About the job

Head of Protocol EngineeringSalary: Up To $250,000 + TokensLocation: Remote

I’m currently working with an early stage blockchain infrastructure company preparing for mainnet launch who are looking for a Head of Protocol Engineering to lead the design, build, and scale of a genuinely differentiated blockchain architecture.

This is a pivotal role reporting directly to the CTO, owning the core protocol stack and leading a small but highly capable engineering team. The business is building a new approach to on-chain data accessibility, removing the need for indexers and external query infrastructure through protocol-native architecture.

You’ll remain hands-on technically while driving engineering standards, roadmap execution, and team growth.

This is a rare opportunity to join at the right stage and shape both the technology and engineering culture of a protocol with significant upside.

• ResponsibilitiesOwn protocol engineering across nodes, storage systems, smart contracts, SDKs, and L2/L3 integrations.
• Lead development of modified execution clients and queryable storage systems.
• Drive performance optimisation across high-throughput distributed systems and database workloads.
• Partner with the CTO on technical strategy, hiring plans, and roadmap execution.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of engineers while staying close to the codebase.
• Own protocol specs, developer tooling, and technical documentation standards.
• Support production incidents where needed and continuously improve system reliability.

• RequirementsStrong background in systems programming using Rust.
• Deep distributed systems knowledge including consensus, replication, and failure modes.
• Experience working on blockchain nodes, execution clients, or protocol-level systems.
• Strong understanding of databases, storage engines, and query optimisation under load.
• Previous leadership experience managing and growing engineering teams.
• Hands-on mindset with the ability to lead while actively shipping code.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to operate in a fast-moving environment.

If you’re an experienced protocol engineer or technical leader looking to shape a next-generation blockchain from the ground up, then click apply or get in touch directly.