Applied Cryptographer

Framework Ventures; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Andalusia Labs in San Francisco is seeking an Applied Cryptographer to advance cryptographic protocols within our blockchain ecosystem. This role involves collaborating closely with engineers and founders to launch novel products that improve programmable financial infrastructures.

The ideal candidate will have strong programming experience, a deep understanding of cryptography, and the capability to develop efficient technical documentation. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• PhD or MA/MS in Computer Science or related field.
• 5+ years of systems programming experience in programming languages.
• Deep understanding of cryptography primitives.

Responsibilities

• Define cryptography principles and best practices.
• Establish cryptographic standards by writing Karak Improvement Protocols.
• Evaluate cryptographic libraries for safety and performance.

Skills

Systems programming experience

Deep understanding of modern cryptography primitives

Excellent technical documentation

Ability to work across the product engineering stack

Education

MA/MS or PhD in relevant field

Tools

Rust

Solidity

Python

C++

Job description

Andalusia Labs is building foundational economic infrastructure for programmable global markets, connecting capital, computation, and coordination across the internet. Our work sits at the intersection of distributed systems, finance, and machine intelligence, with the goal of growing the world’s programmable GDP.

Our team has shipped massively scalable systems and products at Coinbase, Google, AWS, Microsoft, X, TikTok, Goldman Sachs, and High-Frequency Trading firms. We are backed by Coinbase, Mubadala, Lightspeed, Bain Capital, Pantera, Framework, Digital Currency Group, Proof Group, Nima Capital, Naval Ravikant, Arthur Hayes, and founders, GPs, and executives from organizations like Founders Fund, Google, and Coinbase.

Role

We are looking for a talented and driven Applied Cryptographer who is passionate about cryptographic protocols and their application to blockchains. As an Applied Cryptographer, you will research, implement, and improve critical components of the blockchain. You will work closely with the founders, engineers, and other cross-functional partners to bring new products and business lines to market. This is an amazing opportunity offering you the ability to learn new technical skills in blockchain and work with an amazing team of engineers.

Responsibilities

• Define cryptography principles and best practices within the Karak blockchain and ecosystem
• Establish cryptographic standards by writing Karak Improvement Protocols (KIPs)
• Evaluate cryptographic libraries for their safety and performance.
• Design, implement, maintain, and audit cryptographic schemes, such as signature schemes, authenticated data structures, secret sharing, distributed pseudo-random functions, and zero-knowledge proofs
• Participate in discussions from the initial product ideas to launch
• Understand, build, and help optimize financial algorithms

Requirements

• MA/MS or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of systems programming experience working with at least one of these languages (Rust, Solidity, Python, C++)
• Deep understanding of modern cryptography primitives, such as signature schemes, authenticated data structures, secret sharing, distributed pseudo-random functions, and zero-knowledge proofs
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, data structures, algorithms, and software design
• Excellent ability to write easily digestible technical documentation and specifications
• Highly autonomous, ability to design and develop software with minimal guidance
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and across the product engineering stack
• Clear written and verbal communication

Bonus

• Experience working on open-source projects
• Experience building on EVM, Solana, or Cosmos
• Experience in algorithmic trading or understanding of traditional finance primitives
• Founded a company
• Experience working with startups