Senior Software Engineer, Core

Position Overview

Join the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) and work on cutting-edge blockchain technology that creates equitable access to the global financial system. Since 2014, SDF has powered the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network — an open-source platform used globally by developers and companies to build financial solutions. In this role, you will design, build, and implement changes to Stellar Core, the primary distributed system maintaining Stellar’s ledger and ensuring global consensus. You’ll tackle diverse challenges, from enhancing network performance and decentralization to developing robust incentive mechanisms for network participants.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build key components of Stellar Core — the backbone software behind the Stellar Network.
• Develop robust, scalable, and extensible technologies that empower our developers and network participants.
• Collaborate on new architectures and subsystems with the CTO, engineering team, and open source community.
• Write clean, maintainable code with emphasis on edge case analysis and future-proofing.
• Own core subsystems of Stellar Core to help the team hit critical product milestones.
• Engage in code reviews, design discussions, and contribute to best engineering practices at SDF.
• Investigate and refactor performance bottlenecks to continue scaling the system.
• Author detailed technical feature and protocol (RFC) specifications as part of the design process.

Required Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience developing software on a team.
• BS or MS in Computer Science or an equivalent field.
• Proficiency in writing code in modern C++ or Rust within a production environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to lead technical discussions during design and code reviews.
• Strong understanding of software design patterns to build reusable, extensible, and modular components.
• Familiarity with development best practices and tools, coupled with a passion for technological innovation.
• Experience in performance debugging and benchmarking.
• Enthusiasm for working on a small, growing team where autonomy is valued.
• A collaborative mindset with openness and empathy in team interactions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with designing and implementing distributed systems.
• Strong curiosity in blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies, with a solid grasp of their fundamentals.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: Base salary range of $180,000 - $290,000 (job-related knowledge, skills, and experience) plus lumen-denominated grants.
• Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage (most plans covered at 100% for the employee and any dependents).
• Flexible time off with 15 company holidays, including a company-wide holiday break.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birthing and birthing parents, plus up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for birthing parents.
• Gym reimbursement of $80 per month.
• Life & ADD coverage (up to $50K); Short & Long term disability.
• 401K with 4% match along with Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts.
• Commuter benefits with a $250/month employer contribution.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contributions.
• Family building benefits through Kindbody and wellbeing benefits including One Medical, Rightway, and Headspace.
• A Learning & Development budget of $1,500 per year.
• Daily lunch and snacks in the office and exciting company retreats.