Senior Validator Engineer (Remote - EU) at START Munich in Remote

The company develops a coordination layer and infrastructure protocol built on Solana that enhances network performance, reliability, and scalability. The platform introduces novel transaction types, mitigates MEV, and enables customizable execution environments through features like edge compute zones, guaranteed transaction inclusion, and deterministic execution. It solves a fundamental coordination problem with distributed networks, making crypto apps as powerful, fast, and precise as traditional tech systems. Designed for developers and institutions, their offer aims to make decentralized applications faster, more predictable, and resilient under load, narrowing the gap between blockchain performance and what modern real‑world apps require. They’re looking for a Senior Validator Engineer based anywhere in Europe (Remote), to join their team As a Senior Validator Engineer, you will spearhead our engineering efforts surrounding the Solana Validator (both Agave and Firedancer), driving the innovation and implementation of next-generation high-performance distributed systems. You will work with a highly proficient team of core engineers who have all contributed to foundational and novel network components. You are highly motivated to contribute to the company's mission and be part of something bigger. You are excited to work on projects that are ground-breaking and complex. You will join a team building an entire platform written in Rust, which connects the L1 and L2s and allows us to create deeply complex scenarios and interactions with the running network. While your primary focus for this role is Rust and complex interactions with different components, you may also be involved with other types of development, including exposure to the C-coded Firedancer validator. Working at every level of the stack is necessary to understand the big picture and how everything is wired together. MISSIONS Refactor, improve and lead software design and implementation Communicate effectively with the team and document your code, and mentor less experienced engineers. Read and understand protocol specifications and be able to break them into issues and turn them into code. Maintaining a large codebase with many components and keeping it well-designed, future-proofed, modular and highly performant Automate security testing processes and benchmarks, creating innovative tools and frameworks for continuously improving our systems. Participate in frequent group discussions on architecture, new design specs and code reviews. We are all deeply committed to frequently shipping quality code. Requirements A bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, coupled with practical experience in blockchain systems. At least 3 years of experience in blockchain and distributed systems, with a deep technical understanding of L1 and L2 architectures. Ideally Solana. You have worked on Solana Validators and have experience with Agave and Firedancer. Experience in writing efficient low-level or performance critical Rust code. You have experience with the C language Strong proficiency in Rust, with at least 2-3 years of Rust experience. Demonstrated experience in designing, developing, and deploying scalable distributed systems. An analytical mindset with the ability to anticipate and mitigate emerging security threats, leveraging a comprehensive understanding of the blockchain landscape. Direct involvement in the Solana ecosystem, with contributions to Solana's runtime, scheduler, or other core systems. Preferred Qualifications : Proficiency and experience in writing C code. Active open-source contributions in core protocol engineering (such as Firedancer, Reth, Lighthouse, Geth, …). Active engagement with the blockchain security research community, evidenced by contributions to open-source projects, publications, or presentations at notable conferences. Benefits Location : Remote - Anywhere in Europe Interview Process : Hiring Manager Interview Technical Interview Founder / CEO Interview