Head of Security

Defuse Labs is seeking a Head of Security to lead the security strategy for the NEAR ecosystem, including NEAR Intents and NEAR One. This role is critical for managing complex financial risks in an adversarial cross-chain environment, ensuring the protection of infrastructure, smart contracts, and AI-driven systems.

Key responsibilities

• Define and operate a comprehensive security posture across cloud, endpoints, and application layers within a crypto-native model.
• Establish rigorous security standards, audit strategies, and release gating for all production smart contract deployments.
• Lead ecosystem-wide incident response, serving as the primary coordinator for both traditional infrastructure and on-chain events.
• Design and oversee advanced key management architectures, including MPC and custody models, to secure protocol and treasury assets.
• Build and manage a high-leverage security function, including continuous testing, red teaming, and bug bounty programs.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a security leader in high-stakes environments such as major on-chain protocols, top-tier exchanges, or critical infrastructure.
• Deep technical expertise with the ability to review infrastructure code, challenge threat models, and set strategic budget priorities.
• Strong understanding of crypto-specific risks, including smart contract vulnerabilities, on-chain forensics, and validator security.
• Exceptional system design skills with a focus on risk isolation, blast radius limitation, and implementing effective circuit breakers.
• Ability to communicate complex security matters clearly to institutional partners, regulators, and internal stakeholders.

What we offer

• A direct mandate from the Security Committee with real authority to shape the security culture of a major crypto ecosystem.
• The opportunity to work on cutting-edge challenges involving AI agents, cross-chain intents, and large-scale financial infrastructure.
• A fully remote working environment that supports high-impact, autonomous leadership.