Senior or Staff Software Engineer, Protocol Engineer

TRM Labs; United States; Remote; USD 190,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading blockchain intelligence company as a Senior Engineer, focusing on network protocol design and distributed systems. You'll work on cutting-edge projects that combat illicit activities while collaborating with experts across various fields. This role offers the chance to make a significant impact in building a safer financial system for billions. With a remote-first culture, you will thrive in a fast-paced environment, driving innovation and mentorship within the team.

Benefits

Equity Plan

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in designing and implementing network protocols and distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with peer-to-peer networking and real-time communication systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build highly scalable, reliable distributed systems.
• Research, design, and productionize proprietary network and blockchain protocols.
• Mentor fellow team members and participate in code reviews.

Skills

Networking

Protocol Design

Systems Engineering

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Rust

C++

Java

TCP/IP

HTTP

gRPC

libp2p

Kafka

Kubernetes

Docker

Elasticsearch

Job description

TRM Labs is a blockchain intelligence company committed to fighting crime and creating a safer world. By leveraging blockchain data, threat intelligence, and advanced analytics, our products empower governments, financial institutions, and crypto businesses to combat illicit activity and global security threats. At TRM, you'll join a mission-driven, fast-paced team made up of experts in law enforcement, data science, engineering, and financial intelligence, tackling complex global challenges daily. Whether analyzing blockchain data, developing cutting-edge tools, or collaborating with global organizations, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

TRM’s Blockchain Infrastructure team is responsible for monitoring the flows of data on blockchain networks. We are looking for a Senior Engineer with deep expertise in network protocol design and implementation, as well as strong foundations in systems engineering and distributed systems. You will lead projects from research and ideation through protocol feasibility and production, with a focus on network or blockchain runtimes . This is a unique opportunity to apply your low-level systems and networking expertise to help build a safer financial system for billions of people. Blockchain knowledge is preferred but if you are deep into networking or cryptography protocols, the team would love to talk to you.

The impact you’ll have here:

• Architect and build highly scalable, reliable, and data-heavy distributed systems that will integrate a variety of data sources
• Build and maintain performant, production-grade systems from whiteboard to deployment
• Research, design, and productionize proprietary network and blockchain protocols, focusing on client-server and peer-to-peer (p2p) communication layers
• Design and optimize protocol behaviors including message passing, consensus, synchronization, and fault tolerance in distributed environments
• Work across the stack (databases, caches, application code, deployment pipelines) to resolve technical challenges end-to-end
• Mentor fellow team members and participate in code reviews and design reviews
• Collaborate cross-functionally with data scientists, designers, and product managers to define and implement services.
• Drive innovation around challenges in p2p networking, libp2p, block propagation, chain re-org detection, and network observability

What we’re looking for:

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science or related field
• Extensive experience in designing and implementing network protocols and distributed systems
• Proficiency in lower-level programming languages such as Rust, C++, or Java, and familiarity with systems and networking technologies such as TCP/IP, HTTP, gRPC, libp2p, Kafka, Kubernetes, Docker, and Elasticsearch
• Hands-on experience with peer-to-peer networking, client-server protocol development, and real-time communication systems preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; clear documentation and succinct communication are very important.
• Ability to work independently, be proactive, prioritize, communicate, and set and meet goals
• Flexibility to coordinate across global time zones and an ability to work independently with minimal oversight
• Strong interest in acquiring knowledge in any Blockchain at the protocol level and Networks
• A passion for solving complex network and protocol challenges at scale, and building systems that are robust, performant, and secure

About TRM's Engineering Levels:

Engineer: Responsible for helping to define project milestones and executing small decision decisions independently with the appropriate tradeoffs between simplicity, readability, and performance. Provides mentorship to junior engineers, and enhances operational excellence through tech debt reduction and knowledge sharing.

Senior Engineer: Successfully designs and documents system improvements and features for an OKR/project from the ground up. Consistently delivers efficient and reusable systems, optimizes team throughput with appropriate tradeoffs, mentors team members, and enhances cross-team collaboration through documentation and knowledge sharing.

Staff Engineer:Drives scoping and execution of one or more OKRs/projects that impact multiple teams. Partners with stakeholders to set the team vision and technical roadmaps for one or more products. Is a role model and mentor to the entire engineering organization. Ensures system health and quality with operational reviews, testing strategies, and monitoring rigor.

The following represents the estimated range of compensation for this role:

• Individual pay is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. The compensation details listed in this posting reflect the US base salary only
• The estimated base salary range for this role is $190,000 - $220,000.
• Additionally, this role may be eligible to participate in TRM’s equity plan.
• Please note – we factor in the different costs for geographies outside the United States

Life at TRM Labs

Leadership Principles

Our LPs are foundational elements of our strategy, guiding how we make decisions, how we treat each other, and how we behave day-to-day.

• Impact-Oriented Trailblazer – We put customers first, driving for speed, focus, and adaptability.
• Master Craftsperson– We prioritize speed, high standards, and distributed ownership.
• Inspiring Colleague– We value humility, candor, and a one-team mindset.

Accelerate your Career

Join a mission-driven team of industry leaders and make a real-world impact—disrupting terrorist networks, recovering stolen funds, and more. At TRM, you will:

• Work alongside top experts and learn every day.
• Embrace a growth mindset with development opportunities tailored to your role.
• Take on high-impact challenges in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Thrive as a Global Team

As a remote-first company, TRM Labs is built for global collaboration.

• We cultivate a strong remote culture through clear communication, thorough documentation, and meaningful relationships.
• We invest in offsites, regional meetups, virtual coffee chats, and onboarding buddies to foster collaboration.
• By prioritizing trust and belonging, we harness the strengths of a global team while staying aligned with our mission and values.

Join our mission!

We’re looking for team members who thrive in fast-paced, high-impact environments and love building from the ground up. TRM is remote-first, with an exceptionally talented global team. If you enjoy solving tough problems and seeing your work make a difference for billions of people, we want you here.Don’t worry if your experience doesn’t perfectly match a job description— we value passion, problem-solving, and unique career paths. If you’re excited about TRM’s mission, we want to hear from you.

Recruitment agencies

TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.
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