Lead Blockchain Engineer

Job Description

We are hiring a Lead Blockchain Engineer to work on the core protocol powering CEF’s decentralized AI and data infrastructure. This is not a maintenance role. This is not a “build a token and ship it” role. This is a core infrastructure engineering role for someone who wants to design and evolve blockchain systems that operate in production. CEF is building a decentralized AI and data infrastructure platform, with Cere Network forming the core Web3 data and blockchain backbone of the ecosystem. We are building long-term infrastructure for autonomous AI agents operating on sovereign data. Your mandate will be to evolve the Cere Protocol Layer 1 blockchain, build critical protocol primitives, and maintain production networks that power decentralized data computing. If you think in protocols, distributed systems, cryptography, and consensus architectures, this role is for you. Tasks 1. Architect Core Protocol Infrastructure Continuously upgrade the Cere Protocol Layer 1 blockchain using Rust and Substrate. Design and implement custom pallets powering Decentralized Data Clusters (DDC). Improve protocol performance, reliability, and scalability. Contribute to core runtime architecture and network evolution. Maintain long-term protocol sustainability and upgradeability. We are not looking for someone to ship features. We are looking for someone to build infrastructure that lasts. 2. Engineer Verifiable Compute Implement Proof of Compute systems to capture and verify data activity on chain. Design mechanisms for automated verification and settlement of computation. Build reliable accounting primitives for decentralized data infrastructure. Ensure protocol level guarantees around transparency and trust. Compute should be provable, auditable, and autonomous. 3. Build Privacy and Sovereign Data Systems Develop Zero Knowledge primitives supporting private computation. Design and evolve the EDEK system for client side encryption and data sovereignty. Implement cryptographic primitives supporting decentralized data ownership. Ensure privacy preserving architecture across protocol layers. Data sovereignty must be designed into the protocol itself. 4. Maintain Protocol Governance and Security Maintain and upgrade the OpenGov governance framework. Implement governance improvements for protocol upgrades and voting. Conduct internal security audits of protocol upgrades and smart contracts. Ensure production networks operate reliably and securely. Protocol governance should be transparent, secure, and resilient. Requirements 7+ years of engineering experience with strong expertise in Rust. Deep experience working with Substrate and blockchain runtime development. Strong understanding of applied cryptography, including hashing, signatures, and ZK proofs. Experience architecting distributed systems and consensus mechanisms. Familiarity with on chain governance frameworks such as Polkadot/OpenGov. Experience building or modifying core blockchain protocol components. E

Required Skills