CTO/VP of Engineering

CTO/Engineering Lead - Solana ZK Computation Framework

Location: Remote - North America/Asia preferred - Not a must though

Compensation: $200K - $225K

We are building the first Solana-native verifiable computation framework designed to accelerate the adoption of ZK technology and enhance Solana's vision for Internet Capital Markets. Our platform allows developers to outsource complex computations off-chain while generating cryptographic proofs that are verified on-chain. We provide a suite of developer tools and a prover network, currently supporting the RISC Zero zkVM. We are seeking a talented CTO/Engineering Lead to build and scale our engineering team.

As the technical leader, you will be critical in helping us shape the future of verifiable computation on Solana, ensuring we develop the most performant, scalable, and decentralized computation network. You will own the technical roadmap, culture, and architecture, driving our mission to add safety, verifiability, and trustlessness to the Solana ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership: Lead the technical roadmap, participate in code reviews, and shape the engineering culture for a high-ownership environment.
• System Architecture: Design, develop, and maintain high-performance backend systems and APIs to support our proving service integrations and infrastructure platform.
• Performance & Optimization: Identify bottlenecks and optimize infrastructure performance to handle increasing proof request volumes and user demands.
• Ecosystem Support: Support developer teams building on the platform to ensure seamless integration of infrastructure components with different applications.
• Code Quality & Security: Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code while adhering to open-source best practices, and continuously improve system architecture and security standards.
• ** zkVM Focus:** Stay up-to-date with emerging cryptographic primitives and industry standards, specifically within the ZK-VM space.

• Rust Experience: 3-5 years of experience with Rust.
• Solana Infrastructure: 3+ years of experience building and maintaining high-scale production systems or Solana infrastructure tools.
• Solana Programs: Solid previous/current experience writing Solana programs (ideally using Anchor and Pinocchio).
• Technical Leadership: 2+ years of experience working in a technical leadership role (e.g., Lead Engineer, Principal, or Manager).
• Zero-Knowledge VMs (zkVMs): 1+ years of experience with zkVMs and writing ZK programs (preferably Risc0, Succinct, or Groth16).
• DevOps/Cloud: Proficiency with cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Work Ethic: Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, execute at speed, with excellent communication and collaboration skills in a remote work environment.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Haves):

• Experience with building prover networks.
• Prior experience in a startup or fast-paced environment.
• Shared vision of how verifiable computation contributes towards the thesis of Internet Capital Markets.