Senior Software Engineer, Data Programs

About Protocol Labs

Protocol Labs drives breakthroughs in computing to push humanity forward. Protocol Labs is a product-development lab, but behind the protocols and tools we build, behind the research and implementations, are passionate people, teammates, and community members. Most teams in the Protocol Labs Network are fully distributed and work remotely around the world. Engineers, researchers, and operators work in the open to improve the internet — humanity's most important technology — as we explore new advances at the intersection of many exciting fields (crypto, networks, distributed systems) and cultures (startups, research, open-source, distributed work).

Engineering at Protocol Labs is not just about writing world-class code. We create software systems that tackle significant challenges. In re-decentralizing the web, we work on hundreds of open source projects pursuing everything from research to end-user products. We engage both with the technical pieces that make up our systems, and the users and communities that make them run. All of this happens in an environment defined by curiosity, passion, and a love for open source.

This role is part of the Data Programs team, which focuses on building and supporting programs, incentive mechanisms, and tools to drive data onboarding on the Filecoin network (filecoin.io). You can learn about some of our existing projects and more at:

• https://slingshot.filecoin.io. A community program to store important open datasets on the Filecoin network, ensuring that they are preserved for many generations to come.
• https://evergreen.filecoin.io. A data preservation experiment to track data health and develop self-healing of useful datasets stored on Filecoin.
• https://datasets.filecoin.io. The Slingshot Dataset Explorer to identify and locate datasets on the Filecoin network, onboarded through the Slingshot program

As a Software Engineer, Data Programs, you will...

• Work directly with large-scale Filecoin users to design, measure, and optimize their decentralized data systems.
• Use this hands-on knowledge to contribute improvements to Filecoin’s core protocol and implementations.
• Build great software, tooling, and systems that other companies and individuals will use to achieve their goals.
• Scale systems sustainably through mechanisms like automation, and evolve systems by pushing for changes that improve reliability and developer velocity.
• Work alongside a cross-functional team including software design & development, product management, and ecosystem engineers. Provide technical leadership, support, and best-practices to stakeholders across the PL Network (inside/outside the org).
• Deeply understand the challenges in the Web3 ecosystem as they relate to Filecoin and IPFS.

What we’re looking for:

A proactive and autonomous builder who can solve problems within complex systems and execute with code. You enjoy diving deep into technical elements of your projects, and bring a strong sense of pragmatism and end-to-end problem solving to your work.

• You are a senior level or above software engineer.
• Ideally, you have worked on at least one project with users that involved large amounts of data storage and network traffic.
• You have some interest in IPFS and Filecoin, or in the decentralized web/Web3 space.
• You’re familiar with open source work and the Go programming language, or you are someone who is willing to pick the language up and you have the foundation to do so.
• You have a keen awareness of teamwork and patterns of successful cross-functional collaboration.
• You have a B.Sc. in Computer Science or similar experience. A degree is not required but a lot of what we do requires a computer science foundation.
• Place high value in documentation, and sharing of knowledge through effective written and verbal communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Bonus Points

• Experience working remotely in a distributed team.
• Experience with Open Source Software.
• Experience at the intersections of software engineering with related disciplines (especially storage, filesystems, partner engineering, solutions architecture, infrastructure, or reliability engineering)
• Experience with decentralized building blocks such as content addressing, smart contracts, blockchains, p2p networking, etc.

What’s it like to work at Protocol Labs?

Protocol Labs' mission is to improve humanity’s most important technology, the Internet. We build protocols, systems, and tools to improve how it works. Today, we are focused on how we store, locate, and move information. Our projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and more. 

As a distributed team, we hire anywhere in the world, and at various levels of experience (entry, senior, staff). We look for people with unique perspectives and diverse backgrounds.

The base pay for this position currently ranges from $181,000 to $250,000, plus cryptocurrency and opportunities for upside through performance rewards in cryptocurrency.  The base pay is based on a number of factors and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, experience, skills, abilities, training, and education. We also have a great benefits package, including parental and other forms of leave, contributions to your retirement, and unlimited time off. For U.S.-based employees, we also provide competitive health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.

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