Principal Protocol Engineer

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design and evolution of the Nasdaq Token Design Standard, including token issuance, transfer restriction logic, compliance hooks, corporate action processing, and record date mechanics.
• Author and maintain the full reference implementation library — the proprietary IP that licensees build on — ensuring backward compatibility, clear versioning, and rigorous documentation across protocol upgrades.
• Define governance mechanisms for the standard, balancing Nasdaq's stewardship role with the accessibility requirements of a commercially viable ecosystem.
• Lead chain selection strategy and integration architecture, evaluating permissioned and public infrastructure against settlement finality, throughput, and regulatory defensibility criteria.
• Represent Nasdaq externally as a technical authority — engaging with ecosystem partners, contributing to industry standards bodies, and authoring white papers and public technical documentation.
• Serve as technical lead on integrations with external platforms, custodians, and cross-chain interoperability frameworks.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 4 years in smart contract or protocol-level development.
• Expert-level proficiency in Solidity; working knowledge of Rust (Solana/Substrate) is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated production deployment of security token or regulated asset contracts on a public or permissioned chain.
• Deep understanding of token standards design rationale and U.S. equity market lifecycle mechanics, including corporate actions, record dates, and settlement infrastructure.
• Proven ability to operate as a technical authority — writing specifications, presenting to non-technical audiences, and defending design decisions to partners and regulators.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior authorship or editorial contribution to a token standard (e.g., ERC or equivalent).
• Familiarity with institutional blockchain infrastructure projects involving DTCC, SWIFT, or comparable settlement networks.
• Experience with proxy voting mechanics and their translation to on-chain governance events.