Lead Blockchain Architect (Payroll & Privacy)

About the Project
We are building the first Universal Multi-Chain Private Payroll Protocol. We are a venture-backed team of 7 solving the "Multi-Chain Transparency Crisis" by combining Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) with cross-chain settlement (CCTP/Hyperlane). We are moving fast to deliver an MVP within 4-6 months.

The Role
We are looking for a senior architect to own the smart contract layer and privacy integration. You will be responsible for integrating Ligero/Arc ZK proofs and FHE (Fhenix/Zama) into an EVM-compatible environment, while designing the cross-chain pipeline between Ethereum, Solana, Base, and Arbitrum.

Key Responsibilities
- Architecture & Design: Design the core `ConfidentialPayroll` smart contract system, including encrypted state management, ACL permissions, and batch payroll logic.
- Privacy Integration: Implement ZK proof generation (Ligero/Arc) for transaction shielding and integrate FHE (Zama/fhEVM) for storing encrypted salaries and payroll rosters.
- Cross-Chain Settlement: Architect the 7-stage payment pipeline using Circle CCTP (burn-and-mint) and Hyperlane for state synchronization across chains.
- Development: Lead the smart contract development (Solidity) and oversee the off-chain prover services.
- Security & Compliance: Design the "selective disclosure" mechanism (viewing keys for compliance officers) and ensure audit trails are cryptographically secure.

Required Skills & Experience
- 5+ Years in blockchain development, with at least 2 years in a lead/architect role.
- Deep expertise in Solidity and EVM internals; experience with Solana (Rust) is a strong plus.
- Proven experience with Zero-Knowledge Proofs (zk-SNARKs/STARKs, Ligero, or Circom).
- Experience or strong theoretical understanding of FHE (Fhenix, Zama, or TFHE).
- Experience with cross-chain messaging protocols (CCTP, Hyperlane, or Axelar).
- Strong understanding of cryptographic primitives and performance optimization for provers.

Bonus Points
- Experience with "shielded pools" or privacy-preserving DeFi.
- Contributions to open-source privacy projects.
- Familiarity with payroll systems or treasury management.