Senior Protocol Engineer
Job description
About the role
The team defines the architecture for privacy preserving zero knowledge protocols, and the role translates this vision into reliable distributed systems. This position drives the design of core infrastructure so that product teams can build secure, user controlled applications at scale.
Software engineers turn product ideas into working code. Engineers work in small teams, review each other's work, and ship in small batches. Most teams follow agile practices such as sprints and daily standups. Engineers also write tests, fix bugs, and improve performance. The field values clear communication as much as technical skill. Engineers spend part of every week on planning, code review, and debugging, not just writing new code. The ability to explain a technical decision in plain words separates strong engineers from the rest.
Key facts
What you'll do
High uptime is sustained through ownership of the monitoring and alerting stack, with rapid response during on call rotations for production incidents and outages. Functionality is exposed to product teams through well designed interfaces and APIs that wrap core protocol operations.
Requirements
The posting states a minimum of 3 years of experience.
Five or more years of software engineering experience is required to handle complex distributed systems responsibilities. Two to three or more years of professional Rust experience is required for low level system programming and distributed systems integration. A solid foundation in blockchain concepts is required, with prior contribution to a blockchain project strongly preferred. Low level system programming or distributed systems design experience is required to create and maintain performant, safe protocols.
Practical notes
US employment authorization is required, and the role operates as a fully remote position under equal opportunity employment policies. Team collaboration occurs with infrastructure and protocol engineers during standard working hours. Typical interview steps
Hiring for engineering roles usually starts with a recruiter screen, followed by one or two technical rounds. Candidates often solve a coding problem, discuss past projects, and answer system design questions. Some loops include a take-home task. Final rounds typically cover team fit and give candidates a chance to ask questions. Interviewers look for how you break down an unfamiliar problem, not just whether you reach the answer. Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best preparation.
Good to know
Roles in this field often involve low level system programming and distributed systems design. Common tools include systems programming languages and protocols that prioritize security and privacy. Professionals in this area typically work with blockchain infrastructure and zero knowledge technologies.
Questions to ask
Useful questions for the interview: what a typical week looks like, how work is assigned, what tools the team uses, and how feedback works. Asking how the role has changed recently and what the team wishes it had known when joining is also reasonable. Questions about the manager's priorities are especially valued.
Career growth
Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.
About the company
At Provable, our mission is to redefine trust and privacy in the digital world. By creating tools that simplify the complexities of zero-knowledge technology, we empower developers to build applications that prioritize security, user control and scalability.