Senior Software Engineer, Protocol (Rust)

OP Labs builds Optimism, a blockchain network that powers the next generation of financial infrastructure. Hundreds of companies, from the world's largest enterprises like Sony, Coinbase, Kraken, Uniswap, OKX, and Bitpanda to the most ambitious early-stage builders, use the OP stack to launch their own blockchains and bring their users onchain. Today, over 65% of Layer 2 activity on Ethereum runs through the OP stack.

We are a small team building at the speed of the ecosystem we support. The NYC office is our center of gravity, and we have a strong preference for people who can join us there on a hybrid schedule. We've raised $178M from a16z, Paradigm, and others. We have our work cut out for us and are looking for exceptional people to join us.

Our Protocol Team designs and operates the core specifications and clients defining the stack. This creates opportunities to improve the underlying protocol while developing differentiated capabilities for enterprise chain operators. Near term projects may cover:

Developing kona-node and related Rust-based consensus-client infrastructure as a fully compatible and production-ready alternative to op-node

Implementing native account abstraction across the stack.

Developing premium protocol capabilities that support OP Enterprise

We are seeking mission-driven contributors who thrive on tackling complex computer science challenges while delivering high quality code with high-velocity.

What are the role responsibilities?

Own features through the full lifecycle: from architecture, implementation, and docs to deployment and monitoring. Working cross functionally to create maximum impact.

Build rigorous conformance and adversarial tests to ensure implementation compatibility.

Execute safe protocol upgrades and resolve complex availability/performance issues.

Use AI-assisted engineering tools effectively while maintaining rigorous standards for correctness, security, review, and technical ownership.

Skills and Experience

Professional record of shipping production software and maintainable Rust systems.

Deep knowledge of Ethereum (EVM, JSON-RPC, clients) and distributed systems.

Ability to navigate ambiguity and communicate complex design decisions effectively.

(Preferred) Familiarity with op-node, kona, or Reth implementations.

(Preferred) Ability to read and navigate production Go code while migrating behavior into Rust.

(Bonus) Proficiency in Solidity for system-level smart contracts.

What we offer

Health, fully covered.

OP Labs pays 100% of your health insurance premiums, with a range of medical, dental, and vision plans to choose from.

401(k) with a 4% company match.

$2,000 annual wellness stipend, to spend on whatever keeps you healthy and energized.

$1,000 WFH setup stipend and

$,1000 learning budget

Competitive compensation, including performance bonus and token grants — you share in the growth of what we're building together.

Flexible time off.

No fixed allotment. Take what you need.

14 paid holidays, plus two Collective Pause weeks each year — the first week of July and the week between Christmas and New Year, when the whole company steps back at once.

Four-week sabbatical after three years

, three of them paid, with your equity and tokens vesting throughout.

New York hybrid, or location-flexible

(team dependent). Commercial and growth teams work from our SoHo office three days a week; engineering and technical roles are location-flexible.

We get together in person.

Every team carries a travel budget so remote teammates can join us in New York, and we bring the whole company together at offsites twice a year.

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OP Labs in recruitment activities.

Please note:

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