--- title: 'Protocol Engineer at LayerZero Labs' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/protocol-engineer-layerzero-labs-vancouver-03f0ete0byh8' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Protocol Engineer at LayerZero Labs - **Company:** LayerZero Labs - **Location:** Vancouver, Canada - **Posted:** 2025-06-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/layerzerolabs/jobs/5554608004 ## Job description LayerZero The Future is Omnichain. Founded in 2021, LayerZero’s vision is to create a community of cross-chain developers, building dApps that are no longer constrained by individual blockchain capabilities. With LayerZero's simple, generic messaging protocol, builders will develop cross-chain dApps designed to unify the power of individual blockchains. We are funded by the best investors in the world including: a16z, Sequoia, PayPal, Binance Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Uniswap Labs, Circle Ventures, Delphi Digital, and many more. ## ABOUT THE ROLE As a Protocol Engineer, you'll work on the core infrastructure that underpins decentralized interoperability. You will design and implement core protocol components that operate across heterogeneous chains with rigorous security and performance constraints. You’ll be part of a deeply technical team working across LayerZero’s protocol and smart contract surface, contributing to novel cross-chain primitives and helping shape the architecture of systems used by some of the most demanding applications in Web3. ## WHAT YOU'LL DO - Design and implement core protocol contracts and logic on both EVM and non-EVM chains (e.g., message validators, data availability mechanisms, proof verification). - Collaborate with various teams to develop new system primitives, validate security assumptions, and improve protocol robustness. - Own components across their lifecycle: architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and iteration. - Contribute to high-assurance engineering practices: formal verification, invariant testing, simulation frameworks, fuzzing, and audit readiness. - Investigate emerging cryptographic techniques and novel designs to enhance trust minimization and scalability. - Optimize for correctness and safety in gas-constrained environments, with an emphasis on upgradeability, modularity, and composability. - Keep pace with changes across LayerZero-supported chains to ensure cross-chain compatibility and performance. ## ABOUT YOU - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience. - Strong smart contract development experience in Solidity or equivalent languages, with a focus on correctness, modularity, and gas efficiency. - Have built protocol-level infrastructure: bridges, interoperability layers, state sync systems, light clients, or equivalent. - Write clear, well-tested, and secure code and have strong opinions on security models and upgradeability patterns. - Familiar with distributed systems fundamentals and have good intuition around adversarial conditions in blockchain environments. - Experience working with workflow engines. - Previous experience with blockchain technologies, smart contracts, and decentralized finance is a strong plus. The base salary for this position ranges from $120,000/year up to $250,000/year. Salary is based on a number of factors and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. LayerZero is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. ## Equal Opportunity Employer LayerZero Labs is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. LayerZero Labs is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected status. ## About LayerZero Labs ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: LayerZero Labs builds permissionless infrastructure for blockchain interoperability, enabling secure cross-chain communication and asset transfers. - **Entity Type**: Private (funding stage: Series B and later corporate round) - **Headquarters**: Vancouver, Canada - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Bryan Pellegrino (Co-Founder & CEO), Raz Zarick (Co-Founder & CTO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Blockchain infrastructure, interoperability protocols, decentralized finance (DeFi) - **Target customers**: B2B – FinTech, banking, DeFi protocols, asset issuers, and blockchain applications. - **Mission or purpose statement**: Build technology that makes decentralization viable, scalable, and inevitable. Create “Better Money Technology” through permissionless, censorship-resistant, and immutable infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **[LayerZero Protocol](https://layerzero.network/)**: An omnichain interoperability protocol that allows low-level communication between blockchains, enabling cross-chain applications without trusted third parties. Type: Protocol/API. - **[Zero Blockchain](https://layerzero.network/)**: A heterogeneous blockchain that becomes more performant as more nodes join, scaling to 2M TPS per zone. Designed as the “last blockchain.” Type: Layer-1 blockchain. - **[Stargate](https://layerzero.network/)**: A fully composable liquidity transport protocol at the heart of omnichain DeFi, enabling seamless asset transfers across chains. Type: Protocol/DeFi application. