Staff Protocol Engineer in Quinta de Portugal, Castelo Branco at Jobgether

This position is posted by Jobgether on behalf of a partner company. We are currently looking for a Staff Protocol Engineer in Portugal.

This is a high-impact engineering role focused on building the next generation of scalable blockchain infrastructure and payment-focused distributed systems. You will contribute to the evolution of a globally adopted blockchain ecosystem, driving innovations in throughput optimization, transaction execution, and low-latency network performance. Working at the intersection of protocol engineering, distributed systems, and AI-assisted development, you will help shape architectures designed for real-world financial applications operating at internet scale. The role offers the opportunity to work on advanced initiatives such as proposer-builder separation, MEV mitigation, parallelized execution, and near-instant transaction finality. You will collaborate closely with research, security, DevOps, and engineering teams in a highly technical, remote-first environment. This position is ideal for a senior engineer passionate about decentralized systems, performance optimization, and building infrastructure that powers millions of users worldwide.

In this role, you will lead the design and implementation of advanced blockchain protocol improvements while contributing to the long-term scalability and resilience of distributed systems infrastructure.

• Design and deliver next-generation scalability solutions, including throughput optimization and high-performance execution architectures
• Lead protocol initiatives related to proposer-builder separation (PBS), MEV mitigation, and transaction ordering systems
• Develop parallelized transaction execution models within EVM-based environments to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks
• Drive low-latency transaction experiences through pre-confirmation mechanisms and near-instant finality solutions
• Build and optimize core blockchain infrastructure components, including contributions to Ethereum-compatible clients and distributed systems tooling
• Explore specialized execution pathways for payment-focused use cases such as stablecoin transactions
• Collaborate with research, security, and infrastructure teams to safely deploy protocol upgrades into production environments
• Apply AI-assisted development tools to accelerate prototyping, testing, performance analysis, and deployment cycles
• Mentor engineers and establish high standards for system design, code quality, and technical excellence
• Evaluate and integrate AI/ML techniques for protocol observability, anomaly detection, and predictive system optimization

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in distributed systems and blockchain infrastructure with strong leadership capabilities and hands-on engineering experience.

• 7+ years of experience in backend, distributed systems, or protocol engineering roles
• Strong proficiency in Golang and experience building large-scale distributed systems or blockchain infrastructure
• Hands-on experience with Ethereum clients such as Geth or similar protocol-level systems
• Proven track record of architecting and delivering high-performance, production-grade systems
• Strong understanding of system scalability, latency optimization, and resource efficiency
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or equivalent platforms
• Ability to independently evaluate and apply AI/ML approaches within distributed systems environments
• Experience operating in fast-moving environments with evolving technical specifications
• Strong communication and collaboration skills within distributed global teams
• Familiarity with MEV, PBS, parallel execution models, or high-performance runtime architectures is highly desirable
• Open-source blockchain contributions or protocol-level engineering experience are considered strong assets

• Remote-first global work environment with flexible work arrangements
• Competitive compensation package aligned with industry standards
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage (country-specific)
• Flexible paid time off policy
• Home office setup allowance
• Monthly internet or phone reimbursement
• AI tooling allowance to support productivity and experimentation
• Company-issued laptop and equipment
• Wellness, mental health, and family support programs
• Opportunities to work on cutting-edge blockchain and AI-driven technologies at global scale