Security Protocol Engineer

About Alpen Labs

Alpen Labs is a New York-based startup founded in 2022 by four MIT alumni. Our mission is to build universal rails for money by creating a scalable, private and programmable Bitcoin ecosystem. We're achieving this through cutting-edge innovations in zero-knowledge cryptography and offchain solutions, without compromising Bitcoin's fundamental principles. This endeavor is not just about technological advancement but a step towards a more resilient, free, and prosperous global society. Our current team consists of engineers and researchers from companies like Blockstream Research, Palantir, and Nethermind. We invite passionate individuals to join us in navigating this complex, yet rewarding journey towards redefining financial sovereignty. Alpen Labs is a fully remote company with team members across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. We believe great work can happen anywhere and we’re building a culture that supports deep focus, high trust, and flexibility across time zones.

About The Role

This Security Protocol Engineer will own security across protocol-layer components (L2, bridge, custody). You will act as the final gatekeeper before code hits main. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead threat modeling, design reviews, and mitigation planning.
• Write critical patches and drive hardening when bandwidth is limited.
• Maintain security CI tooling: sig-verification, SAST, fuzzing, secrets scanning.
• Review 100% of protocol-relevant PRs and enforce automated checks.
• Run secure coding workshops and pair-program during critical sprints.
• Interface with auditors and bounty researchers to scope, triage, and fix issues.
• Possess the authority to block merges or deploys on security grounds.
• Have direct commit access for emergency fixes.

What We're Looking For In You

• 5+ years in security engineering with hands-on software experience.
• Strong background in Rust, Go, or Solidity.
• Deep knowledge of threat modeling and real-world exploit paths.
• Experience owning or maintaining CI-based security automation.
• Comfortable leading security without direct org ownership.
• Bonus: protocol-level blockchain experience, audits, bounties, or custody systems.

Key skills/competency

The Security Protocol Engineer will be responsible for a wide range of security-critical tasks within the protocol layer. Key skills include deep expertise in security engineering, proficiency in languages like Rust, Go, or Solidity, comprehensive knowledge of threat modeling and exploit paths, experience with CI security automation, and the ability to lead security initiatives effectively. Experience with blockchain protocols, audits, and custody systems is also highly valued.