Senior Protocol Engineer

Engineering

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Background

Senior Protocol Engineer to build the core chain architecture behind institutional settlement infrastructure. Hands-on consensus, node infrastructure, distributed systems, and cross-chain design. Rust or Go. 5+ years engineering, 3+ in blockchain protocol work.

Global Settlement is building institutional-grade blockchain settlement infrastructure connecting traditional banking to digital markets across stablecoins, commodities, FX, and real-world assets (RWAs). The global reach of SWIFT, rebuilt for real-time, regulated digital asset settlement.

This is protocol engineering, not application development. You'll own node infrastructure, consensus mechanisms, cross-chain systems, and settlement protocol design.

Smart contract work is part of the job. It isn't the center of it. If your experience is primarily Solidity, this isn't the right fit.

Role

Design, build, and operate blockchain node infrastructure and settlement protocol architecture

Implement and tune consensus mechanisms (BFT, PoS, PoA) for enterprise throughput and deterministic finality

Architect cross-chain communication and bridging for multi-network settlement

Drive security, scalability, and reliability across all chain-level systems

Lead research on L1/L2 architectures, emerging protocols, and settlement patterns

Write the RFCs and architecture decision records engineering builds against

Mentor engineers and set infrastructure standards through code review

This role is a hands-on coding role with roughly 80% of your time spent coding, 10% of time spent strategizing and coordinating with team members, and 10% of your time spent documenting

Qualifications

• 5+ years software engineering, 3+ years in blockchain or protocol infrastructure

• Deep hands-on experience with consensus algorithms, node operations, and distributed systems design

• Strong Rust or Go. Java, Solidity, or Python a plus

• Production experience with Ethereum, Cosmos, Hyperledger, Canton, or comparable L1/L2 networks

• Command of cryptographic primitives, key management, and on-chain security

• Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

• Shipped protocol infrastructure to production, not just smart contracts

• Startup work ethic and heavy use of productivity and coding tools to multiply your own output and the team's. You can take a three-bullet brief and execute without hand-holding.

• Nice to have: stablecoin, CBDC, or RWA tokenization systems; cross-chain and interoperability protocols; financial services, payments, or regulated settlement background; digital asset compliance and regulatory requirements

• Note: this is a protocol engineering role scoped to the core chain. The core focus is node infrastructure, consensus mechanisms, cross-chain and bridging design, and settlement protocol architecture. Smart contract work is part of the job but never the center of it. If your experience is primarily Solidity, or application backends without protocol-level work, this may not be the right fit.

• Ground-floor opportunity to architect settlement infrastructure used by sovereign and enterprise clients, with direct impact on how digital assets move through the global financial system. You would be working at the intersection of blockchain infrastructure, traditional finance, and regulatory innovation.

• This role is in person at our office in Miami, Florida. New hires may start remote with the expectation of relocating to Miami within 60 days of their start date. Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

• Join us at Global Settlement and help build the future of digital payments on institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure.