Senior Systems Engineer (Staking)

As a Senior Systems Engineer (Staking) at Nansen, your key responsibilities will span from deploying and managing validator and RPC nodes across various PoS blockchains to ensuring high availability and security of the infrastructure. You will also implement infrastructure as code (IaC) using tools like Terraform and develop CI/CD pipelines. Additionally, you'll focus on networking, monitoring, incident response, and collaborate with multiple engineering teams to maintain system performance.

To qualify for the Senior Systems Engineer (Staking) position at Nansen, candidates must have over 3 years of systems engineering or SRE experience, along with strong proficiency in Linux system administration. Familiarity with Terraform or similar tools, experience with Kubernetes and containerization, and knowledge of networking are also crucial. Additionally, a solid understanding of staking protocols and blockchain consensus mechanisms will give you the edge.

Yes, Nansen embraces a fully remote work model, allowing Senior Systems Engineers (Staking) to work from anywhere in Europe. This flexible environment supports a healthy work-life balance while enabling team collaboration across various engineering disciplines.

At Nansen, a Senior Systems Engineer (Staking) will handle the management of validator, sentry, and RPC nodes by ensuring that both cloud and bare-metal environments are secure, scalable, and performing at high levels. This includes ongoing system administration, performance tuning, and implementing security measures to protect the staking infrastructure.

Nansen offers competitive salaries, generous equity, and a remote work environment with a flexible schedule. As a Senior Systems Engineer (Staking), you'll be part of a culture that values learning and innovation, exposing you to opportunities for personal and professional growth, as well as connections with a global network of industry experts.

In your response, focus on specific examples that showcase your proficiency in managing Linux systems, such as configuring servers, ensuring security, and optimizing performance. Mention any relevant tools or scripts you've used to automate tasks and how this relates to maintaining the staking infrastructure at Nansen.

Highlight your understanding of security best practices including firewall configurations, access controls, and key management solutions. Discuss experiences where you've successfully implemented these measures, particularly in a blockchain or crypto context, to protect sensitive information and maintain operational integrity.

Discuss your methodology for deploying validator nodes, including infrastructure as code principles, automated scripts, and monitoring solutions. Share how you've tackled challenges related to uptime, scalability, and performance, illustrating your experience in creating reliable staking services.

Be prepared to explain the monitoring and alerting tools you are familiar with, like Prometheus or Grafana. Describe specific scenarios where these tools helped you proactively identify issues, improve performance, and maintain the overall health of the system.

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to describe the incident. Highlight how you conducted a root cause analysis, the steps you took to resolve the incident, and any improvements you implemented to prevent similar issues in the future, demonstrating your problem-solving skills.

Detail your experiences with using Terraform or similar IaC tools, focusing on how you deployed and managed resources efficiently. Discuss any specific projects where you leveraged automation to streamline infrastructure provisioning and reduce manual errors.

Explain strategies you've previously employed to achieve high availability, such as load balancing, proper redundancy, and the use of multiple nodes. Share insights on how these methods apply to the responsibilities of a Senior Systems Engineer at Nansen ensuring their staking systems are always operational.

Discuss the importance of teamwork, especially when collaborating across different engineering teams. Share examples of how you have communicated effectively and created detailed documentation that helped facilitate collaboration and streamline operations during projects.

Demonstrate your knowledge of various staking protocols, such as Ethereum 2.0, Solana, or Polkadot. Discuss how these protocols work, their consensus mechanisms, and the significance they hold in the blockchain ecosystem, emphasizing your enthusiasm for the rapidly evolving landscape.

Share specific programming languages you have used, such as Python or Go, and describe projects where you wrote scripts or developed tools to help automate tasks and enhance operational efficiency. Emphasize any experiences that directly relate to the functions of a Senior Systems Engineer at Nansen.