Distributed Systems Engineer

About Ritual

Ritual is building a sovereign, execution layer for AI, with our private testnet already live and running. The Ritual chain is the first blockchain custom-built to support AI-native operations, designed from the ground up to enable a new class of applications at the intersection of crypto and AI. Our first product, Infernet, is pioneering new ground as the first solution to enable developers to access AI models both on-chain via smart contracts and off-chain, demonstrating our commitment to bridging these transformative technologies.

About the role

As a Distributed Systems Engineer at Ritual, you'll be instrumental in building and scaling our heterogeneous blockchain infrastructure. You'll work on innovative solutions for node specialization, consensus mechanisms, and distributed AI execution while ensuring the reliability and performance of our network.

Design and implement distributed systems components for Ritual's heterogeneous compute network

Develop and optimize peer-to-peer networking protocols optimized for AI model execution and blockchain consensus

Build and maintain infrastructure for node monitoring, metrics collection, and system observability

Architect solutions for efficient state management and synchronization across specialized nodes

Collaborate with the research team to implement novel distributed systems algorithms

Create robust testing frameworks for distributed system components

About you

Deep expertise in Go and/or Rust, with a track record of building production-grade distributed systems

Strong understanding of peer-to-peer systems, networking, and messaging protocols

Proven experience operating and developing blockchain nodes, with deep knowledge of node architecture and consensus mechanisms

Experience optimizing high-throughput systems and implementing performance improvements at scale

Advanced Linux expertise, with strong command line proficiency and system administration skills

Proficiency with infrastructure orchestration tools like Kubernetes

Mastery of monitoring and observability tools such as Grafana and Prometheus

Experience designing and implementing fault-tolerant, high-performance distributed applications

Strong background in system design, with the ability to make architectural decisions that balance performance, reliability, and scalability

Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to debug complex distributed systems issues

Ability to act quickly under high pressure scenarios and context switch at a high frequency

A high level of end-to-end ownership and self-direction, with excellent communication skills

Hungry, high-energy and ability to work within and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

Familiarity with AI/ML systems and their distributed computing requirements

Knowledge of cryptography and secure systems design

Contributions to open-source distributed systems projects

Why join us

Join a passionate group of engineers, researchers, and operators on a mission to build the next generation of AI infrastructure

Highly competitive compensation package, including annual discretionary bonus & optimized tax structure compared to the vast majority of web3 startups

Top 1% of benefits across the web3 startup space

100% of premiums covered on highest quality healthcare

Aggressive company 401k match

Fully remote and/or hybrid, up to you!

Participate in virtual and in-person events

Much much more!