Security Specialist

Sherlock; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive base salary (fiat or crypto)

Flexible time-off policy

Great healthcare

Multiple offsites each year

Direct access to decision-making processes

Job summary

A leading security provider in New York is seeking a Security Specialist to enhance auditing processes and secure web3 protocols. The ideal candidate will possess strong knowledge in Solidity or Rust, along with excellent web3 security expertise. This role offers attractive compensation in fiat or crypto, flexible time-off, and opportunities to contribute on an elite team. Be part of a mission to make crypto and DeFi accessible to all.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Solidity or Rust.
• Intermediate to expert-level web3 security expertise.
• Experience with Git and strong written English skills.

Responsibilities

• Scope codebases for thorough audits.
• Design teams of researchers for audits.
• Research new protocols and technologies.

Skills

Solidity knowledge

Rust knowledge

Web3 security knowledge

Git/Github experience

Strong written communication skills in English

Job description

Sherlock exists to make open finance secure enough for billions of people to trust with real value. We believe sound money and reliable financial infrastructure should be basic human rights—and that Web3 can only achieve that if it’s secure by design.

Traditional audits alone don’t solve that problem. Sherlock connects every layer of protocol security through collaborative audits, audit contests, bug bounties, coverage, and AI-powered analysis. Each product reinforces the others, forming a lifecycle system that protects protocols from development through live operations.

Sherlock is the only security provider that offers financial coverage after every audit, backing its work with up to $500K in post-launch exploit protection. The company has run more public audits than anyone in the space, securing code for the Ethereum Foundation, Aave, Optimism, Cosmos, MakerDAO (Sky), and dozens of other top teams.

Sherlock is backed by Alliance, Archetype, IDEO, CoinFund, Lattice, Spartan, A Capital, and other leading Web3 and Silicon Valley investors.

Sherlock’s Culture

• Mission focus: Everyone is here to build the most trusted financial coordination system in history—nothing less.
• Hard, smart work: Sherlock’s edge is thinking clearly, working longer, and executing better than anyone else. Every decision starts from first principles.
• Owner mentality: Team members act like owners, not employees. Nothing is “someone else’s problem.”
• Builder mentality: Everyone contributes directly to output—there are no pure managers or “idea people.”
• Customer proximity: We stay close to the protocols we protect and build with their perspective in mind.
• Professional‑athlete standards: Performance is measured, meritocratic, and transparent. High output is the baseline, not the exception.
• Directness and transparency: Feedback is honest and fast. Clarity beats comfort, and open communication drives better results.

The Role

Security research is at the heart of everything Sherlock does. As a Security Specialist, you will be the lifeblood of Sherlock.

Your role will involve many technical aspects of auditing at Sherlock:

• Scoping codebases to ensure auditors have sufficient time to review a protocol thoroughly
• Designing teams of researchers with relevant expertise for each audit
• Researching new protocols and technologies to prepare the sales team for customer calls
• Running test suites ahead of audits to ensure a codebase is ready for a Sherlock audit/contest
• Reviewing issues in audits to assess the correctness of the issue and severity, and determining the best‑performing researchers in the audits
• Participating in exclusive Sherlock and, eventually, Blackthorn audits to keep skills sharp

Optional areas of the role include:

• Writing articles on vulnerabilities and exploit postmortems (working with Sherlock’s marketing team)
• Writing code and developing tools to automate and expedite many of the tasks listed above, especially using AI

Requirements

• Strong Solidity knowledge OR strong Rust knowledge
• Intermediate to expert‑level web3 security knowledge
• Strong experience with Git/Github
• Strong written communication skills in English
• Belief in the importance of crypto, and security’s role in crypto’s success

Nice to Haves

• Expert‑level experience with smart contract security
• Experience with Go
• Experience participating in Sherlock contests as an auditor
• Experience participating in Sherlock contests as a judge
• BD/Sales/Marketing skills in addition to the required smart contract security skills
• Development skills (Python, Typescript) and familiarity integrating with AI

What's in it for you

• Attractive base (payable in fiat or crypto) + material tokens/equity + benefits
• Flexible time‑off policy
• Great healthcare
• Multiple offsites each year in places like France, Argentina, Thailand, etc.
• Be a huge contributor on a small elite team focused on an exciting area of blockchain security
• Root access to the decision‑making process/criteria in all areas of Sherlock and the ability to work directly with the founders
• Move quickly and get stuff done on a small, elite team that has already made a big impact in the crypto space
• Play a huge role in defining the future of Sherlock and accomplishing the goal of making crypto/DeFi accessible to everyone