standards.

Experience and Qualifications as Protocol Engineer

• Strong Rust experience building production systems
• Deep knowledge of DeFi or exchange architecture
• Hands-on zero-knowledge experience (SP1 or RISC Zero)
• Understanding of cryptoeconomic and adversarial design principles
• Proficiency in Solidity and smart contract integration
• Experience delivering secure blockchain infrastructure

This is a high-impact opportunity for an experienced Protocol Engineer to operate at the core of next-generation decentralised infrastructure, shaping protocol architecture and contributing directly to the evolution of scalable, verifiable financial systems.