Lead Blockchain Security Developer
Job description
About the role
Opportunity Overview
OpenZeppelin pioneers the security infrastructure for onchain finance, having enabled over $35 trillion in value through our open-source contract libraries. We partner with the world's most significant institutions to redefine digital finance. Our Secure Development team is currently engaged in the Canton Network, a 24-month, multi-million-dollar initiative to establish open-source DeFi foundations for institutional blockchains. We are seeking a Lead Blockchain Security Developer to own the creation and security of critical Daml primitives for this landmark engagement.
This role represents a new duty order. It requires an individual who operates as a fully AI-native engineer, leveraging internal tooling to drive secure development from conception through production.
Position Summary
You will serve as the lead engineer responsible for the end-to-end security lifecycle of Canton primitives. This involves intake, design, implementation, peer review, and ecosystem integration. You will architect high-ass Daml modules, lead the delivery of reference implementations, and ensure all deliverables meet stringent security standards. Your daily practice will involve deep collaboration with Digital Asset, the Canton Foundation, and our auditors to build the foundations of the world's most institutional blockchain.
About the role
The Lead Blockchain Security Developer role centers on securing the foundational primitives of the Canton Network through a structured, security-first lifecycle. You will act as the primary technical owner for Daml modules that underpin institutional DeFi use cases. This role demands fluency in secure systems design, blockchain protocol constraints, and privacy-preserving computation patterns. You will bridge specification intent and production-grade implementations while maintaining alignment with OpenZeppelin's security ethos and Digital Asset's engineering standards. The position requires proactive risk identification, rigorous peer review, and continuous validation against adversarial models. You will operate at the intersection of protocol design, cryptography, and secure development practices to deliver primitives that institutional clients can rely on.
What you'll do
- Define intake workflows for Canton primitives, establishing clear specifications in concert with Digital Asset and the Canton Foundation.
- Translate specifications into production-ready Reference Implementations, focusing on privacy-preserving DEX, lending protocols, and cross-chain stablecoin settlement.
- Shepherd the development of OZ Daml versions of CIP-56, CIP-86, CIP-103, and CIP-104, coordinating closely with Digital Asset on spec evolution and ChainSafe on middleware alignment.
- Design and implement audited primitives for vaults, hooks, RBAC, credentials, and the messaging gateway, ensuring they are ready for import by Canton developers.
- Conduct client-facing roadmap, design, and milestone discussions, providing transparent updates and driving alignment with project objectives.
- Collaborate with OpenZeppelin's security researchers and auditors, conducting threat models and rigorous reviews for every delivery.
- Operate AI systems as core daily instruments, extending their capabilities by building agents and workflows that amplify the team's effectiveness across the Canton engagement.
- Contribute developer experience and security feedback upstream into the Canton protocol, Splice, the Daml SDK, and the Splice Wallet Kernel.
- Conduct open-ended research into privacy-preserving DeFi, multi-party authorization patterns, and Canton-specific primitives, with opportunities to publish findings and contribute to the open-source community.
Requirements
You possess 3-5 years of experience implementing secure systems, with a proven track record of shipping complex software in production environments.
You have experience designing and implementing secure primitives, including vaults, hooks, RBAC, credentials, and messaging gateways.
You have 3-5 years of blockchain development experience, with hands-on proficiency in DAML and privacy-preserving patterns.
You demonstrate exceptional communication skills, capable of aligning with Digital Asset, the Canton Foundation, and ChainSafe on evolving specifications and priorities.
You have a history of collaborating with auditors, running threat models, and conducting full-stack reviews to ensure the highest security standards.
You use AI systems daily, building and extending agents and workflows that drive secure development efficiency.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience publishing research and contributing upstream to open-source protocol standards.
Tools and Expertise
Core expertise in DAML, Splice, ChainSafe, Digital Asset, and the OpenZeppelin Contracts Library.
Practical Information
This is a remote position. Compensation ranges from $190,000 to $230,000 USD per year. Please apply with a detailed resume and relevant work samples.