Software Engineer (Compilers/VM) - Full-time
About the Role
You will work on a state-of-the-art RISC-V based virtual machine and an LLVM-based EVM to RISC-V recompiler. You will create comprehensive benchmark suites to measure and improve performance, and integrate these technologies into the smart contract execution environment. You will diagnose performance and correctness issues, optimize code generation and memory usage, and document and present your work in clear, accessible English. You will collaborate in an open-source workflow, take ownership of features from design through deployment, and share results via documentation, blog posts, or conference talks.
Requirements
- Experience with virtual machines and VM architecture
- Knowledge of RISC-V and low-level assembly concepts (AMD64 familiarity helpful)
- Familiarity with dynamic recompilation and bytecode interpreters
- Understanding of compilers, code optimization, and machine code generation
- Experience with low-level memory management and Linux operating system interfaces
- Experience with performance engineering and benchmarking
- Familiarity with security sandboxing techniques
- Willingness to learn about zero knowledge proof systems and zero knowledge virtual machines
- Ability to work autonomously and collaborate in an open-source environment
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain PolkaVM and related virtual machine components
- Implement and optimize an LLVM-based EVM to RISC-V recompiler
- Design and create comprehensive benchmarking suites
- Integrate VM and recompiler components into the smart contract execution environment
- Profile and optimize performance and memory usage
- Ensure security sandboxing and correct isolation of contract execution
- Document work and present results to internal and external audiences
Benefits
- Competitive remuneration package
- Token allocation where legally possible
- Remote-first working model with flexible hours
- Team and company-wide retreats
- Work laptop provided
- Healthcare, parental leave, 28 days PTO and local team events for employees in Germany Portugal and the United Kingdom