Senior Software Engineer, Protocol (Rust)

OP Labs is hiring a Senior Software Engineer, Protocol (Rust) for Optimism/OP Stack. Remote-friendly with NYC office; work on Rust-based consensus-client infrastructure and protocol upgrades.

OP Labs builds Optimism, an open-source blockchain network that powers the next generation of financial infrastructure. Over 65% of Layer 2 activity on Ethereum runs through the OP stack; companies from Sony, Coinbase, Kraken, Uniswap and OKX to early-stage builders use it to launch their own blockchains. The Protocol Team designs and operates the core specifications and clients defining the stack. Role responsibilities: -Own features through the full lifecycle: architecture, implementation, and docs through 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 -Near-term projects: developing kona-node and related Rust-based consensus-client infrastructure as a production-ready alternative to op-node; implementing native account abstraction across the stack; premium protocol capabilities for OP Enterprise

-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; ability to read and navigate production Go code while migrating behavior into Rust -Bonus: proficiency in Solidity for system-level smart contracts

Remote-friendly role; NYC office is the center of gravity.