RitualRI

Core Protocol Engineer

Ritual is building a decentralized network for open AI infrastructure, enabling developers to integrate AI models into any blockchain protocol, application, or smart contract.

Ritual

Employee count: 11-50

United States only

About Ritual

Ritual is building a sovereign, execution layer for AI, with our private testnet already live and running. The Ritual chain is the first blockchain custom-built to support AI-native operations, designed from the ground up to enable a new class of applications at the intersection of crypto and AI. Our first product, Infernet, is pioneering new ground as the first solution to enable developers to access AI models both on-chain via smart contracts and off-chain, demonstrating our commitment to bridging these transformative technologies.

About the role

We're seeking a Core Protocol Engineer with deep expertise with Ethereum execution clients to help us extend the EVM for next-generation compute capabilities. You'll work on expanding the execution layer to support novel precompiles, implement parallel execution patterns, and design systems for heterogeneous compute orchestration.

  • Design and implement extensions to EVM clients (Geth/Reth) for supporting stateful precompiles
  • Implement novel mechanism design primitives, collaborating with our research team, into the execution layer
  • Develop and optimize transaction processing pipelines for heterogeneous workloads
  • Research and implement solutions for state access conflicts
  • Contribute to core protocol development and EIP implementations
  • Collaborate with the research team on protocol specifications and mechanism design improvements
  • Design and implement robust testing frameworks for execution client modifications

About you

  • Deep understanding of EVM internals and Ethereum execution clients (Geth/Reth)
  • Strong experience implementing and optimizing precompiles
  • Expertise in Go and/or Rust for systems programming, and Solidity
  • Thorough knowledge of Ethereum's roadmap and active participation in protocol discussions
  • Experience with parallel execution patterns in blockchain systems
  • Strong understanding of consensus mechanisms and blockchain architecture
  • Ability to read, understand, and implement EIPs and protocol specifications
  • Proven track record of shipping production-grade blockchain systems
  • Ability to act quickly under high pressure scenarios and context switch at a high frequency
  • A high level of end-to-end ownership and self-direction, with excellent communication skills
  • Hungry, high-energy and ability to work within and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

  • Knowledge of mempool dynamics, transaction ordering and the mev-boost implementation
  • Background in mechanism design or market systems
  • Deep knowledge of proof systems and their trade-offs around prover time, verifier time, and proof size
  • Experience optimizing proof generation and verification pipelines
  • Experience with cross-chain bridges or interoperability protocols
  • Contributions to Ethereum client codebases
  • Background in distributed systems and concurrent programming

Why join us

  • Join a passionate group of engineers, researchers, and operators on a mission to build the next generation of AI infrastructure
  • Highly competitive compensation package, including annual discretionary bonus & optimized tax structure compared to the vast majority of web3 startups
  • Top 1% of benefits across the web3 startup space
  • 100% of premiums covered on highest quality healthcare
  • Aggressive company 401k match
  • Fully remote and/or hybrid, up to you!
  • Participate in virtual and in-person events
  • Much much more!

About the job

Apply before

Posted on

Job type

Full Time

Experience level

Mid-level

Location requirements

Hiring timezones

United States +/- 0 hours

About Ritual

Learn more about Ritual and their company culture.

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At the heart of Ritual lies a foundational belief that the current state of artificial intelligence is flawed, constrained by centralization and permissioned access. The team at Ritual is driven by a mission to dismantle these barriers, fostering a future where AI is an open, transparent, and permissionless resource for everyone. The company's culture is deeply rooted in the principles of decentralization, privacy, and verifiable integrity. They are not just building another tech platform; they are cultivating a new ecosystem for AI, one that is governed by its community and built on the tenets of cryptographic trust and censorship resistance. This vision is for a world where developers and creators are no longer beholden to the whims of large corporations, but are empowered to build, share, and improve AI models in an open and collaborative environment.

The team is a collective of passionate builders, researchers, and operators who bring together deep expertise in distributed systems, cryptography, and artificial intelligence, united by a long-term commitment to the crypto space. This is a culture of quiet execution and a focus on solving the hard, fundamental problems that many others shy away from. Ritual's approach is modular and chain-agnostic, designed to act as an 'AI sidecar' that can plug into any blockchain, be it Ethereum, Solana, or Cosmos. This philosophy of interoperability and seamless integration is central to their goal of becoming the universal execution layer for AI in the web3 world. They are creating a space where AI is not just a buzzword, but a verifiable, trustworthy primitive that can be integrated into any application with the same guarantees of a smart contract, ultimately unlocking the full, uninhibited potential of artificial intelligence for humanity.

Employee benefits

Learn about the employee benefits and perks provided at Ritual.

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401k Match

Aggressive company 401k match.

Flexible Working

Fully remote and/or hybrid, up to you!

Company Events

Participate in virtual and in-person events.

Healthcare

100% of premiums covered on highest quality healthcare.

View Ritual's employee benefits
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Ritual

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Ritual hiring Core Protocol Engineer • Remote (Work from Home) | Himalayas