{"id":338043,"url":"https://alion.io/job/axiom-zk-proof-engineer","title":"ZK Proof Engineer","company":{"id":8537,"name":"Axiom","domain":"axiom.xyz","url":"https://alion.io/company/axiom","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["New York, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":125000,"max":250000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":250000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Ethereum","optional":false},{"name":"LLVM","optional":false},{"name":"MLIR","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Zk-Proofs","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2022-12-07T02:41:39Z","employer_posted_date":"2022-12-07","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T00:43:17Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1424,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":1422},"description":"About Us\nAxiom is using zero-knowledge proofs to enable new types of verifiable and private software applications, starting with crypto and fintech. We are a small but incredibly strong team backed by the best investors in crypto. We’re looking for exceptional people who are excited to work on challenging and impactful problems in a fast-paced environment. Our office is in NYC and working in person in NY is our strong preference, but we're open to remote candidates as well.\nWe recently released OpenVM, a performant and modular zkVM framework built for customization and extensibility. OpenVM allows developers to verify the correct execution of arbitrary computer programs in a flexible and performant way. We are building ZK-enabled products using OpenVM and supporting teams building on OpenVM.\nThe Role\nWe are looking for a ZK Proof Engineer who will implement and optimize cutting-edge cryptographic code for zero-knowledge proof generation. You will be responsible for building systems to interface between low-level computer systems like the RISC-V ISA, compiler frameworks like LLVM, and database backends and connecting them with cutting-edge zero-knowledge proof systems. The role will involve both optimizing ZK provers and implementing novel ZK circuits. Your work will require making design choices to enable rapid development of secure and efficient systems.\nWe are looking for someone with strong engineering design skills, the ability to work across the stack, and a security mindset. We also value the ability to make pragmatic technology choices which empower our small team without adding too much overhead.\nWho you are\nYou have a strong background in math/cryptography, or strong problem-solving skills and interest in zero-knowledge proofs.\n\nYou have proficiency in Rust, C/C++, or a similarly performant backend language. We work primarily in Rust.\n\nYou are extremely detail oriented and have a security mindset.\n\nYou’ve worked on challenging software projects and have an eye for performance.\n\nYou’re a clear communicator and value collaboration.\n\nYou have a strong bias towards action.\n\nYou have an extremely strong work ethic.\n\nBonuses\nYou have experience with compiler frameworks like LLVM or MLIR.\n\nYou've worked with aspects of low level computer architecture like RISC-V or programmed FGPAs or other custom hardware.\n\nYou have experience with database backends, including experience with query planning or low level query engines.\n\nYou've done research in mathematics, theoretical computer science, or theoretical physics.\n\nYou have experience with low-level details of Ethereum\n\nWe welcome diverse backgrounds. Some non-traditional profiles that may be a good fit include high-frequency trading, math/physics/CS academia, and hardware engineering.\nWhy join us\nYou’ll be one of the earliest employees with ownership to make key technical/product decisions.\n\nYou’ll be working on groundbreaking tech that has the potential to be a key piece of infrastructure for the crypto industry.\n\nYou’ll receive a competitive salary with equity.\n\nYou will work with and receive mentorship from an exceptional team.\n\nOur Team\nOur founders Yi Sun and Jonathan Wang met while studying math at Harvard and have been working on ZK since 2021. Together, they wrote some of the most performant ZK circuits for elliptic curve cryptography and Ethereum data reads before starting Axiom.\nBefore Axiom, Yi was a professor at UChicago Statistics and did a math PhD at MIT. He was previously an advisor for Gauntlet and worked at an HFT startup from inception to profitable trading. Jonathan published number theory research in top math journals and did a math PhD at UChicago.\nThe rest of our small but incredibly strong team includes alums of Applied Intuition, Coinbase, Color, Neon, and Google, as well as math / CS PhDs and IMO / IPhO / Codeforces winners. We look forward to working with you!","description_format":"text","description_chars":3906,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Cryptocurrencies","Blockchain Infrastructure","Reinforcement Learning"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-05T17:54:06Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":5,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.184,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":1423,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":250000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/axiom-zk-proof-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/axiom-zk-proof-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T03:53:21Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":5478,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8537},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8537"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Faxiom-zk-proof-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Faxiom-zk-proof-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Faxiom-zk-proof-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/axiom-zk-proof-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Faxiom-zk-proof-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":338043}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"axiom.xyz","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":338043},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}