Senior Rust Blockchain Engineer

Who We Are:

Horizen Labs is pioneering privacy-focused, zero-knowledge technology that powers a more secure and interconnected digital world. Founded in 2019, we're at the intersection of research, protocol development, and ecosystem growth, enabling scalable, verifiable solutions through platforms like zkVerify and Horizen. From high-impact projects like ApeChain to a specialized consulting arm in zero-knowledge ecosystems, we are a global team united in transforming the landscape of Web3 and digital trust. Join our team in New York, Milan, and remotely to help redefine what's possible in the decentralized world.

At Horizen Labs, our people are our greatest asset, and we are creating a culture of empowered individuals who are eager to bring their ideas to life. We believe diversity drives the innovation and engagement necessary to build a truly remarkable product. We operate on a hybrid model with a distributed global workforce who works in partnership with our satellite offices in New York City, NY and Milan, Italy. Are you ready to help us change the future with the next cutting-edge blockchain technology? Join us!

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Rust Blockchain Engineer to join our team.  As a Senior Rust Blockchain Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing blockchain protocols and systems, contributing to the development of innovative blockchain solutions, and ensuring the robustness and scalability of our blockchain infrastructure. Our international team operates in a dynamic and innovative environment, leveraging technical expertise and experience to develop cutting-edge blockchain technology. By joining us, you will become part of a highly motivated team of technical experts who value openness, pragmatism, and ownership. Together, we tackle challenging problems in software engineering, systems design, cryptography, and computing. The ideal candidate will possess extensive hands-on experience and senior-level expertise in Rust, specifically applied to blockchain technology, with a strong emphasis on Substrate. You have both the talent and the drive to tackle today’s most critical challenges with innovative solutions. Join us in pioneering groundbreaking technology, changing the world, and making a lasting contribution to the greater crypto and blockchain community.

What You’ll Own

• Foundational design decisions related to core blockchain infrastructure components.
• Process surrounding development, testing, and optimization of those components for performance, reliability, security, and scalability.
• Assume technical responsibility for novel systems while identifying areas for innovative research and development. 
• Help shape the future of the company where you will be intimately involved in the strategic decision-making process and immediately see the impact of your contributions.
• Attend conferences and find opportunities in the on-chain ecosystem.

Skills and Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, or other IT disciplines, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on Software Development experience using Rust as a programming language.
• Prior experience working on a layer-one (L1) blockchain network.
• Knowledge of the most common design patterns and a strong attention to the design of software architectures.
• Be passionate about secure, fast, well-tested and documented code. 
• Experience in technical writing and documentation.
• Fluency in English with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Enjoy guiding more junior developers and sharing your expertise. 
• Work gracefully with cross-functional teams within engineering, marketing, and other support teams to provide the best-in-class solutions.
• Autonomous, self-motivated, and low ego.

Preferred Qualifications

• Theoretical and practical experience in using Rust and/or Substrate for building L1 blockchains / relay chains / parachains. 
• Theoretical and practical experience in blockchain-based systems (dApps, rollups, etc.), with a particular focus on Ethereum and/or other EVM-based solutions.
• Understanding of Zero Knowledge Cryptography, and Cryptography in general, and its application to blockchains.

In compliance with New York City's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position should the applicant be based in NYC is USD 170,000 to USD 195,000. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position should it be based in NYC. Our salary ranges are determined by numerous factors, including, but not limited to, role, level, experience, and location.

Horizen Labs is an equal opportunity employer

Horizen Labs is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an email to recruiting@horizenlabs.io and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.