Senior Software Engineer, Protocol (Rust)

OP Labs builds Optimism, an open-source blockchain network that powers the next generation of financial infrastructure. Hundreds of companies—from global enterprises like Sony, Coinbase, Kraken, Uniswap, OKX, and Bitpanda to ambitious early-stage builders—use the OP Stack to launch their own blockchains and bring users onchain. Over 65% of Layer 2 activity on Ethereum runs through the OP Stack. We are a small, fast-moving team with a remote-friendly culture, though our NYC office serves as our hub. Backed by $178M from investors like a16z and Paradigm, we’re scaling the OP Stack to support over 50% of Ethereum’s L2 activity while building OP Enterprise, which enables major institutions to launch and operate OP Stack chains.

About the role

As a member of the Protocol Team, you’ll design and operate the core specifications and clients defining the OP Stack. This role offers the chance to shape the underlying protocol while developing differentiated capabilities for enterprise chain operators. Near-term projects may include:

• Developing kona-node and related Rust-based consensus-client infrastructure as a fully compatible, production-ready alternative to op-node.
• Implementing native account abstraction across the stack.
• Building premium protocol capabilities to support OP Enterprise.

We’re looking for mission-driven contributors who thrive on complex computer science challenges and deliver high-quality, high-velocity code.

Responsibilities

• Own features through the full lifecycle: architecture, implementation, documentation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to maximize impact.
• Develop rigorous conformance and adversarial tests to ensure implementation compatibility.
• Execute safe protocol upgrades and resolve complex availability/performance issues.
• Leverage AI-assisted engineering tools while maintaining rigorous standards for correctness, security, review, and technical ownership.

Requirements

• Professional experience shipping production software and maintainable Rust systems.
• Deep knowledge of Ethereum (EVM, JSON-RPC, clients) and distributed systems.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and communicate complex design decisions effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with op-node, kona, or Reth implementations.
• Ability to read and navigate production Go code while migrating behavior into Rust.
• Proficiency in Solidity for system-level smart contracts (bonus).