Research Engineer (Specifications) Full Time

The Web3 Foundation nurtures and stewards technologies and applications for the decentralised web. We collaborate with cutting-edge developer teams, researchers and community leaders to strengthen and extend the uses of decentralised technologies; building the future of identity, privacy, financial markets, commerce, and more.

Our core project at the moment is Polkadot, a protocol designed to connect blockchains and allow them to interoperate, share security and more. In addition, we are supporting the development of a number of technologies that form the Web 3.0 tech stack – such as decentralised messaging, distributed storage and secret management.

About the Role & Spec at Web3 Foundation

To encourage the adoption of our technologies and make the protocol accessible to other developers to re-implement and incorporate in their applications, as well as to increase transparency and auditability of the designed technologies and protocols, it is essential to maintain up-to-date specification of our technology stack. As part of the Spec team you will work closely with the Research team as well as with developers who are implementing Web3 technologies and protocols.

We are a lean team with a flat organisation. You will be working closely together with team members in Zug, Switzerland and in remote locations, as well as with diverse service suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Study documentation produced by the research team and engage with them to understand the protocol and algorithms.
• Turn protocol designed by the research team into implementable specification.
• Study and review code as well as write up specifications for those protocols by removing implementation details.
• Review and test implementations of specifications and inform implementers about the potential discrepancies between the code and the specification.
• Design and develop the Polkadot cross-implementation testsuite to ensure network safety and performance
• Shepherd the standardisation process together with the community
• Support implementers in their development of Polkadot hosts and runtimes

Requirements

• Solid Programming skills in one or more language, ideally Rust
• BSc or MSc in Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent work experience
• Experience in writing specifications and technical documents.
• Experience contributing to open source projects and demonstrated familiarity with open source communities
• Knowledge and understanding of blockchain technologies and applications as well as the theoretical concepts behind it

A Plus

• Experience in research and/or collaborating with researchers
• Formal Verification experience
• Programming experience in JavaScript, C++, Go or WASM

To apply to this position, we ask you to answer a few questions in the application form, and to submit your CV and a cover letter, telling us a bit about yourself and your motivation to join us.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and employee benefits
• Company retreats at unique locations around Europe
• Opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary team working on cutting edge technologies
• Hybrid working environment if employed in Switzerland

For more information about us, visit us on:

• Web3 Foundation website: https://web3.foundation/
• Polkadot website: https://polkadot.network/
• Github: https://github.com/w3f/polkadot-overview