Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Core Developer

at Ethereum Foundation

🏢 About Ethereum Foundation

The Ethereum Foundation is a unique non-profit dedicated to Ethereum as open, neutral infrastructure. Unlike a for-profit company, the EF allocates resources to critical projects and steps back when others can lead, making it a mission-driven organization where your work directly benefits the global Ethereum ecosystem.

About This Role

As a Senior Core Developer on the Stateless Consensus team, you'll prototype and implement protocol changes to make Ethereum stateless—enabling self-contained blocks that reduce node storage requirements. This role directly shapes Ethereum's scalability and decentralization, collaborating with researchers and client teams to design and deploy EIPs like Binary Tries (EIP-7864) and state conversion.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve reviewing a PR for binary trie implementation in an execution client, syncing with researchers on a new design for state conversion, and writing a technical update for the Ethereum Magicians forum. You'll also participate in a bi-weekly team call to align on priorities and discuss feedback from other client teams.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Ethereum Foundation Is Looking For

  • Deep expertise in Ethereum protocol internals, including execution clients (e.g., Geth, Nethermind, Reth) and consensus layer, with hands-on experience implementing EIPs.
  • Strong systems programming skills in Go, Rust, or C++, and familiarity with SNARK-friendly hash functions and Merkle proof generation.
  • Proven ability to collaborate with researchers and client teams on protocol design decisions, and communicate complex technical ideas to the community.
  • Comfortable working autonomously in a remote, async environment with minimal supervision, contributing to a small team via instant messaging and bi-weekly calls.

📝 Tips for Applying to Ethereum Foundation

1

Highlight specific contributions to Ethereum core development, such as EIP implementations or client contributions, with links to PRs or issues.

2

Demonstrate understanding of statelessness challenges and ongoing research (e.g., Verkle tries, binary tries) in your cover letter or resume.

3

Show evidence of cross-client collaboration, e.g., participating in AllCoreDevs calls or working with multiple execution client teams.

4

Include a brief technical write-up or blog post explaining your thoughts on a stateless Ethereum design decision.

5

Mention any experience with SNARK-friendly hash functions (e.g., Poseidon, MiMC) or proof systems relevant to binary tries.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for Ethereum's long-term vision of decentralization and scalability, and why statelessness is critical.", "Specific examples of protocol-level work you've done, including any EIPs you've implemented or contributed to.", 'Your ability to work collaboratively with researchers and client teams, citing specific instances of cross-team coordination.', 'Your comfort with remote, async work and self-directed problem-solving in a small team.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Review the team's active projects: Binary Tries (EIP-7864), state conversion, and any recent blog posts or talks by team members.
  • → Read the Ethereum Foundation blog and understand their funding model and how they allocate resources.
  • → Familiarize yourself with the current statelessness research landscape, including Verkle tries and the shift to binary tries.
  • → Understand the team's communication style (async, bi-weekly calls) and culture by checking their GitHub and Ethereum Magicians threads.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Design trade-offs between Verkle tries and binary tries for statelessness.
2 How you would implement a state conversion from the current Merkle Patricia Trie to a binary trie.
3 Experience with SNARK-friendly hash functions and their impact on proof generation efficiency.
4 A protocol change you proposed or implemented, and how you handled community feedback.
5 How you stay updated on Ethereum research and prioritize tasks in a small, remote team.
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on smart contract development rather than core protocol changes—this role is about consensus and execution layer internals.
  • Submitting a generic application without referencing statelessness or the team's specific projects.
  • Underestimating the importance of community communication and collaboration—this role requires engaging with researchers and client teams.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

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Good luck with your application to Ethereum Foundation!

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