Founding Smart Contract Engineer

As Lead Protocol Engineer you are the sole technical owner of the smart contract layer — from architecture through mainnet launch and beyond. You will work closely with a quant team that publishes the index daily on-chain, and with a DeFi PM driving ecosystem integrations. This is a founding hire with high autonomy and a direct line to the founding team.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and deploy the core protocol contracts: USHP token (ERC-20), sUSHP staking vault (ERC-4626), yield distributor with Props tier-weighting, and oracle consumer with staleness checks and circuit breakers for the proprietary daily index feed
• Write and deploy DeFi protocol adapters: Pendle SY interface for yield tokenization, oracle adapters for Aave/Morpho collateral onboarding, and Uniswap v3/Curve liquidity pool configuration
• Own the full audit process: scope, auditor selection, remediation, and deployment playbooks
• Define the threat model and security controls — including oracle manipulation resistance for a custom non-standard feed, access control, and economic attack vectors specific to an index-pegged yield-bearing token
• Set up post-launch monitoring and incident response for all on-chain components
• Serve as the technical interface between smart contracts and the backend, frontend, and quant teams
• Drive DeFi protocol governance submissions (Aave, Morpho) including risk parameter documentation and oracle methodology explanations to protocol risk teams

Required Qualifications

• Shipped at least one token or DeFi protocol to mainnet and operated it post-launch through the full lifecycle: design, audit, mainnet and  incident response
• Strong Solidity with a portfolio of production contracts; deep familiarity with common failure modes and attack vectors
• Experience with yield-bearing vault patterns (ERC-4626 or equivalent), staking mechanics, and on-chain yield distribution
• Hands-on experience writing oracle consumer contracts including staleness checks, circuit breakers, and fallback logic — particularly with custom or non-standard feeds
• Demonstrated ability to work through DeFi protocol integrations: Pendle adapter contracts, lending protocol governance submissions, or DEX pool deployment
• Comfortable as the sole protocol engineer initially; knows when to bring in additional help and how to onboard them

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tokenized real-world asset protocols: NAV-pegged tokens, collateral management, redemption queue mechanics, or KYC-gated transfer restrictions
• Prior work alongside a quantitative or data science team translating model outputs into precise on-chain specifications
• Familiarity with RWA compliance constraints and regulated token architectures
• Experience navigating lending protocol risk team reviews for non-standard collateral or oracle types