{"id":1573821,"url":"https://alion.io/job/threema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100","title":"Senior Applied Cryptography Engineer","company":{"id":454542,"name":"Threema","domain":"threema.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/threema-2","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Schema","truth_index":null},"role":"Security","role_family":"Security","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"board_field","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Freienbach, Switzerland"],"countries":["CH"],"hiring_countries":["CH"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":103000,"max_usd":238000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":2225},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Kotlin","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Threat Modeling","optional":false},{"name":"TypeScript","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-28T19:41:40Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-14","last_verified_at":"2026-10-20T23:47:11Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":22,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":22},"description":"Threema is the world’s best-selling secure messenger for both private users and businesses. Since 2012, we have been working tirelessly to ensure that our users can communicate freely without worrying about their privacy. Our growing user base includes millions of private customers and thousands of businesses and organizations from all over the world.\nWe are growing and looking for a new team member to join as a\nSenior Applied Cryptography Engineer (80-100%)\nYour Role\nAs an applied cryptography engineer at Threema, you will help us design, build, and scrutinize the cryptographic protocols behind our messenger, and contribute to the effective privacy protection of millions of people.\nYour Tasks\nProtocol design and quantum-safe migration:\nDevelop and specify cryptographic communication protocols\n\nDesign cryptographic systems, such as key management and multi-device synchronization\n\nLead Threema’s migration to quantum-safe cryptography, together with the cryptography researchers at IBM Research\n\nOwn threat modeling for new product features and protocol designs, in close collaboration with the product and engineering teams\n\nSecurity analysis:\nAnalyze protocols, algorithms, and implementations for security weaknesses, and assess what new attack vectors mean for our products\n\nAssess the vulnerability reports that reach us through our bug-bounty partner and coordinate the fix with the engineering teams\n\nResearch and community:\nFollow current developments in applied cryptography and turn relevant findings into concrete product improvements\n\nMaintain contacts with the security research community and, if you enjoy it, represent Threema at conferences\n\nYour Skills\nCryptography and engineering:\nDegree in computer science, mathematics, or information security, ideally with a focus on cryptography, or equivalent practical experience\n\nSolid understanding of modern cryptographic primitives (AEAD, key exchange, KDFs, digital signatures) and of how they fail when combined incorrectly\n\nWorking knowledge of key encapsulation mechanisms and of post-quantum cryptography, including hybrid constructions such as X25519MLKEM768\n\nExperience designing or reviewing security protocols, ideally in end-to-end encryption, key agreement, or multi-device settings\n\nYou write code yourself, in at least one of Rust, Kotlin, Swift, TypeScript, or something comparable\n\nExperience reviewing implementations for side channels, nonce reuse, misuse-prone APIs, and similar problems\n\nNice to have: practical experience with hybrid post-quantum handshakes, formal protocol verification, published research, or CVEs, experience with coordinated vulnerability disclosure\n\nExperience with AI tools:\nYou’re familiar with current frontier AI models and use them as a productivity multiplier in design work as well as in coding, for example to review specification drafts, survey recent literature, or poke holes in a protocol design\n\nWhatever tools you use, the outcome is yours; AI can draft and suggest, but the person accountable for a protocol that holds is you\n\nSoft skills:\nStrong sense of responsibility, precise way of working\n\nYou can write a protocol specification that someone else can implement, and explain a cryptographic trade-off to people who are not cryptographers\n\nPragmatic judgment about when a design is good enough to ship and when it is not\n\nWillingness to have your own designs picked apart, and to pick apart other people’s with care\n\nGood written and spoken English (at least B2), German is a nice-to-have\n\nWe are also happy to accept applications from people who meet many but not all of these criteria.\nWhat We Offer\nA young, motivated team with straightforward communication\n\nFlexible working hours, option to work from home up to two days per week\n\nOption to work from anywhere for two weeks per year\n\nOption to take unpaid leave\n\nYou can choose your own hardware (macOS or Linux)\n\nPublic transportation discount or parking space (electric car charging available)\n\nFree use of fitness room, including a fitness trainer once a month\n\nProfessional massage once a month\n\nInternal German or English courses\n\nA great coffee machine ;-)\n\nRegular company events and aperitifs\n\nThe good feeling of contributing to the effective protection of the privacy of millions of people\n\nPlace of work: Pfäffikon SZ (Greater Zurich Area)\nStart date: Immediately or by agreement\nHave we sparked your interest?\nWe believe that diverse teams build better products. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and perspectives. Your unique experience is an asset, and we’d love to hear from you.\nApplications sent via email cannot be considered. Please use the official “Apply” button below so we don’t accidentally miss your resume in our crowded inboxes.\nFor agencies: we are filling this role directly and do not accept unsolicited candidate profiles.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4880,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"Upper-Intermediate (B2)","optional":true}]},"benefits":["Company events","Flexible schedule"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Switzerland","iso":"CH","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Messaging Apps"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-01T09:06:13Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":77,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":21,"expected_fill_days":35,"reasons":["conf:2","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/threema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/threema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-21T02:00:18Z","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":3038,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"}},"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":454542},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=454542"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fthreema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100"},{"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%2Fthreema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100"},{"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%2Fthreema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100"},{"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/threema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fthreema-senior-applied-cryptography-engineer-80-100"}]}