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company). - **Key Metrics**: **Total Funding**: $350.8M (8 rounds). **Annual Revenue**: $2.2M (LinkedIn estimate). **Total Value of Assets Secured**: $75B+. **Historical Volume**: $200B+. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Sequoia Capital, FTX Ventures, The Spartan Group, OpenSea Ventures, Alameda Research, Tether (corporate round, Feb 2026). Over 700 partners in FinTech, Banking, and DeFi. - **Growth Signals**: 125 employees (+29.8% YoY), 19 active job postings, offices in Vancouver and New York City. Recent corporate round led by Tether (Feb 2026) signals continued investor confidence. ## Competitive Advantages - **Permissionless & Censorship-Resistant**: No single point of failure; valid transactions cannot be permanently blocked. - **Immutable Core Technology**: LayerZero’s underlying infrastructure cannot be modified, upgraded, or rolled back. - **Heterogeneous Blockchain Design (Zero)**: Scales throughput linearly as nodes join (up to 2M TPS per zone), unlike traditional blockchains. - **Proven Adoption**: $75B+ in assets secured and $200B+ in historical volume across hundreds of teams. ## Strategic Focus - **Growth Priorities**: Expand interoperability solutions for institutional finance, deepen partnerships with asset issuers and chains, and scale the Zero blockchain ecosystem. - **Recent Moves**: Corporate round from Tether (2026) indicates focus on stablecoin and real-world asset integration. Active hiring in engineering, business development, and product roles globally (especially APAC). ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Mission-driven, decentralized ethos – “how we build is as important as what we build.” Emphasis on permissionless, censorship-resistant technology. - **Remote/Hybrid**: Hybrid model with physical offices in Vancouver (HQ) and New York City; many roles list specific locations. - **Engineering Excellence**: Tech stack includes Go, Rust, Typescript, Kubernetes, AWS, Snowflake, and blockchain tools. Engineering roles focus on protocol, backend, systems, and reliability. - **Notable Perks**: Work on cutting-edge blockchain infrastructure with top talent (former employees from Kraken, AWS, Meta, Coinbase). Strong growth trajectory (29% headcount increase) and exposure to high-impact DeFi projects. ## Sources 1. [layerzero.network](https://layerzero.network/) 2. [layerzero.network/about](https://layerzero.network/about) 3. [layerzero.network/careers](https://layerzero.network/careers) 4. [LinkedIn - LayerZero Labs](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/layerzerolabs) 5. [Greenhouse Job Board](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/layerzerolabs) ## Other roles at LayerZero Labs - [FP&A Manager/Senior Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/fp-a-manager-senior-manager-layerzero-labs-vancouver-ycjbvd4mzpxs) — Vancouver, Canada - [Engineering Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-operations-lead-layerzero-labs-vancouver-c45679bm1cd5) — Vancouver, Canada - [Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/site-reliability-engineer-layerzero-labs-vancouver-3w7xe7k61dr0) — Vancouver, Canada - [Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-layerzero-labs-vancouver-20203mr5mte1) — Vancouver, Canada - [Assistant Controller](https://feeny.ai/job/assistant-controller-layerzero-labs-vancouver-75pk8c06827y) — Vancouver, Canada / New York, NY - [Controller](https://feeny.ai/job/controller-layerzero-labs-vancouver-85m7m58gwsjx) — Vancouver, Canada / New York, NY - [Business Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/business-operations-lead-layerzero-labs-new-york-kb6sey8ngpcv) — New York, NY - [Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-engineer-layerzero-labs-vancouver-n4gbfdejj60c) — Vancouver, Canada - [Staff Solutions Architect](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-solutions-architect-layerzero-labs-new-york-nbne4vxzcy5x) — New York, NY - [Corporate Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-systems-engineer-layerzero-labs-vancouver-3fqakacpj4tb) — Vancouver, Canada