Founding Engineer

On behalf of a well-funded early-stage Web3 startup, we’re partnering with a highly ambitious early-stage company building next-generation infrastructure in the onchain wallet space. Their focus is on creating a fully onchain wallet architecture that removes reliance on centralized systems, unlocking a more secure, composable, and developer-friendly experience.

The platform is already deeply aligned with Solana, with plans to expand into Ethereum and broader EVM ecosystems.

This is a true founding-level opportunity to own engineering from day one and work directly with the founder to shape both product and company trajectory.

The Role 🚀

As the Founding Engineer, you will lead and drive the entire engineering function. This is a highly hands-on role with full ownership of a complex, multi-layered system spanning smart contracts, backend infrastructure, SDKs, and frontend applications.

A core focus will be smart contract development on Solana, alongside designing systems that can scale across EVM chains over time.

You’ll also act as the technical leader—partnering closely with the founder on product, go-to-market strategy, hiring, and long-term vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and build the full stack end-to-end (protocol, SDKs, services, and UI)
• Lead smart contract development across Solana and future EVM integrations
• Design and scale core protocol architecture with a systems-first mindset
• Maintain high standards for security and reliability, including audit coordination
• Build backend systems, developer tooling, and user-facing applications
• Represent engineering in technical discussions with partners and stakeholders
• Help hire and grow the engineering team
• Define engineering culture, processes, and technical direction

What We’re Looking For

• Exceptional engineer with experience building complex systems from the ground up
• Deep expertise in Solana (SVM) and strong familiarity with Ethereum/EVM ecosystems
• Proven experience developing and deploying smart contracts in production
• Strong full-stack capabilities with a product-focused mindset
• Experience building SDKs, APIs, or developer platforms
• Familiarity with zero-knowledge (ZK) infrastructure is a strong plus
• Experience working on money movement systems (ledgering, settlement, reconciliation)
• Prior experience leading or managing engineers

Technical Requirements

• Strong proficiency in Rust (especially for Solana development)
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript
• Experience with Solana SDKs and tooling (e.g. Solana SDK 2.0)
• Familiarity with EVM tooling (e.g. web3.js or equivalent libraries)
• Experience with modern web frameworks (React, Next.js, Node.js)
• Comfortable working across the stack

Ideal Profile

• Player/coach who can both lead and execute at a high level
• Strong product intuition and high standards for UX and engineering quality
• Bias for action and strong ownership mentality
• Systems thinker who designs for scale and long-term maintainability
• Clear communicator, able to engage technical and non-technical audiences
• Thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous startup environments

Why This Role?

• Foundational role with full ownership of engineering
• Direct partnership with the founder
• Opportunity to build in the Solana ecosystem while shaping multi-chain expansion
• Build and lead a team from the ground up
• Work on cutting-edge problems in smart contracts, identity, and onchain infrastructure