---
title: 'Distributed Systems Engineer at Axiom'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/distributed-systems-engineer-axiom-new-york-r3083ve71csb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Distributed Systems Engineer at Axiom

- **Company:** Axiom
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2024-06-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/axiom/3f411517-8eaa-4136-bd4e-9b342b3a79b6

## Job description

## About Us

Axiom is using zero-knowledge proofs to enable new types of verifiable and private software applications, starting with crypto and fintech. We are a small but incredibly strong team backed by the [best investors in crypto](https://blog.axiom.xyz/funding/). We’re looking for exceptional people who are excited to work on challenging and impactful problems in a fast-paced environment. Our office is in NYC and working in person in NY is our strong preference, but we're open to remote candidates as well. We recently released [OpenVM](https://blog.axiom.xyz/openvm), a performant and modular zkVM framework built for customization and extensibility. OpenVM allows developers to verify the correct execution of arbitrary computer programs in a flexible and performant way. We are building ZK-enabled products using OpenVM and supporting teams building on OpenVM.

## The Role

We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup nodes and sequencers to deliver zero-knowledge proof based products on-chain. Your work will require designing secure and efficient systems and making design choices to enable rapid development without sacrificing security. We are looking for someone with strong engineering design skills, a security mindset, and the ability to design and implement blockchain protocols. We also value the ability to make pragmatic technology choices which empower our small team.

## Who you are

- You are fluent in Rust, C++, or a similarly performant backend language. We work primarily in Rust.
- You have experience deploying and monitoring high uptime applications to production in the cloud using orchestration and containerization (Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes).
- You have experience working within a large production codebase.
- You are extremely detail oriented and have a security mindset.
- You’re a clear communicator and value collaboration.
- You have a bias towards action and extremely strong work ethic.

Bonuses

- You have experience working with blockchain nodes like Geth, Reth, or similar.
- You have experience with low-level details of Ethereum.
- You have experience working in an adversarial or security critical environment.

## Why work with us

- You’ll be working on groundbreaking tech that has the potential to be a key piece of infrastructure for the crypto industry
- You’ll receive a competitive salary with equity
- You will work with and receive mentorship from an exceptional team

## Our Team

Our founders Yi Sun and Jonathan Wang met while studying math at Harvard and have been working on ZK since 2021. Together, they wrote some of the most performant ZK circuits for elliptic curve cryptography and Ethereum data reads before starting Axiom. Before Axiom, Yi was a professor at UChicago Statistics and did a math PhD at MIT. He was previously an advisor for Gauntlet and worked at an HFT startup from inception to profitable trading. Jonathan published number theory research in top math journals and did a math PhD at UChicago. The rest of our small but incredibly strong team includes alums of Applied Intuition, Coinbase, Color, Neon, and Google, as well as math / CS PhDs and IMO / IPhO / Codeforces winners. We look forward to working with you!

## About Axiom

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Axiom builds production-ready zero-knowledge (ZK) proving infrastructure, including the OpenVM zkVM framework and the Axiom Proving API, to enable scalable, secure, and cost-effective ZK proofs for Ethereum rollups and other applications.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: New York, New York, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Jonathan Wang, Yi Sun

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Zero-knowledge proofs, blockchain infrastructure, cryptographic computing, software development.
- **Target customers**: Blockchain rollups (e.g., Scroll, OP Stack), decentralized exchanges, layer-1 and layer-2 teams, application developers needing ZK proof generation at scale.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Secure Ethereum with provable 100-bit security and under 300kB proofs” – making ZK practical for production use.

## Products & Services
- **[OpenVM](https://www.axiom.xyz/)**: An open-source, modular zkVM framework that prioritizes extensibility and performance. Supports custom VM extensions, formally verified RISC-V extension, and GPU-accelerated proving. Capable of proving every Ethereum block in real time with under $0.01 per block.
- **[Axiom Proving API](https://www.axiom.xyz/)**: A cloud-based API for generating ZK proofs on Axiom’s robust infrastructure. Integrates seamlessly with OpenVM, provides scalable GPU proving, and targets proof costs below $0.001 per transaction.
- **Custom rollup support**: Axiom helps implement OpenVM on custom app rollups, offering native EVM interoperability and support for standards like EIP-7702 and RIP-7212.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company).
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$20 million** (Series A, led by Paradigm and Standard Crypto, announced January 25, 2024).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: **Paradigm** (lead), **Standard Crypto** (lead), additional three investors (names not public). Partners include **Scroll** (finalizing mainnet since April 2025), **Nethermind Research** (formal verification grant from Ethereum Foundation), and **Ethereum Foundation**.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew **23.5% year-over-year** (to 18 employees as of mid-2026).
  - OpenVM 2.0 launched in 2026, proving Ethereum mainnet blocks in real time with 100-bit security and sub-300kB proof size.
  - Secured a grant from the Ethereum Foundation for formal verification of OpenVM’s RISC-V extension.
  - Live in production on Scroll mainnet (Stage 1 zkEVM).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Modularity and extensibility**: OpenVM allows developers to tailor ZK to their specific application without building custom infrastructure from scratch.
- **Provable security**: 100-bit provable security with formally verified correctness in Lean (RISC-V extension verified by Nethermind Research).
- **Performance leadership**: Sub-300KB proofs and real-time block proving at lower cost than competitors (under $0.001/tx, under $0.01/block).
- **Production readiness**: Already deployed on Scroll mainnet and able to replace 7‑day withdrawal windows with 1‑hour finality.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling Ethereum adoption**: Reduce L1 costs by replacing consensus with ZK cryptography and shorten withdrawal times for rollups.
- **Open ecosystem**: Maintain OpenVM as an open‑source, community‑driven framework while offering a commercial proving API.
- **Accelerating custom rollups**: Enable any team to add EVM support and native interoperability via OpenVM extensions.
- **Expanding partnerships**: Target OP Stack and other major rollup frameworks (OP Stack “coming soon”).

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-edge technology**: Work at the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and compilers – building the future of blockchain scaling.
- **Talent density**: Small, high‑impact team (18 people) with strong technical backgrounds (alumni from Amazon, Snowflake, Aptos Labs, Jane Street, etc.).
- **Flexible work options**: Positions are listed as “In-Office or Remote” with an office in New York, NY (HQ) and at least two other offices.
- **Culture of deep technical contribution**: Roles include building Rust-based rollup nodes, optimizing GPU proving, and formally verifying zero-knowledge systems.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapidly scaling company with strong investor backing and real‑world adoption (Scroll mainnet, Ethereum Foundation grant).

## Sources
1. [axiom.xyz](https://www.axiom.xyz/) – Official site with product docs, announcements, and funding info.
2. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/axiom-xyz) – Company page with employee count, funding details, and growth data.
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/axiom-axiomxyz) – Company overview, perks, and job listings.
4. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/axiom) – Official careers page.

## Other roles at Axiom

- [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-engineer-axiom-new-york-f7wg0qnfbawy) — New York, NY
- [ZK Proof Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/zk-proof-engineer-axiom-new-york-5t9zs5b76kaw) — New York, NY
- [Distributed Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/distributed-systems-engineer-rtb-house-warsaw-masovian-voivodeship-hf8w4pahfbjb) — Warsaw Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
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