Blockchain Protocol Architect/Director

About Us

Kiva (www.kiva.org) is an innovative non-profit focused on connecting people through lending to alleviate poverty and create opportunity. We run a global marketplace platform for crowdfunded microloans that serves the financially excluded. Our organization combines the culture and technological passion of an internet start-up with the compassion and empathy of a non-profit to address poverty at global scale. We aim to drive social impact and enable opportunity while providing a borrower-to-lender connection: “Loans that change lives.” In just 13 years, we have raised more than $1.1 billion in loan capital for 2.7 million borrowers in 83 countries. Our lenders fund over $10 million in loans every month. With offices in San Francisco, Portland, New York, Nairobi, and Bangkok, Kiva's team includes 100+ employees and 400+ volunteers worldwide.

About the Role

Recently announced at the United Nations General Assembly, Kiva is partnering with the government of Sierra Leone and the UN to build a “blockchain” identity and credit-scoring system to enhance financial security in Sierra Leone. The Blockchain Protocol Architect/Director will be a leader in this brand new Kiva Protocol team. From the ground up, we will build a global multi-tenant platform, initially deploying in Sierra Leone, but scaling across the world.

The Blockchain Protocol Architect/Director will report to the VP of Engineering.

You will:

• Partner with other distributed systems engineers to develop a highly scalable cloud-based system
• Provide technical leadership in developing and launching Kiva Protocol into the open source ecosystem
• Bring thought leadership around Blockchain across the organization and externally to continue to develop our engineering brand
• Partner with stakeholders across the organization to prioritize architecture decisions and tradeoffs with tight delivery schedules

Qualifications

Required:

• 10+ years engineering experience, preferably in enterprise technologies
• Deep understanding of OOD/OOP distributed systems; designing and developing large scale, high availability software preferably in Java
• Experience analyzing data structures and algorithms and issues related to scale, security and availability
• Experience working with crypto engineering or language and compiler design
• Experience with designing, implementing, or deploying blockchains on one or more of the following platforms: Hyperledger, Ethereum, Bitcoin
• Experience with and/or interest in some of the following areas:
  • Distributed Systems
  • Database and Large-scale Storage Systems
  • Operating Systems
  • Performance Analysis and Optimization

Preferred:

• MSc or PhD
• Working experience with Hyperledger
• Working experience in smaller organizations and/or start-ups a plus

What We Offer

• An amazing mission: Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty across the globe.
• An opportunity to improve real lives, solve hard problems, and change the world.
• Friendly, supportive, and adventurous environment with a team of engaged colleagues.
• Casual, high performing work environment.
• A comprehensive, industry-leading benefits package.
• Opportunities to connect with and learn from colleagues and partners around the world.

A diverse and inclusive workplace where we learn from each other is an integral part of Kiva's culture. We actively welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer and a great place to work. Join us and help us achieve our mission!

We will only accept applications directly from candidates. Kiva will not be responsible for any recruiting agency fees, absent a formal agreement.