Blockstream was founded in 2014 by Dr. Adam Back and a group of fellow cryptographers and engineers passionate about Bitcoin and its potential to change the future of finance. We have become a market leader in Bitcoin security and Layer-2 technologies. Our products are designed to make financial systems more efficient, secure, and robust.
We are seeking a Solution Architect, responsible for designing and building secure, scalable blockchain and digital asset solutions for enterprise and institutional clients. This role owns the end-to-end architecture of client platforms, from initial design through implementation and deployment, ensuring solutions meet both business requirements and technical best practices for distributed systems, cryptography, and financial services integration.
Within the Service & Enterprise Solutions organization, the Solution Architect works closely with Delivery, Engineering, Product, and Client teams to translate business requirements into robust technical architectures. This role bridges technical innovation with practical implementation, ensuring that blockchain solutions are secure, scalable, and operationally sound for banking and institutional environments.
What You'll Be Doing (Responsibilities)
- Design and deliver end-to-end blockchain and digital asset solutions for banking, custody, payments, and treasury management use cases
- Architect secure, scalable platforms that integrate blockchain infrastructure with core banking and financial systems
- Define technical architecture including API design, data flows, event-driven systems, and integration patterns
- Make platform-level design decisions on deployment models (cloud, hybrid, on-premise), consensus mechanisms, and security protocols
- Evaluate and select appropriate blockchain platforms, protocols, and tools based on client requirements and technical feasibility
- Ensure solutions adhere to cryptographic security standards, regulatory compliance requirements, and industry best practices
- Collaborate with delivery teams, developers, and DevOps engineers to ensure architectures are buildable, testable, and operable
- Create and maintain technical documentation including architecture diagrams, system specifications, and integration guides
- Identify and escalate architectural risks, technical dependencies, and performance bottlenecks
- Mentor junior architects and developers on architectural patterns, blockchain best practices, and secure coding principles
What We Look for In You (Required Qualifications)
- 5-10 years of experience in solution architecture, platform engineering, or enterprise system implementation
- Strong understanding of blockchain technology, distributed systems, and cryptographic principles
- Experience designing multi-system platforms in regulated financial services environments
- Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and modern deployment practices
- Deep expertise in API-based architectures, microservices, and event-driven systems
- Strong knowledge of security protocols, encryption, authentication, and authorization mechanisms
- Understanding of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code
- Excellent communication skills with ability to present complex technical concepts to both technical and business stakeholders
- Self-starter with proven ability to work collaboratively across multiple teams and geographies, demonstrating high-quality and high-touch customer engagement throughout all phases of delivery
- Languages: Swiss German, German, and English required; French and/or Italian a plus
- Location: Switzerland, with focus on Zurich, Zug, Lugano
Nice To Haves (Preferred Qualifications)
- Hands-on experience with blockchain platforms (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger, or similar)
- Knowledge of smart contract development and decentralized application (DApp) architecture
- Experience with digital asset custody, tokenization, or crypto payment systems
- Understanding of DeFi protocols, stablecoins, and Layer-2 scaling solutions
- Familiarity with regulatory frameworks for digital assets (MiCA, AML/KYC, securities regulations)
- Experience integrating blockchain with core banking systems, payments platforms, or treasury management systems
- Programming proficiency in languages like Python, Go, Rust, Java, or Solidity
- Blockchain certifications (Certified Blockchain Architect, Hyperledger, or similar)
- Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and container orchestration
- Interest in progressing into Principal Architect or technical leadership roles