Principal Security Engineer (Solana)
OpenZeppelin
WorldwideremotePosted 12 days ago
Skill Required
Security-EngineerBlockchain-EngineerSmart-Contract-DeveloperPrincipal-EngineerWeb3-EngineerPrincipal-Security-EngineerSenior-Principal-Security-EngineerPrincipal-Security-Software-EngineerPrincipal-Cybersecurity-EngineerPrincipal-Information-Security-EngineerPrincipal-Security-ArchitectSecurity EngineersecuritySolanaSolidityEngineeringBlockchainCryptographydesigningEthereumbuildingEmbedded CExpressdesignDeFiWeb3.jsandAIFulltime
Key highlights
- Principal-level role with end-to-end ownership of Solana projects.
- 3+ years of production Solana experience required.
- Deep SVM fluency and contributions to Solana standards.
- Security-first mindset with adversarial thinking.
- AI-native workflow with measurable productivity gains.
- Fully remote work with flexible benefits.
Role overview
OpenZeppelin is seeking a Principal Solana Developer to lead technical direction for Solana work, focusing on confidential computing, token standards, and developer tooling. The role involves end-to-end ownership of Solana projects, collaboration with the Solana Foundation, and leveraging AI-native workflows. The team emphasizes security-first development, AI integration, and cross-ecosystem contributions.
Responsibilities
- Lead Solana workstreams end-to-end, from architecture to deployment and post-launch hardening.
- Build production-grade programs and libraries with security as the primary constraint.
- Own hard design questions for Solana, including storage, compute cost models, upgradability, and governance.
- Run client-facing roadmap and design discussions independently.
- Raise the technical standards of the team and shorten the ramp for new hires.
- Represent OpenZeppelin in the ecosystem, engaging with the Solana Foundation and standards discussions.
- Use AI as a core daily tool to amplify team effectiveness and share learnings.
- Collaborate with blockchain security researchers on cross-team research and threat analysis.
Requirements
- 3+ years building on Solana in production, with programs others depend on.
- Demonstrated ability to lead multi-quarter workstreams, making consequential technical calls.
- Deep SVM fluency, including account model, program derived addresses, and compute budgeting.
- Contributions to Solana standards (e.g., Solana Improvement Documents, SPL extensions).
- Experience working alongside a foundation or core protocol team.
- Proficiency in Anchor and direct runtime interaction, understanding the cost implications of each choice.
- Security-first mindset with adversarial thinking and experience auditing, breaking, or hardening production systems.
- AI-native workflow with measurable productivity gains, clear opinions on tool usage, and at least one shipped AI-powered tool.
- Fluency in client-facing communication (English) for roadmap calls, design defenses, and stakeholder translation.
- Alignment with OpenZeppelin's values (intellectual curiosity, strong sense of purpose, attention to detail).
Nice to have
- Public standing in the Solana ecosystem (widely used programs, research, or talks).
- Cryptography background (e.g., fully homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge systems).
- Compute unit and cost optimization depth (e.g., Pinocchio, record of making expensive programs cheap).
- Prior audit or security research output (e.g., published reports, CTF participation).
- Experience applying AI to security work (e.g., audit assistance, fuzzing, invariant analysis).
- Hands-on experience with other non-EVM ecosystems (e.g., Move, Stellar, Arbitrum Stylus, Starknet).
Benefits
- Company gatherings around the world.
- Fully remote work flexibility.
- Flexible time off.
- 8 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers, 4 weeks for secondary caregivers, and a $3,600 baby bonus.
- Up to $500 in equipment support for home office.
- Medical insurance.
- Learning and development opportunities.
- Monthly stipend for preferred co-working space.
Additional details
- The engagement involves confidential computing on Solana, including FHE primitives, token standards, and developer abstractions.
- The role is public and coordinated directly with the Solana Foundation.
- The team uses AI-native tooling for every phase of secure development.
- The interview process is fast (~30 days from first call to offer).
- OpenZeppelin may use AI tools to assist in reviewing applications, but all hiring decisions involve human review.
- The role involves representing OpenZeppelin in the ecosystem and contributing to open-source libraries.