We've been making a big deal of our funding status for the last while, and for good reason. CryptPad has largely been funded by the OpenPaaS research and development project, funded by BPIFrance. We're very happy with the results of the past four years of work, but this support will terminate at the end of March 2019.

While this change is a bit scary for us, it also means that we'll be free to pursue new research projects. Europe is investing in technologies that promote human-centric values, so there are many opportunities that align with our goals. We have been actively seeking funding from a variety of sources, and though things are currently uncertain for us, it's quite likely that our team will need to expand to prepare for upcoming obligations.

The skills we want

We're looking for web technologists and product designers with experience in privacy engineering. If you already use CryptPad, encrypted messengers, or other similar communication systems to protect your personal data, that knowledge will be an asset. If you use unencrypted platforms and have a good understanding of the personal and societal trade-offs, that will count in your favour as well.

This field is fairly young, so we're open to any experience you have, not just what you've learned in a professional or academic context.

In terms of technical skills, our daily work typically includes:

• Clientside Javascript (ES5) and cross-platform browser APIs
• Nodejs
• CSS3 and LESS
• HTML5
• BASH
• GIT
• SSH, information security, and basic system administration

We're interested in incorporating skills we don't already have, so don't panic if you're unfamiliar with anything listed above.

Perhaps more important than the technical skills are the so-called soft skills:

• Empathizing with users and prioritizing improvements based on their impact
• Communicating well within a team (including asking for clarification if your goals are ever unclear)
• Managing your time well (we avoid micro-managing and working overtime)
• Reasoning about pragmatic security
• Consideration of both immediate tasks and long-term goals

What we offer

XWiki SAS has been developing open-source software for the last 15 years, and we rely on the open-source tooling internally. Joining our team means learning how to run a sustainable business while giving away our product for free (without selling user data).

Otherwise you can expect:

• A relaxed work environment (in Paris, France or Iasi, Romania) with part-time remote work
  • or negotiable full-time if relocation is not possible or desireable
• To develop portable skills using open-source software
• International travel (at our expense) when promoting the company or our projects
• Opportunities for advancement, training, and other benefits
• The chance to shape the future of an exciting project with your personal view of responsible data handling
• To become an expert in privacy-enhancing technologies (we're literally an award-winning team)

A special note to researchers

We're very interested in distributed systems, data science (as an adversary against privacy), and human-computer interaction. If you are knowledgeable about any of these, some intersection, or anything else that might be relevant, that's great!

If you have recently attained a PhD from an institution recognized by the EU, there are subsidies which can help us pay your salary. We have authored two peer-reviewed papers to date, so we can offer continued involvement in the research community if you desire.

Caveats

Sorting through CVs can be a lot of work, though a little transparency on some issues might help lighten the burden on our side. Below are some things to consider before contacting us.

As stated above, our ability to hire will be based on the status of some pending proposals. We don't currently know how many positions will be available, and our timeline on when we could hire is fuzzy at best. We'd like to have your profile ready so we can act quickly once we know more.

We can't compete with the salaries offered by companies in Silicon Valley, though they are comparable to other European businesses. As a consolation, you'll be directly involved in determining how we move forward, and you'll gain insight into the exciting European research ecosystem.

Our funding sources tend to place restrictions limiting those funds to residents of European member states. I moved to France from Canada to work on CryptPad several years ago, but things are generally simpler if you're already here. Don't let that stop you from contacting us, though!

We understand that talent comes in many forms, and we welcome new ideas. We're willing to make exceptions for promising candidates, but we'd like to know that you care about the topic. There are probably better options available if you just want a job.

If you are interested...

Contact us at jobs@cryptpad.fr with a recent CV and a brief introduction explaining what you'd bring to the team.