About Vac

Vac builds public good protocols for the decentralized web. We do applied research based on which we build protocols, libraries and publications.

The role

We are seeking a skilled and passionate Software Developer in Test with experience in Low Level Programming to join our Vac QA team. As a Test Automation Engineer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the reliability, performance, and scalability of distributed systems within Vac and the IFT.

Your responsibilities will include automating comprehensive test plans, as well as contributing to the identification and resolution of complex issues. Leveraging your expertise in programming and systems knowledge, you will help validating the functionality of distributed systems.

Key responsibilities

• Implement (Nim, Rust, TS, Python), and maintain integration tests in collaboration with other QAs and Devs.
• Execute and automate test plans, test cases, and test scripts to validate the functionality, performance, and scalability of distributed systems.
• Identify, reproduce, and debug complex issues in distributed systems, working closely with Logos development teams.
• Work with Docker, Kubernetes, and POSIX-like systems.
• Create and maintain scalable test automation frameworks.
• Integrate automated tests into CI pipelines using tools like Github Actions.

You ideally will have

• Solid experience with systems programming languages like Rust, Nim, Go.
• Working knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and POSIX-like systems.
• Experience with scripting languages like Python.
• Knowledge of tests automation tools, best practices and design patterns.
• Excellent written and conversational communication skills.
• Alignment with our core values and principles.

Bonus points

• Experience with off-the-shelf networking stacks such as libp2p.
• Experience in blockchain technology.
• Experience working for an open-source organization.
• Experience with desktop UI automation.

[Don’t worry if you don’t meet all of these criteria, we’d still love to hear from you anyway if you think you’d be a great fit for this role. Just explain to us why in your cover letter].

Hiring process

The hiring process for this role will be:

1. Interview with our POps team
2. Interview with team member from the Vac QA team
3. Take home assignment & interview with team member from the Vac QA team
4. Interview with Vac team lead

The steps may change along the way if we see it makes sense to adapt the interview stages, so please consider the above as a guideline.

Compensation

The expected compensation range for this role is negotiable, dependent on how we assess your skills and experience throughout our interview process. We are happy to pay in any mix of fiat/crypto.

Who we are

P2P networks are at the heart of decentralized technologies and libp2p has quickly gained popularity as the goto p2p stack.

We, the Vac P2P R&D service unit, have successfully implemented and deployed a full fledged libp2p stack, which is now powering the Nimbus Ethereum 2 client as well as Waku.

Our implementation is written in Nim - an efficient, expressive and elegant programming language. Besides developing nim-libp2p, we conduct applied P2P research and take part in the libp2p specification process.

The role:

As the Lead P2P Engineer, you will spearhead a small team dedicated to advancing the nim-libp2p project and conducting libp2p-related research. Your role involves fostering a collaborative and innovative environment where knowledge sharing and skill development thrive. You will oversee the project lifecycle, ensuring the timely delivery of milestones while actively participating in the libp2p community through discussions and events. Your research will drive advancements in libp2p, leading to practical implementations that contribute to specifications, ensuring they are accessible and usable. You will engage with IFT project teams to gather requirements, aligning project goals with broader organizational objectives.

A deep understanding of the full codebase will enable you to address ad-hoc tasks effectively, acting as a resource for your team to focus on their primary responsibilities.

You will implement libp2p protocols according to existing specifications and further the architecture and development of the nim-libp2p implementation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small team of P2P engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and skill development among team members
• Oversee the nim-libp2p project lifecycle, ensuring timely delivery of project milestones.
• Actively participate in the libp2p community, contributing to discussions, and events.
• Conduct research to explore advancements in libp2p
• Create practical implementations of research outputs and contribute to libp2p specifications, ensuring they are accessible and usable.
• Engage with IFT project teams to gather requirements and ensure alignment on project goals.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the full codebase to effectively address and resolve ad-hoc tasks and issues.
• Act as a resource for the team, enabling them to focus on their primary responsibilities by handling urgent or unforeseen technical challenges
• Implement libp2p protocols according to existing specifications
• Further architecture and development of the nim-libp2p implementation

