Senior Software Engineer

Category Labs (formerly known as Monad Labs) is a team of systems engineers and researchers on a mission to design and build at the frontier of decentralized technology. We strive to deliver significant improvements over existing blockchain solutions. After raising $225M in series A funding, led by Paradigm, we are growing our team. We’re the team behind Monad, a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 whose public mainnet is now live. We write the core software that runs it: a parallel-execution EVM https://github.com/category-labs/monad, a custom state database, and a BFT consensus client https://github.com/category-labs/monad-bft, all developed in the open. THE ROLE We’re hiring a Senior Software Engineer to research, design, and build core improvements to the Monad protocol. Your work will involve distributed algorithms, cryptography, and consensus mechanisms. You’ll draw on previous experience in distributed systems or blockchain engineering, and work as a vital member of a small, high-performing team. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Design and implement core improvements to the consensus mechanism, gossip protocol, state synchronization algorithm, leader election protocol, etc. - Devise experiments to test worst-case scenarios, and iterate on your design based on the results. - Design components while taking into account the behavior of other blockchain systems such as rollups, bridges, or staking systems. - Build performant system components from scratch in C++ or Rust. WHO YOU ARE - You have at least 5 years of software engineering experience in Rust, C++, or C. - You have significant experience building performant systems from scratch, such as databases, device drivers, or embedded systems. - You have excellent instincts for software architecture, memory management, and performance optimization and profiling tools. - You hold a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, or have equivalent experience. - You value communication and collaboration. WHY WORK WITH US - Challenging problems: You’ll work on extremely challenging problems with massive impact. See our Blogs https://www.category.xyz/blogs and Publications & Talks https://www.category.xyz/papers-talks for a flavor of the problems we are solving in the real world. - Huge opportunity: The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standard is ubiquitous, but existing EVM-compatible chains are very slow. Monad’s core innovations offer developers the best of both worlds (portability and performance) and are a game-changer for mass user adoption in crypto. - The right team: You’ll be part of a small, exceptional team (engineers and researchers make up 90% of the team). - Open by default: Our core software is public on GitHub. You’ll build in the open, and your work ships where the whole ecosystem can see it. - Culture: We’re a lean team working together to achieve very ambitious goals. We are united in our culture of collaboration, low ego, and high-quality output. As an early member of our team, you’ll help to shape our culture. - Compensation: You’ll receive a competitive salary and equity package. - Resources and growth: We’re well-capitalized, with backing https://x.com/monad_xyz/status/1777687376136982767 from leading venture funds like Paradigm, Electric Capital, Greenoaks, Dragonfly, and Coinbase Ventures. We keep a lean team, and this is a rare opportunity to join. You’ll learn a lot and grow as our company scales. HOW WE USE AI We’re an AI-native team, and we expect engineers to use coding agents and keep up as the tooling evolves. A few things we believe: - AI is leverage, not a crutch. Review what it generates with the same scrutiny you’d give a teammate’s PR, and own every line you ship. - Judgment is what matters, not how long you typed by hand. We won’t ask for “N years of [tool].” The stack turns over every few months, so what matters is that you pick up new tools fast and know where and when they apply. SALARY AND BENEFITS The base salary range for this role is $180,000 – $250,000. This reflects the minimum and maximum range across US locations. It does not include benefits, token, or equity incentives. The final offer may vary based on factors such as relevant skills, experience, domain expertise, and work location. If you are based outside of the US, we have geographic considerations that may impact your final compensation. Benefits for all Full-Time Employees: - Private health insurance options - Flexible paid time off - Monthly wellness reimbursement - Paid parental leave Benefits for US employees: - World-class benefits package with 100% paid medical, dental, and vision insurance including 75% coverage for dependents and HSA + FSA options - 401(k) with company match - Lunch and dinner stipend (in-office NYC) Benefits for employees hired through an EOR (outside of the US) will be based on EOR offerings and country-specific requirements. Category Labs is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic data, or other legally protected status.