Sr. Standards Engineer

Summary / Objective
ID Labs is building the accountability infrastructure for autonomous AI. Our mission is simple: make durable identity part of the Internet's architecture for AI. That only happens when standards bodies adopt it, governments reference it, developers build with it, and enterprises deploy it.
This is a technical role. The person in this seat needs to walk in as a peer, not a guest. You can hold your own in a working group session, argue a position on a mailing list, and come back with an accurate read of what actually happened in the room.
Our specifications are authored by our CTO, and he cannot be everywhere. This role is being created so that our technical position is represented consistently in the rooms he cannot attend. You will start as his delegate. Within two years, the goal is that you are authoring drafts of your own.
This is a growth seat. We are hiring for trajectory, not for a finished résumé.
This role reports to CTO, Innovation Labs.
What You'll Do

• Internet standards. Represent our technical position in working groups our CTO cannot attend. Track the drafts adjacent to ours, follow the list traffic, and flag what matters before it becomes a problem
• Specification work. Revise our drafts, respond to review comments, and build the supporting material that gets a draft through a process rather than stalled in one
• Implementation and proof. Build the reference implementations, interop tests, and demos that make a specification credible. Arguments land better with running code
• Relationships. Build durable technical credibility with the individuals who shape these communities. Standards bodies run on people who show up consistently over years
• Growth into authorship. Take the pen on secondary drafts as you earn standing in the community
• Actively models and promotes Identity Digital's core values through day-to-day interactions, behaviors, and decision-making
• Other duties as assigned

What Success Looks Like

• Within six months, you are a recognized second voice for our work in at least one community
• You attend sessions for our CTO and prepare read-outs
• Review comments on our drafts get substantive responses on time
• Working implementations exist for the claims our specifications make
• By year two, you are authoring

Who You Are / What You Bring

• 5 to 8 years of hands-on protocol or infrastructure engineering. Existing participation in a standards community, working group, or major open source project is a strong signal, whether or not you have authored anything
• Working knowledge in identity infrastructure, including technologies such as OAuth, OpenID Connect, PKI, DNS, Verifiable Credentials, or similar protocols
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly under scrutiny. Technical mailing lists are unforgiving and your writing is the job
• The composure to hold a technical position in a room of people more senior than you, and the judgment to know when to concede
• Comfort moving between engineers, open source communities, and the occasional enterprise or government technical audience
• Comfort operating as a delegate. Someone else owns the position you are carrying, and you represent it faithfully before you get to shape it
• A bias toward sustained, multi-year contribution over transactional relationship building. Consensus takes as long as it takes. Your drafts, responses, and implementations do not: those move on our clock, not the working group's
• Ability to travel as needed
• Ability to work across time zones as part of a global organization as needed

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

Location:

• Remote within the US from any of the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DE, MD, MA, MO, NJ, NV, NY, NC, OR, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, and WA

Salary Range
The U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $160,000 - $190,000 (flexibility based on experience) plus benefits as described below. In addition, the successful candidate will be eligible to receive other compensation from time to time in the form of discretionary and/or nondiscretionary bonuses and long-term incentive plan. Actual compensation will be influenced by a candidate's qualifications, internal employee equity considerations, and location. We will not ask for information about a candidate's current or past compensation for purposes of developing an offer of employment.
US team members (and their spouses, domestic partners, and/or dependent children) are covered by generously subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance which includes company contributions to a Health Savings Accounts. Team members are also covered by company-paid life and disability insurance and have the option of participating in employee-paid supplemental life, accidental death and dismemberment, critical illness, and accident insurance. In addition, team members can enroll in the company's 401(k) plan with up to a 5% match. You receive 15 days of paid vacation yearly, increasing to 20 days after one year. Additionally, you get 5 days of paid sick leave, 13 paid holidays, and 20 weeks of paid parental leave for birthing parents, 12 weeks for others. Also, there's an opportunity for tuition reimbursement for qualifying expenses.
Note: Benefits programs are subject to eligibility requirements and may vary in certain locations.
A few things to know about us
Identity Digital is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or any other category prohibited by local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, social and recreational activities, and termination.
Background Check Statement
At the time of an offer, you will be required to complete a background check. Any offer is contingent upon a satisfactory background check.
Sponsorship Statement
Please note that work sponsorship for this position may not be available now or in the future. While we strive to support our candidates, not all roles will qualify. Eligibility will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Accommodation Statement
We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Identity Digital will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact our Recruiting Team at [email protected].