You ideally will have

• A passion for decentralization, P2P and privacy-preserving technology
• Strong leadership skills to mentor and guide a team, fostering collaboration and productivity
• Experience in managing projects, including planning, execution, and stakeholder communication
• Ability to handle team dynamics and resolve conflicts effectively
• Excellent communication skills to interact with team members, stakeholders, and the broader community
• Willingness to adapt to changing project requirements and priorities
• Strong engineering background
• In-depth knowledge of peer-to-peer networking protocols
• Experience with low level/strongly typed languages (C/C++/Go/Rust or Java/C#)
• Experience building networking-heavy applications and p2p networking specifically
• Experience implementing core networking protocols such as Websockets and/or Quic
• Familiar with p2p building blocks such as gossiping, routing and discovery (DHTs), and Nat traversal
• Knowledge of security protocols and practices for securing P2P networks and protecting data
• A strong alignment to our mission

Bonus points

• Experience working remotely
• Experience working for an open source organization
• Previous experience with libp2p - preferably as a direct contributor to the codebase or specifications
• Or, experience with other off-the-shelf networking stacks such as devp2p
• Experience with the Nim language

[Don’t worry if you don’t meet all of these criteria, we’d still love to hear from you anyway if you think you’d be a great fit for this role. Just explain to us why in your cover letter].

Interview Process

• Interview with our POps team
• Interview with a member of an IFT BU using nim-libp2p
• Pair programming interview with a member of an IFT BU using nim-libp2p
• Interview with Vac team lead

Compensation>

The expected compensation range for this role is negotiable, dependent on how we assess your skills and experience throughout our interview process. We are happy to pay in any mix of fiat/crypto.

Apply Now:

Who we are

Vac builds public good protocols for the decentralised web.

We do applied research based on which we build protocols, libraries and publications.

This role is within the Vac ACZ (Applied Cryptography & ZK) unit, which supports various Logos projects.

The role

We are seeking a skilled network engineer to implement and enhance our network components, with a strong emphasis on peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols and robust security measures.

You will analyse technical specifications to grasp requirements and constraints, offering constructive feedback to improve clarity and effectiveness.

Key responsibilities

• Implement network components with a focus on P2P protocols.
• Implement components beyond the network scope.
• Ensure network security and privacy measures are effectively integrated.
• Analyse technical specifications to understand requirements and constraints.
• Provide constructive feedback on specifications to enhance clarity and effectiveness.
• Deconstruct complex network issues to identify root causes.
• Prioritise problems and determine which can be deferred for future resolution.
• Monitor network performance metrics to assess component efficiency.
• Conduct troubleshooting and debugging to resolve issues promptly.
• Review pull requests from team members for quality and adherence to standards.
• Provide actionable feedback to foster team development and improve code quality.

You ideally will have

• Very strong engineering background
• Very strong Rust skills and willingness to learn and work with Nim
• Keen communicator
• Experience with implementing network components
• Experience in, and passion for, blockchain technology
• A strong alignment to our principles

Bonus points if

• Experience with Nim
• Experience with Solidity
• Experience in implementing components of zero-knowledge argument systems and related technologies (zk-SNARK, circom, Nova, Plonk/Halo2, zk-STARK)
• Understanding of zero-knowledge argument systems and related technologies (zk-SNARK, circom, Nova, Plonk/Halo2, zk-STARK), elliptic curve cryptography, and circuit design
• Experience with Open Source software

[Don’t worry if you don’t meet all of these criteria, we’d still love to hear from you anyway if you think you’d be a great fit for this role. Just explain to us why in your cover letter].

Hiring process

The hiring process for this role will be:

1. Interview with our POps team
2. Interview with team member from the Vac team
3. Pair programming task with the Vac team
4. Interview with Vac team lead

The steps may change along the way if we see it makes sense to adapt the interview stages, so please consider the above as a guideline.

Compensation

The expected compensation range for this role is negotiable, dependent on how we assess your skills and experience throughout our interview process. We are happy to pay in any mix of fiat/crypto.