Head of Blockchain Engineering (ZK Layer 2)

Location: San Francisco, New York, Switzerland, or remote for exceptional candidates

Type: Full-time, Executive (Reports to CTO)

About the Role

Our well funded client is seeking a founding-level engineering leader to architect, build, and scale a ZK-native, privacy-preserving Layer 2 infrastructure. This role owns the full technical stack — from protocol design to production rollout — working closely with cryptography and product teams to deliver a high-performance zkEVM-based ledger.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead engineering for a Layer 2 rollup from architecture to production deployment.

• Build and scale a performant, composable zkEVM with privacy guarantees.

• Recruit, mentor, and manage a multi-domain engineering team (protocol, infra, smart contracts, full-stack).

• Optimize zk circuits, prover performance, and privacy features with cryptography experts.

• Drive key decisions on sequencer design, DA layers, rollup tooling, and bridging.

• Ensure secure integration of stablecoins, RWAs, and DeFi apps into the platform.

Requirements

• Proven experience delivering a blockchain/L2/zkEVM product from inception to scale.

• 15+ years engineering experience, including 4+ years leading blockchain/L2 infra teams.

• Hands-on expertise with ZK systems (STARKs, SNARKs, Halo2, Plonky2, Cairo, etc.).

• Deep understanding of Ethereum, rollups, and zkEVM mechanics.

• Strong proficiency in Rust, Solidity, or zk circuit languages (Cairo, Circom, Noir).

• Exceptional leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with stablecoins, privacy-preserving assets, or programmable wallets.

• Knowledge of sequencing, MEV protection, and interoperability frameworks.

• Contributions to open-source ZK tooling or rollup frameworks.