Cryptographic Software Engineer (US)

About the Role

MPCH is looking for a hands-on Cryptographic Software Engineer to join our Engineering team, responsible for building and maintaining the cryptographic key management infrastructure that underpins our security architecture. You will design and implement KMS drivers, REST and gRPC APIs, and low-level system components that interface directly with hardware security modules and cloud key management services.

This role sits at the intersection of systems programming, cryptographic engineering, and distributed infrastructure. You will be expected to work across the full depth of the KMS stack — from PKCS#11 driver development and protobuf API contracts to key lifecycle workflows and secure CI/CD pipelines. AI-assisted development is a normal part of how our team operates; candidates should be comfortable leveraging AI tools to accelerate development, improve code quality, and support documentation and design work.

Key Responsibilities

KMS Development & Driver Engineering

• Design, implement, and maintain KMS drivers and provider plugins for integration with hardware and software security modules
• Build and expose REST and gRPC APIs for key management operations including key generation, rotation, wrapping/unwrapping, signing, and verification
• Develop backend services and low-level system components in C, Golang, and Java that interface with cryptographic hardware and HSMs via PKCS#11, JCE, or vendor-specific SDKs
• Implement key lifecycle management workflows: creation, storage, distribution, rotation, suspension, and destruction
• Write protocol buffer (protobuf) definitions and maintain gRPC service contracts across service versions
• Contribute to secure API gateway and mTLS configurations for service-to-service authentication
• Follow a security-first development approach with rigorous threat modelling, TDD best practices, and high test coverage
• Use CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and secure code releases in cloud and on-prem environments
• Identify, triage, and remediate security vulnerabilities and software bugs across the KMS stack
• Contribute to technical designs, architecture documentation, and cryptographic implementation reviews
• Participate in frequent, high-quality code reviews with a focus on security and correctness
• Design and maintain efficient SQL/NoSQL schemas for key metadata and audit logging in cloud and local development environments
• Leverage AI coding assistants as a standard part of the development workflow — for code generation, review, debugging, test coverage, and documentation

Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with security engineers, platform teams, and compliance stakeholders to translate key management requirements into robust technical implementations
• Participate in Agile processes including sprint planning, refinement sessions, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups
• Communicate effectively to share progress, blockers, and solutions — particularly when surface area spans cryptographic, hardware, and API layers
• Demonstrate ownership and a bias for action on assigned tasks and the team's backlog
• Proactively resolve blockers and collaborate with teammates across distributed time zones
• Exhibit active listening skills and model security-conscious engineering behaviours

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years of relevant experience in systems, security, or backend development
• Strong proficiency in C, Golang, and/or Java for systems and backend development
• Hands-on experience designing and building REST and gRPC APIs, including protobuf schema design and versioning
• Experience developing drivers or provider plugins for cryptographic hardware or KMS systems (e.g., PKCS#11, JCE providers, vendor HSM SDKs)
• Solid understanding of cryptographic primitives and protocols: symmetric/asymmetric encryption, key wrapping, digital signatures, TLS/mTLS, PKI
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB) for audit trail and key metadata storage
• Understanding of version control systems (e.g., Git) and CI/CD pipelines
• Ability to engage deeply with cryptographic specifications and standards (e.g., NIST, KMIP, FIPS 140-2/3)
• Comfortable using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT) as a regular part of the engineering workflow
• Experience working in a remote-first, distributed Agile environment (e.g., Scrum, Kanban)
• Strong written communication skills — clear architecture documentation, implementation reviews, and runbooks
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field

Foundational IT & General Computing Skills

While this is a software engineering role, candidates must also demonstrate solid general computing competency to operate effectively in a distributed, remote-first team environment:

• Operating Systems: Comfortable working across macOS, Windows, and Linux desktop/laptop environments; able to navigate system settings, manage files, configure network adapters, and perform basic OS-level troubleshooting (e.g., DNS resolution issues, VPN connectivity, permission problems)
• Hardware Troubleshooting: Ability to diagnose and resolve common computer hardware and peripheral issues — including display, keyboard/mouse, storage, and connectivity problems — and coordinate with IT support or vendors when escalation is needed
• Email & Calendar: Proficient with Microsoft Outlook (or equivalent) for email management, calendar scheduling, meeting coordination, and distribution list communication; familiar with shared calendar and resource booking workflows
• Word Processing: Able to produce clear, well-formatted documents using Microsoft Word or Google Docs — runbooks, incident reports, onboarding guides, and internal proposals
• Spreadsheets: Comfortable with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for basic data tasks: building and maintaining tables, applying formulas (SUM, VLOOKUP, IF statements), filtering/sorting, and producing simple charts for capacity tracking or incident metrics
• Remote Collaboration Tools: Proficient with video conferencing platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams), chat/messaging tools (Slack or Teams), and shared documentation platforms (Confluence, Notion, or Google Workspace)
• File & Document Management: Able to organize, version, and share files effectively using cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, or SharePoint); understands basic folder structure hygiene and access permission management
• Basic Networking Concepts: Understands home/office network setup sufficiently to self-troubleshoot VPN, Wi-Fi, and connectivity issues that may affect response time

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of Google Cloud KMS, AWS KMS, or Azure Key Vault integration patterns
• Familiarity with HSMs (e.g., Thales, Entrust, AWS CloudHSM) and secure enclave technologies (e.g., Intel TDX/SGX)
• Experience in the Digital Asset, fintech, or enterprise security space
• Exposure to secrets and PKI management tooling (e.g., HashiCorp Vault)
• Experience in regulated or compliance-heavy environments (SOC 2, ISO 27001, FIPS)
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development workflows and prompt engineering for engineering use cases

Benefits

• Salary range: $75-90k, based upon experience
• Equity options
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Fully remote team