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Lead Blockchain Engineer

Berlin
May 8, 2026
Full Time Permanent
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Deadline date:
€70 - €130 / year

Job Description

CEF AI is seeking an experienced Lead Blockchain Engineer to help shape the next generation of decentralized AI and sovereign data infrastructure. This position focuses on building and evolving critical blockchain systems that support autonomous AI operations and secure decentralized computing environments.

This opportunity is ideal for engineers passionate about distributed systems, protocol architecture, cryptography, and scalable blockchain infrastructure — not feature shipping or short-term product cycles.

About the Role

As a Lead Blockchain Engineer, you will contribute directly to the evolution of the Cere Protocol Layer 1 ecosystem. You’ll work on production-grade blockchain infrastructure designed for long-term reliability, transparency, and decentralized data ownership.

You’ll collaborate closely with founders, engineers, and infrastructure teams to design systems capable of supporting secure AI-driven applications at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Protocol & Blockchain Infrastructure

  • Enhance and maintain the Cere Protocol Layer 1 blockchain using Rust and Substrate
    Design custom runtime modules and protocol-level infrastructure
    Improve scalability, node reliability, and network efficiency
    Support long-term blockchain upgradeability and sustainability
    Contribute to distributed architecture and consensus improvements

Verifiable Compute Systems

  • Develop Proof-of-Compute mechanisms for decentralized workloads
    Build transparent accounting and verification systems
    Create automated settlement and validation frameworks
    Improve trustless compute auditing across the network

Privacy & Sovereign Data Engineering

  • Implement Zero-Knowledge and privacy-focused cryptographic systems
    Develop encryption frameworks for secure decentralized data access
    Support client-side encryption and sovereign data ownership models
    Maintain privacy-preserving protocol architecture

Governance & Network Security

  • Maintain and improve OpenGov governance frameworks
    Support secure protocol upgrades and voting systems
    Conduct internal audits and blockchain security reviews
    Ensure stable testnet and mainnet operations

Required Skills & Experience

  • 7+ years of software engineering experience
    Advanced Rust programming expertise
    Strong background in Substrate and blockchain runtime development
    Deep understanding of cryptography and distributed systems
    Experience with consensus algorithms and decentralized governance
    Hands-on blockchain node deployment and infrastructure management
    Strong Linux and containerization experience
    Familiarity with Docker and cloud-native environments
    Experience monitoring blockchain networks and system metrics

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience building Substrate FRAME pallets
    Knowledge of Polkadot/OpenGov ecosystems
    Kubernetes or large-scale orchestration experience
    Background in Computer Science or equivalent Web3 engineering experience

What the Company Offers

Meaningful Equity

  • Early team members receive substantial equity participation aligned with long-term company growth.

High-Impact Engineering Work

  • Work on decentralized AI infrastructure and sovereign data systems powering emerging Web3 ecosystems.

Founder-Level Collaboration

  • Collaborate directly with company leadership on technical direction and infrastructure strategy.

Remote-First Culture

  • Flexible remote work with regular in-person engineering sessions and technical hackathons across Europe and the US.

Ownership & Autonomy

  • Engineers are trusted to propose solutions, lead initiatives, and deliver meaningful technical outcomes independently.

Recruitment Process

  • Introductory conversation
    Technical architecture and engineering discussion
    Strategic interview with leadership
    Professional reference checks
    Paid short-term collaboration project (~5 days)

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