Lead Software Engineer (Crypto, SV) - US - IC6 - 2026

As a Lead Software Engineer (Crypto) at Nu, you'll own cryptographic systems, protocols, or blockchain infrastructure that expands financial access for millions across Latin America. You'll join a focused crypto team in Palo Alto, collaborating with security, compliance, and product teams globally. You think adversarially, build defensively, and operate at the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and financial regulation.

What you'll do

• Own cryptographic systems, protocols, or blockchain infrastructure for your domain, including key management, signing flows, and on-chain integrations.
• Design and implement secure, compliant crypto infrastructure that meets the highest standards for correctness and reliability.
• Think adversarially: design systems assuming they will be attacked, conduct threat modeling, and build defensive architectures.
• Navigate the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and financial regulation, ensuring all systems meet compliance requirements.
• Lead security reviews and code quality processes for crypto-related systems, enforcing a high bar for production readiness.
• Collaborate with security, compliance, and product teams to ensure crypto features are both safe and user-friendly.
• Mentor peers on crypto engineering best practices and contribute to the team's security-first engineering culture.

What you bring

• A track record of building and operating cryptographic systems, blockchain infrastructure, or secure financial systems in production.
• Deep understanding of cryptographic primitives, key management, signing protocols, and consensus mechanisms.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals with experience in languages used in crypto infrastructure, such as Go, Rust, Java, or Python.
• Experience designing systems with an adversarial mindset: threat modeling, security reviews, and defensive architecture.
• Understanding of financial regulation as it applies to crypto and digital assets, with experience building compliant systems.
• Demonstrated ability to make high-stakes engineering decisions where correctness and security are non-negotiable.
• Experience collaborating with security, compliance, and legal teams on system design and review processes.

Nice to have

• Experience with specific blockchain protocols such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, or Solana and their integration patterns.
• Background in DeFi protocols, custody solutions, or institutional crypto infrastructure.
• Experience in fintech, payments, or other financial services environments with strict regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with HSMs, secure enclaves, and hardware-backed key management systems.
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools and a thoughtful approach to leveraging AI in security-critical engineering.

What we offer

• Equity at Nu
• Medical insurance
• Dental and vision insurance
• Life insurance and AD&D
• Extended maternity and paternity leaves
• Nucleo learning platform with courses
• NuLanguage language learning program
• NuCare mental health and wellness assistance program
• 401K
• Health Saving Account and Flexible Spending Account
• Work-from-home allowance
• Relocation assistance package, if applicable
• Hybrid work model, 2-3 days per week on-site in Palo Alto

About Nu

Nu is the leading digital bank in Latin America, serving 135 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The company builds secure, compliant crypto infrastructure and innovative financial products guided by its mission to fight complexity and empower people.