Protocol Security Engineer
Who we are → About Matter Labs
At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. Our mission is to advance freedom for all — through mass adoption of crypto.
To make that real, we’re building ZKsync, a verifiable blockchain network secured by zero‑knowledge proofs. Backed by over $250 million in funding from some of the world’s smartest investors , we move fast, ship often, and judge ourselves by the results we create.
More than 20 teams already run or are building custom ZKsync chains on our network, from crypto leaders like Crypto.com, Abstract, and Lens, to global brands such as Deutsche Bank and Xsolla.
Protocol Security Engineer
We are seeking a Protocol Security Engineer to join our Security Team. This role blends hands-on security work with the opportunity to influence protocol security from the earliest stages of development. You’ll focus on safeguarding ZKsync’s core components—smart contracts, ZK circuits, and blockchain nodes—while staying at the forefront of security research and industry best practices.
This role is ideal for someone who is curious, thrives on breaking systems, and wants to apply that mindset ethically in a high-stakes environment.
What You’ll Be Doing
Intentionally breaking things — conducting threat modeling and internal reviews of Solidity contracts, blockchain state transition functions (Rust), and other critical systems
Tracking the latest hacks, exploits, and attack vectors across the industry, and translating lessons learned into actionable security improvements
Embedding security best practices across development teams and influencing secure design
Taking ownership of protocol components with a focus on secure architecture and implementation
Participating in security investigations and incident response, often under time-sensitive and high-pressure conditions
What We’re Looking For
Curiosity & hacker mindset — you want to know how things break, not just how they work
Strong security instincts with the ability to anticipate adversarial behaviors
Familiarity with recent security incidents in the blockchain space and knowledge of prevention techniques
Practical experience with Solidity smart contracts, ZK circuits, or core blockchain protocols (preferred but not required)
Comfort with protocol-level debugging and root-cause analysis
Proficiency in strongly typed languages (e.g., C++, Scala, Go); Rust and Solidity are our primary languages, but prior experience with them is not mandatory
Deep understanding of algorithms, data structures, and their computational/memory complexities
Experience implementing data structures and algorithms from scratch
Fluent written and spoken English
Work model & pay
Remote‑first: work wherever you’re most effective; optional travel to team or industry events. Ideally East Coast or European time zone.
Freedom & ownership culture: no time tracking, minimum bureaucracy—only results matter.
For more on how we work, check out our Team Handbook.
Benefits snapshot
Competitive compensation, equity, and token package
Premium health, dental, and vision coverage
16 weeks paid parental leave
Flexible paid time off plus company‑wide closure weeks
$2 000 equipment stipend & $300 monthly co‑working allowance
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