Ephemera

Compensation

Full Description

Join Ephemera, Build the Future of Onchain Messaging We are seeking an experienced Staff-level Smart Contracts Engineer to lead the design, development, and maintenance of mission-critical blockchain systems with a focus on tokenomics. You will own the end-to-end lifecycle of smart contracts - from architecture and implementation to audits, deployment, and upgrades. What You’ll Be Working On Writing and deploying smart contracts that govern the economics of the XMTP protocol Working with the team to design novel incentive models to reward offchain node operators and collect messaging fees Design & Implement Tokenomics Contracts: Lead the development of complex token contracts (ERC-20, staking, governance, vesting, distribution, liquidity management) tailored to evolving protocol needs Upgradability & Governance: Architect upgradeable contracts (e.g., via OpenZeppelin proxy patterns) ensuring safe, controlled, and transparent change management Security & Audits: Champion security best practices, lead internal reviews, coordinate with third-party auditors, and implement continuous monitoring of deployed contracts Production-Grade Operations: Manage large-scale funds in production environments, ensuring availability, integrity, and protection of treasury and user assets Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with economics, product, and legal teams to translate tokenomics know-how into practical, deployable smart contract systems Mentorship & Standards: Establish engineering best practices for smart contract development, mentor other engineers, and raise the bar for security, efficiency, and maintainability Your Experience Minimum of 7+ years of professional experience as a software engineer, staff level Extensive experience designing, building, and maintaining cryptoeconomic systems Architected and designed complex protocols onchain Experience working with auditors to find vulnerabilities Writing well-tested Solidity code Qualifications Technical Expertise 5+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 3 years focused on Solidity / EVM-based smart contracts Proven track record of deploying and maintaining production-grade contracts managing significant funds Deep familiarity with tokenomics mechanisms: staking, bonding curves, vesting, emissions schedules, treasury management Strong understanding of EVM internals, gas optimization, and advanced contract design patterns Hands-on experience with upgradable contracts, proxy patterns, and governance-controlled upgrade systems Security Focus Prior experience working with formal verification, fuzzing, or static analysis tools Contributions to audits, incident response, or security-critical systems Leadership Ability to balance long-term protocol sustainability with near-term delivery needs Nice-to-Haves Experienced simulating economic systems using deterministic and/or stochastic modeling techniques Experience working in open source and communicating with the public Experience working as an auditor About You You are passionate about decentralized technology and believe in an onchain future You love to win and are fueled by solving hard problems You are self-directed, see opportunities and are inspired by challenges and helping solve them You have a small team mindset and are focused on where you can have the greatest impact You love to learn, are not afraid of changing your opinion or being wrong Benefits Competitive compensation package, Base + Equity Salary range between $235k–$275k base (depending on experience + location) Remote-first environment with semi-yearly gatherings to connect IRL Fully paid Medical, Dental, Vision insurance in the US Parental Leave IT Equipment and WFH setup Monthly Wellness and Lifestyle stipend Personal assistant Unlimited time off