Specialty Software Engineer 3

Kelly Services; Concord (CA); Hybrid; USD 98,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Kelly Services in Concord, CA is seeking a Specialty Software Engineer for a long-term contract opportunity. Hybrid work setup with a competitive compensation and exposure to a leading financial institution.

Core work includes building a custom blockchain app using Go, Cosmos SDK, and CometBFT, implementing privacy-preserving primitives, and designing a scalable KVStore state machine for encrypted balances.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of Specialty Software Engineering experience or equivalent.
• 3+ years of backend or systems programming with Go (Golang).
• 6+ months of ECC experience.
• 1+ year of distributed systems, with peer-to-peer networking and state replication.

Responsibilities

• Consult on or participate in moderately complex initiatives within Specialty Software Engineering and contribute to large-scale planning.
• Review and analyze moderately complex challenges requiring in-depth evaluation of variables.
• Contribute to resolution of issues and consult with others to meet deliverables while following policies and compliance.
• Collaborate with client personnel in Specialty Software Engineering.
• Core Protocol Development: Architect and build a custom blockchain application using Go, Cosmos SDK, and CometBFT.
• Cryptographic Implementation: Implement privacy-preserving primitives like Pedersen Commitments and Bulletproofs.
• Consensus Customization: Engineer custom ABCI++ extensions for an on-chain MPC mixing network.
• State Machine Design: Design a KVStore state machine for homomorphic balances.
• Performance Engineering: Optimize cryptographic operations for latency and throughput.
• Auditing Infrastructure: Build secure off-chain query layers and granular auditing mechanisms.

Skills

Go (Golang)

Backend systems

ECC

P2P networking

Tools

Cosmos SDK

CometBFT / Tendermint

gnark-crypto

Ristretto255

Job description

$70.63 - $79.58

Outstanding long-term contract opportunity! A well-known Financial Services Company is looking for a Specialty Software Engineer in Concord, CA (Hybrid).

Work with the brightest minds at one of the largest financial institutions in the world. This is a long-term contract opportunity that includes a competitive benefit package! Our client has been around for over 150 years and is continuously innovating in today's digital age. If you want to work for a company that is not only a household name, but also truly cares about satisfying customers' financial needs and helping people succeed financially.

Contract Duration: 12 Months

Required Skills & Experience

• 4+ years of Specialty Software Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work or consulting experience, training, military experience, education.

• 3+ years of experience in backend or systems programming, with expert-level proficiency in Go (Golang)

• 6+ months of experience with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

• 1+ year of experience with BFT consensus algorithms, P2P networking, and state replication; reliable, distributed systems experience

Desired Skills & Experience

• Blockchain Core: Deep experience with Cosmos SDK and CometBFT. Comfort building custom modules and modifying consensus logic, not just deploying smart contracts

• Pedersen Commitments (Homomorphic encryption properties)

• Zero-Knowledge Proofs (specifically Bulletproofs or Sigma protocols)

• Math-to-Code: Demonstrated ability to read academic whitepapers/preprints and translate mathematical specifications into functioning code

• Experience with MPC (Multi-Party Computation) or Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) schemes

• Familiarity with the Ristretto255 curve or libraries like gnark-crypto

• Background in FinTech, payment systems, or high-frequency trading platforms

• Understanding of the Account Model vs. UTXO Model trade-offs in privacy-preserving ledgers

What You Will Be Doing

• Consult on or participate in moderately complex initiatives and deliverables within Specialty Software Engineering and contribute to large-scale planning related to Specialty Software Engineering deliverables.

• Review and analyze moderately complex Specialty Software Engineering challenges that require an in-depth evaluation of variable factors.

• Contribute to the resolution of moderately complex issues and consult with others to meet Specialty Software Engineering deliverables while leveraging solid understanding of the function, policies, procedures, and compliance requirements.

• Collaborate with client personnel in Specialty Software Engineering.

• Core Protocol Development: Architect and build a custom blockchain application using Go, Cosmos SDK, and CometBFT (Tendermint)

• Cryptographic Implementation: Implement and optimize privacy-preserving primitives, specifically Pedersen Commitments and Bulletproofs (Range Proofs), ensuring no trusted setup is required

• Consensus Customization: Engineer custom ABCI++ extensions (specifically PrepareProposal and Vote Extensions) to implement an on-chain Multi-Party Computation (MPC) mixing network

• State Machine Design: Design a custom KVStore state machine that manages homomorphic encrypted balances (Elliptic Curve points) instead of plaintext integers

• Performance Engineering: Optimize cryptographic operations (scalar multiplication, point addition) for low latency and high throughput in a distributed environment

• Auditing Infrastructure: Build secure off-chain query layers and "view key" mechanisms that allow for granular, permissioned regulatory auditing

Motion Recruitment Partners (MRP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants must be currently authorized to work on a full-time basis in the country for which they are applying, and no sponsorship is currently available. Employment is subject to the successful completion of a pre-employment screening. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under MRP’s Employment Accommodation policy. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance.