Head of Engineering, B2B professional services Offline

Recruitment process

Interview with me and Haim (Head of Research), focussing more on management/process aspects

Probably an interview with Joseph and Colby

Probably an interview with Olexiy

About Us

The company is a distributed systems R&D lab developing an open-source protocol, network, and incentive layer for interoperable high-performance blockchains. We have been heads-down for the past year and will publish our first technical research papers in the coming months. Joining the company at this stage is an opportunity to have an impact while working on some of the most exciting challenges in distributed systems engineering.

Members of our Engineering team focus on implementing novel algorithms and mechanisms designed by a highly-skilled Research team composed of computer scientists from some of the world’s leading research institutions. Among other challenges, our team is working on: a family of novel consensus algorithms (leader-based and leader-less) optimized for different application-specific blockchains; novel zero-knowledge-based confidential transfer systems; novel game-theoretic mechanisms for re-balancing incentives across a multi-chain network architecture; and, novel approaches towards blockchain fundamentals (P2P networking, account storage).

Our team of ~25 is composed primarily of engineers and researchers with backgrounds in cryptocurrency projects (MakerDAO, Bitfury), traditional finance (J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, various hedge funds), and distributed systems and applied cryptography (graduates of MIT, Technion, Weizmann, and Bar Ilan). As we prepare to transition into a public-facing project, we are searching for a Head of Engineering to help scale our engineering efforts.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the CEO, as Head of Engineering you will bear full responsibility for the Engineering team, and will be accountable for the on-time delivery of quality products, for engineering process effectiveness, and for accomplishing the Engineering team’s goals

You will provide inspirational technical leadership and will create an environment that is engaging, productive and results-oriented

You will recruit new Engineering team members and scale the team into a highly-effective engineering organization

You will coach engineers and guide them on how to be more effective and will support their professional development

You will work with the Product and Research teams to translate complex requirements into engineering deliverables

You will create low-level tasks and prioritize them based on the roadmap and will carry those tasks through to completion

You will deliver and maintain software throughout its lifestyle and will create alignment between team members across teams, time zones, and geographies

You will perform under pressure and will adapt to a fast-changing environment

You will define the Engineering team’s budget, as part of an annual, company-wide budgeting processes

You will clearly and in sufficient detail convey the state of Engineering team deliverables (actual-vs-plan), will identify problems and risk factors to mitigate, and will work with other members of the Management team to advance the company’s interests

Requirements:

- 5+ years of professional experience including 2+ years in a senior engineering management role

- Experience successfully managing engineering organizations of 15+ engineers where you have fostered an open environment of collaboration and technical excellence

- Experience in large-scale server-side, SaaS, peer-to-peer, distributed-systems, or similar areas

- In-depth understanding of the state-of-the-art programming tools and processes

- Understanding of, and interest in, distributed systems and blockchain technologies

- Aptitude for working with complex systems that rely heavily on the implementation of advanced algorithms

- Ability to adapt in a fast-changing and competitive landscape

- Excellent English language skills and an ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing

- Innate leadership abilities, excellent organizational skills, and a conscientious and detail-oriented approach

Advantages:

- Familiarity or experience with system programming languages (e.g., Rust, GoLang, C++)

- Experience successfully managing the development of complex software involving the use of advanced algorithms

- Experience building distributed systems and blockchain technologies

- Track record of contributing to open source projects

- Advanced degree in computer science or a related field

Our Offer:

Opportunity to lead and grow a ‘remote-first’ team of high-caliber engineers from around the world

Base salary in accordance with your experience and credentials, plus upside incentives tied to the network’s success, plus a bonus plan that enables you to materially increase your annual earnings for hitting individual and team-level milestones

Flexible work schedule and the ability to choose to work remotely or in a hybrid (part-time office, part-time remote) environment, plus generous paid holiday and sick-leave allowances

Depending on your location and subject to negotiation, additional benefits on offer may include life insurance and pension scheme contributions

Opportunity to marry your technical leadership skills with the research skills of a Research organization that includes preeminent experts in the fields of distributed systems, mechanism design and related areas