Senior Formal Verification Researcher (EST to GMT+4)

Security · Europe · Fully Remote

Senior Formal Verification Researcher (EST to GMT+4)

About Certora

Certora is the security assurance partner trusted by the most advanced teams in Web3. Founded in 2018 by pioneers in programming languages and formal methods, Certora helps leading protocols like Lido, Aave, Uniswap, and Compound secure billions in value with confidence.

But we’re not just another auditor. We’re a full‑stack security assurance platform, combining best‑in‑class formal verification tools with expert advisory services, delivered on time and with zero compromise. Whether you’re launching a new protocol, upgrading core infrastructure, or securing a DeFi primitive, Certora doesn’t just look for vulnerabilities. We help you prove correctness, accelerate your development speed, and embed safety into your design from day one.

With Certora, you get:

• Proven, scalable tooling for checking real deployed code
• A deep partnership model with on‑demand support
• Fast, responsive execution that helps you go‑to‑market faster

For us, security isn’t a checklist, it’s a continuous process. Certora is the most comprehensive and trusted platform to ensure your platform is protected, even under adversarial conditions. From testnet to mainnet, we’re with you.

About the role

We are looking for a full‑time Formal Verification Researcher to lead the adoption of formal methods of financial systems using a unique formal verification product called the Certora Prover. You will use the Prover to prove the mathematical properties of complex financial systems such as Aave and Lido, which are implemented using computer programs called smart contracts and improve the Certora Prover technology. The role requires comprehending complex code and finding modular ways to prove the correctness of the systems. In particular, we harness SMT solvers to find critical bugs in financial systems, thus requiring a deep understanding of the technology’s advantages and limitations and developing the correct verification methodology. You will also assist the product team by proposing enhancements to the Certora Prover to enable and promote wider‑scale usage and development of additional products.

Relevant skills

1. Academic graduate degree in Math, Physics, or Computer Science from an excellent research university. Outstanding candidates with an undergraduate degree will also be considered.
2. Passion for applying cutting‑edge technology to financial systems.
3. At least three years of software development experience.
4. Background in vulnerability research, especially with high‑level code (an advantage).
5. DeFi and Fintech understanding (an advantage).
6. Formal verification background, especially with tools such as Dafny, Lean4, Coq, and Isabelle (an advantage).
7. Outstanding junior candidates will also be considered.

Responsibilities

As a Formal Verification Researcher at Certora, you will:

• Lead formal verification projects of complex DeFi protocols using the Certora Prover.
• Rapidly understand new customer codebases and financial systems (e.g., lending protocols, staking systems).
• Identify the most critical safety and security properties of smart contracts and formally specify them according to the implementation.
• Apply compositional reasoning to prove properties and relevant assumptions using the Certora Prover.
• Detect vulnerabilities and critical bugs through SMT‑based verification methodologies.
• Produce high‑quality security reports that document formal verification results, identified issues, and proof outcomes.
• Communicate findings clearly to clients, including both technical audiences and non‑specialists.
• Collaborate with client teams to review proposed security fixes and verify their correctness.
• Work closely with the R&D team to suggest improvements to the Certora Prover and contribute to broader product development.
• Stay flexible and adaptive in project‑based work: handling evolving requirements, changing codebases, and shifting priorities.

Certora People

We are Customer Centric , when we commit, the customer knows we will deliver in a quality and timely manner.

We Move Fast – we’re looking for people with a bias for action and a sense of urgency to achieve quick results while we also Break Nothing – we have high‑quality standards, we are looking for people who are professional and hold themselves accountable.

We win as a Team – our teams are distributed around the world. We understand our individual roles and commit to the team’s goals.

We have a positive “can do” attitude. We support each other and are encouraged to ask for help and advice. We enable people to grow by clarifying expectations and giving candid feedback and on‑the‑job development opportunities. We welcome collaboration both internally and externally for outstanding delivery.

We are Pioneers in DeFi security. We are one of the best companies to help developers and security researchers secure Web3, but we try to stay humble and are always eager to learn more.

Why join Certora?

Certora provides you a wonderful opportunity to:

• Work on cutting‑edge technology and challenging problems at the forefront of Web3 applications and technologies
• Contribute to securing the web3 ecosystem with the leading provider of end‑to‑end security for blockchain‑based applications
• Experience a friendly creative start‑up environment with top talent in the domain
• Work in a fast‑paced and supportive culture: we move fast and break nothing!
• Enjoy flexible work (remote / hybrid)
• Get competitive compensation & benefits (including equity)