Strategic Overview
Distributed Systems Engineer at Axiom is defined by the responsibilities and candidate requirements in the employer's listing.
The published role emphasizes work such as We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup nodes and sequencers to deliver zero-knowledge proof based products on-chain.
The role is listed for United States with a remote working arrangement, giving candidates the practical context needed to assess fit before applying.
Key information at a glance
About This Role
Axiom is using zero-knowledge proofs to enable new types of verifiable and private software applications, starting with crypto and fintech. We are a small but incredibly strong team backed by the best investors in crypto . We’re looking for exceptional people who are excited to work on challenging and impactful problems in a fast-paced environment.
We recently released OpenVM , a performant and modular zkVM framework built for customization and extensibility. OpenVM allows developers to verify the correct execution of arbitrary computer programs in a flexible and performant way. We are building ZK-enabled products using OpenVM and supporting teams building on OpenVM.
The Role
Key Responsibilities & Objectives
- We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup nodes and sequencers to deliver zero-knowledge proof based products on-chain.
- We are looking for someone with strong engineering design skills, a security mindset, and the ability to design and implement blockchain protocols. We also value the ability to make pragmatic technology choices which empower our small team.
Required Qualifications & Candidate Blueprint
- You are fluent in Rust, C++, or a similarly performant backend language. We work primarily in Rust.
- You have experience deploying and monitoring high uptime applications to production in the cloud using orchestration and containerization (Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes).
- You have experience working within a large production codebase.
- You are extremely detail oriented and have a security mindset.
- You’re a clear communicator and value collaboration.
- You have a bias towards action and extremely strong work ethic.
Preferred Qualifications
- You have experience working with blockchain nodes like Geth, Reth, or similar.
- You have experience with low-level details of Ethereum.
- You have experience working in an adversarial or security critical environment.
- You’ll be working on groundbreaking tech that has the potential to be a key piece of infrastructure for the crypto industry
- You’ll receive a competitive salary with equity
- You will work with and receive mentorship from an exceptional team
Salary & Benefits
Published compensation: USD 125,000 – 250,000 / yearly
Salary Benchmark
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Full Job Description
The following is the complete job description supplied by the source. We sanitize unsafe markup and remove external links, but do not shorten or rewrite the employer's source content.
About Us
Axiom is using zero-knowledge proofs to enable new types of verifiable and private software applications, starting with crypto and fintech. We are a small but incredibly strong team backed by the best investors in crypto. We’re looking for exceptional people who are excited to work on challenging and impactful problems in a fast-paced environment. Our office is in NYC and working in person in NY is our strong preference, but we're open to remote candidates as well.
We recently released OpenVM, a performant and modular zkVM framework built for customization and extensibility. OpenVM allows developers to verify the correct execution of arbitrary computer programs in a flexible and performant way. We are building ZK-enabled products using OpenVM and supporting teams building on OpenVM.
The Role
We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup nodes and sequencers to deliver zero-knowledge proof based products on-chain. Your work will require designing secure and efficient systems and making design choices to enable rapid development without sacrificing security.
We are looking for someone with strong engineering design skills, a security mindset, and the ability to design and implement blockchain protocols. We also value the ability to make pragmatic technology choices which empower our small team.
Who you are
You are fluent in Rust, C++, or a similarly performant backend language. We work primarily in Rust.
You have experience deploying and monitoring high uptime applications to production in the cloud using orchestration and containerization (Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes).
You have experience working within a large production codebase.
You are extremely detail oriented and have a security mindset.
You’re a clear communicator and value collaboration.
You have a bias towards action and extremely strong work ethic.
Bonuses
You have experience working with blockchain nodes like Geth, Reth, or similar.
You have experience with low-level details of Ethereum.
You have experience working in an adversarial or security critical environment.
Why work with us
You’ll be working on groundbreaking tech that has the potential to be a key piece of infrastructure for the crypto industry
You’ll receive a competitive salary with equity
You will work with and receive mentorship from an exceptional team
Our Team
Our founders Yi Sun and Jonathan Wang met while studying math at Harvard and have been working on ZK since 2021. Together, they wrote some of the most performant ZK circuits for elliptic curve cryptography and Ethereum data reads before starting Axiom.
Before Axiom, Yi was a professor at UChicago Statistics and did a math PhD at MIT. He was previously an advisor for Gauntlet and worked at an HFT startup from inception to profitable trading. Jonathan published number theory research in top math journals and did a math PhD at UChicago.
The rest of our small but incredibly strong team includes alums of Applied Intuition, Coinbase, Color, Neon, Google, and Perplexity as well as math / CS PhDs and IMO / IPhO / Codeforces winners. We look forward to working with you!
Editor’s Market Perspective (Our Custom Analysis)
Why This Position Matters
This opening may suit candidates who can demonstrate experience relevant to the employer's published requirements. Its strongest career signal is the scope of the work itself — particularly We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup nodes and sequencers to deliver zero-knowledge proof based products on-chain. — rather than a generic title alone.
Resume & Application Strategy
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