Senior Security Engineer, Digital Assets

About the role

This is a hands-on engineering role focused on crypto-native security capabilities and digital asset development, including secure wallet technologies, key management, cryptographic protocols, smart contract security, tokenization, custody policy enforcement, and advanced blockchain security solutions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of secure wallet solutions, including:
  • Multi-Party Computation (MPC)
  • Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)
  • Cold, warm, and hot wallet architectures
  • Custodial vs. non-custodial control models
  • Distributed key generation and signing workflows that eliminate single points of failure
  • Secure handling of key lifecycle events—generation, storage, usage, rotation, and recovery
• Work closely with Custody Leads to validate cryptographic assumptions and architectural choices
• Design and implement security-critical components leveraging:
  • Modern cryptographic protocols
  • DeFi application security principles
  • Cross-chain and blockchain interoperability patterns
  • Evaluate and integrate advanced technologies such as:
    • Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)
    • Decentralized Identity (DID) frameworks
    • Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) architectures (as applicable)
• Ensure cryptographic designs are auditable, explainable, and production-ready
• Experience with Web3 Security tooling with Slither, Mythril, Foundry Fuzzing
• Experience with common cryptography implementation languages such as C, C++, Rust, Go
• Build and configure programmable custody policy engines, including:
  • Multi-approval and quorum-based workflows
  • Spending thresholds and velocity limits
  • Role-based access controls and segregation of duties
  • Translate risk, compliance, and business rules into deterministic, testable technical policies
  • Ensure policies are observable, enforceable, and version-controlled
• Work in close partnership with:
  • Crypto Custody engineering
  • Enterprise Cybersecurity
  • Risk and compliance stakeholders
• Identify potential vulnerabilities, failure modes, or misconfigurations early
• Support security reviews, threat modeling, and architecture assessments
• Contribute to incident analysis and remediation related to custody or blockchain security events
• Leverage GenAI and agentic AI tools to accelerate:
  • Threat modeling
  • Cryptographic design reviews
  • Documentation and validation
• Evaluate and assess blockchain architectures, protocols, and ecosystems for enterprise suitability
• Design and review smart-contract frameworks and tokenization approaches, including:
  • Tokenized securities
  • Stablecoins
  • Asset representations using ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155, and related standards
  • Assess emerging token lifecycle, settlement, and secure on-chain governance models for applicability to Schwab’s business
• Evaluate and implement secure, cross-chain bridges and interoperability protocols (e.g., lock-and-mint, burn-and-mint, atomic swaps) to facilitate asset and data movement between networks

Requirements

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with strong focus on security or cryptography
• Hands-on experience with secure wallet technologies and key management systems (MPC, HSMs, or equivalent)
• Strong understanding of cryptographic primitives, secure protocol design, and distributed systems
• Experience building systems where security failures have material impact
• Able to collaborate effectively across engineering, security, and risk teams
• Strongly Preferred: Experience with crypto custody platforms, digital assets, or blockchain infrastructure
• Experience with ZKPs, DID frameworks, DeFi protocols, or CBDC-related systems
• Experience implementing policy-driven transaction controls in high-risk systems
• Strong security intuition and ability to reason through complex threat models
• Experience using AI tools to support secure software development

Qualifications

• Experience with crypto custody platforms, digital assets, or blockchain infrastructure
• Experience with ZKPs, DID frameworks, DeFi protocols, or CBDC-related systems
• Experience implementing policy-driven transaction controls in high-risk systems
• Strong security intuition and ability to reason through complex threat models
• Experience using AI tools to support secure software development

Skills

• Experience with secure wallet technologies and key management systems (MPC, HSMs, or equivalent)
• Strong understanding of cryptographic primitives, secure protocol design, and distributed systems
• Experience building systems where security failures have material impact
• Ability to collaborate effectively across engineering, security, and risk teams
• Experience with ZKPs, DID frameworks, DeFi protocols, or CBDC-related systems
• Experience implementing policy-driven transaction controls in high-risk systems
• Strong security intuition and ability to reason through complex threat models
• Experience using AI tools to support secure software development

Benefits

In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.