Head of Protocol Engineering

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.

ChainSafe is a leading blockchain research and development firm specializing in infrastructure solutions for web3. Alongside its contributions to major ecosystems such as Ethereum, Polkadot, Filecoin, Mina, Cosmos, and more, ChainSafe has a growing portfolio of web3 products — Files, Storage, the Gaming SDK, and ChainBridge. As part of its mission to build innovative products for users and improved tooling for developers, ChainSafe embodies an open-source and community-oriented ethos to advance the future of the internet.

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.

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.

This role is focused on supporting our protocol teams (currently Forest, Gossamer, Lodestar, Mina-rs). These teams work on complex pieces of software that are fundamental infrastructure for their respective ecosystems. You will be responsible for ensuring the performance and satisfaction of these engineers in their roles. Additionally, you will be involved in the development of processes and best practices across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Build and grow world-class engineering teams that can execute on complex specifications with a lot of unknowns.


• Support, coach, and mentor engineers and other engineering managers remotely, all over the world.


• Encourage a healthy work environment where everyone feels respected, empowered and has sufficient time to enjoy life.


• Enable team autonomy whenever possible.


• Collaborate with other managers to maximize cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing.


• Develop and maintain processes to hire and train new team members.


• Work with your direct reports to ensure performance issues are being addressed and monitored.


• Assist in BizDev inquires and play a key role in planning, allocating resources and bootstrapping new projects.


• Work directly with the VP of Engineering to develop and implement new strategies, initiative and policies.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience leading fully remote engineering teams in a fast-paced Agile environment


• Passionate people manager with a servant leader mindset.


• Experience building and cultivating strong engineering practices and processes.


• Passion for Blockchain and/or decentralized technologies.


• Experience working with open-source software.


• Background in software engineering.

Bonus Points

• Experience with distributed systems or blockchain technology.


• Intermediate proficiency in Go, Rust, or TypeScript.

We strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t fit all the requirements. You don’t have to match all the listed requirements exactly to be considered for this role.

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 are 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.

Salary will be determined through the interview process after a review of experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, equity, and location, as well as alignment with market data.

To apply for this position, please fill out the linked application form. Please attach your CV/resume as well as a link to your Github/Gitlab profile or some other software project you have contributed to.