Staff Design Engineer

Join Ephemera, build the future of onchain messaging.

We are currently hiring a Staff level Software Engineer focused on building and maintaining XMTP.

What you’ll be working on:

• Influence the design and feature set of XMTP, our E2EE messaging protocol. Advocate for end-users to ensure that XMTP has all the features of a first-class and modern messaging protocol.

• Advise and influence developers working on client applications, ensuring that their end-users have a secure and engaging experience that reflects well on XMTP itself.

• Engage in open-source communities, representing Ephemera effectively in public forums.

• Collaborate closely with other engineers, developers, and stakeholders to help our small team build with confidence and deliver with velocity.

• Evaluate and recommend trade-offs in our development plans and system design, considering factors such as security, scalability, efficiency, and cost.

Your experience:

• Minimum of 10+ years of professional experience as a software engineer.

  • Advanced proficiency in at least one of the following languages: Swift, Kotlin, React Native, or JS. A well-rounded, "T-shaped" expertise profile is preferred.

• Extensive design experience, with an emphasis on mobile and web.

  • An eye for perfection - the ideal candidate is someone who notices when something is misaligned by a single pixel, filing/fixing the bug accordingly. A design that isn’t working makes you actively uncomfortable.

  • Proficiency in creating designs that work well on various devices and screen sizes, ensuring smooth, fast, and responsive user experiences.

• Animation experience, answering questions like:

  • What’s the best scrolling behavior on Android? How is it different from what iOS users expect? What best practices should we recommend to the devs building XMTP into their apps?

  • When a new chat message arrives, how can we make the appearance engaging but not distracting?

  • How can we nudge users to leverage the security features of the platform their particular client app is built on? What about backing up their XMTP app’s local data?

• Strong understanding of design patterns and best practices, demonstrated through other projects you’ve been involved in.

  • Side projects are fine; you don’t need to break any NDAs.

  • We’re most interested in projects that shipped to users. We’d love to discuss what you learned and what didn’t work out as expected when your design entered the real world.

Nice-to-Have’s:

• Prior experience working on peer-to-peer and/or instant messaging systems and protocols.

• Prior involvement in open-source projects and public communications.

• Interest or experience in Web3 technologies.

• You like:

  • Figma

  • Reusable components and design systems

  • Working with other designers, but also cross-functionally with backend developers, mobile/web SDK developers, security experts, and PMs.

• Familiarity with and knowledge of secure messaging technologies is highly desirable.

About you:

• You are passionate about decentralized technology and believe in an onchain future.

• You love to win and are fueled by solving hard problems.

• You are self-directed, see opportunities and are inspired by challenges and helping solve them.

• You have a small team mindset and are focused on where you can have the greatest impact.

• You love to learn, are not afraid of changing your opinion or being wrong.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation package, Base + Equity.

• Salary range between $200k-$250k base range (depending on experience + location).

• Remote-first environment with semi-yearly gatherings to connect IRL.

• Fully paid Medical, Dental, Vision insurance in the US.

• Parental Leave.

• IT Equipment and WFH setup.

• Monthly Wellness and Lifestyle stipend.

• Personal assistant.

• Unlimited time off

Culture:

Ephemera isn’t for those merely exploring or curious about Web3, or those needing daily direction. It’s for the committed—those devoted to decentralized technology and an onchain future, with a championship mindset, ready to win alongside the best.

Our shared belief fuels our success, and our values steer our decisions. Our culture guide is a transparent look into how we operate.

This is a different type of company. Both in how we work and what we work on. We intentionally try to keep our team small and focus on working with the best people in the world. We are looking for people who can show the incredible things they have worked on and have built and worked on similar technology before. Not because we want to limit who can work here, but because to build something as impactful as XMTP, it requires insanely specific skills and knowledge from the team working here.