Staff Smart Contract Engineer

Aave Labs builds the core protocol infrastructure behind Aave, one of the largest decentralized lending and borrowing protocols in DeFi. We are hiring a Staff Smart Contract Engineer to design and implement secure smart contracts and to contribute to the protocol infrastructure and tooling that the broader Aave ecosystem depends on.

In this role you will create and rigorously test Solidity-based smart contracts and decentralized applications, working on production systems where a single overlooked edge case can have real financial consequences. You will collaborate cross-functionally on feature design and implementation, and take direct responsibility for identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities, including developing response strategies when issues are found. Code review is a core part of the role, with a strong emphasis on security standards rather than just functional correctness. You will also stay closely engaged with developments across the broader Ethereum ecosystem, evaluating and integrating relevant new technologies where they genuinely improve the protocol, and mentoring other engineers on smart contract security and best practices.

We are looking for someone who has shipped production DeFi vaults before, specifically with experience in share and NAV accounting, strategy allocation, and deposit and redemption flows, since that is close to the kind of infrastructure Aave Labs builds and maintains. A deep, hands-on understanding of smart contracts and the EVM is required, along with genuine DeFi protocol experience and up-to-date knowledge of security practices in a space where exploits are constantly evolving. This is a staff-level role, so we expect a strong personal commitment to high Solidity and security standards, not just technical competence, and a real passion for web3 and decentralized finance rather than someone treating it as just another backend job.

The role is listed as remote available with no stated geographic or timezone restriction, consistent with how Aave Labs hires for its backend and smart contract engineering teams more broadly. If you want to work on smart contract infrastructure that secures billions of dollars in DeFi liquidity, with genuine flexibility on where you are based, this is a strong fit. Apply directly through Aave's official careers page with your resume and an optional cover letter; Aave states a typical response time of three to five business days.