Senior Staff Software Engineer (Crypto, SV) - IC8+ - US - 2026

Nu is building crypto products that give millions of customers real, secure financial access — moving assets, interacting with blockchain networks, and managing digital assets safely and simply. As a Senior Staff Software Engineer, you'll be the senior-most technical leader connecting deep crypto and blockchain expertise to what Nu builds for customers, setting the multi-year direction for how we turn protocol-level capabilities into products at scale.

Responsibilities

Set multi-year technical and product direction for Nu's crypto systems, grounded in deep expertise in blockchain protocols, on-chain data, custody, signing, and smart-contract integrations.; Partner with product and business leaders to define what crypto experiences Nu should build next, weighing technical feasibility, security posture, customer value, and business strategy together.; Lead the architecture of highly consequential, security-critical crypto capabilities while remaining hands-on in key technical and protocol-level decisions.; Translate deep technical understanding of blockchain systems into concrete product capabilities and customer-facing features, not just infrastructure.; Anticipate scalability, reliability, security, and regulatory challenges specific to crypto/blockchain systems, and set standards that raise the bar across teams building on top of your work.; Drive complex initiatives across team and organizational boundaries, building alignment among engineering, product, business, risk, and compliance stakeholders.; Provide technical leadership through major security incidents or production events involving crypto infrastructure, translating lessons into lasting improvements.; Mentor Staff+ engineers and engineering leaders, and serve as one of Nu's technical reference points on crypto and blockchain systems.

Requirements

Deep, hands-on technical expertise in blockchain and crypto systems — protocols, on-chain data, custody, signing/key management, wallets, asset movement, or smart contracts.; A sustained record of Staff+ level technical leadership with impact spanning multiple teams or domains.; Demonstrated ability to translate deep protocol/technical understanding into customer-facing product decisions and business outcomes, not just architecture.; Experience leading highly complex, ambiguous, security-critical initiatives requiring both technical depth and cross-functional judgment.; Ability to reason about business models, product strategy, and market positioning alongside technical tradeoffs.; Ability to influence engineering leaders, product leaders, security, risk, and compliance stakeholders without formal authority.; A strong record of mentoring senior/staff engineers and raising the quality of technical and product decision-making around them.; Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to build alignment across technical and business audiences in high-stakes environments.

Nice to have

Experience shaping product or business strategy for crypto or digital-asset offerings specifically, beyond technical architecture.; Experience across multiple blockchain networks or protocol families.; Experience with HSMs, secure enclaves, or hardware-backed key-management infrastructure.; Experience in regulated banking, fintech, payments, or institutional digital assets.; Recognition as a technical reference in crypto, blockchain security, or distributed systems.