Computer and Mathematical · Holland code CIR

Blockchain Engineers

Maintain and support distributed and decentralized blockchain-based networks or block-chain applications such as cryptocurrency exchange, payment processing, document sharing, and digital voting. Design and deploy secure block-chain design patterns and solutions over geographically distributed networks using advanced technologies. May assist with infrastructure setup and testing for application transparency and security.

Also called: Blockchain Consultant, DLT Software Engineer (Distributed Ledger Technology Software Engineer).

O*NET 15-1299.07

At a glance

US median annual pay: $116,580; Middle half earn $79,370 to $157,500. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 38% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Discuss and plan systems with solution architects, system engineers, or cybersecurity experts to meet customer requirements.
Implement catastrophic failure handlers to identify security breaches and prevent serious damage.
Test the security and performance of blockchain infrastructures.
Assess blockchain threats, such as untested code and unprotected keys.
Design and deploy blockchain design patterns to make transactions secure, transparent, and immutable.
Design and verify cryptographic protocols to protect private information.
Evaluate blockchain processes or risks based on security assessments or control matrix reviews.
Run infrastructure tests to examine the behavior of large peer-to-peer networks.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Active Learning3.5 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Computers and Electronics4.5 / 5
Engineering and Technology4.3 / 5
Mathematics3.7 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Design2.9 / 5
Law and Government2.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic40
Investigative71
Artistic18
Social10
Enterprising40
Conventional78

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

integration engineer · DE Fachinformatiker der Fachrichtung Systemintegration/Fachinformatikerin der Fachrichtung Systemintegration · FR ingénieur intégration/ingénieure intégration
software architect · DE Softwarearchitekt/Softwarearchitektin · FR concepteur de logiciels/conceptrice de logiciels
software developer · DE Softwareentwickler/Softwareentwicklerin · FR développeur de logiciels/développeuse de logiciels
mobile application developer · DE App-Entwickler/App-Entwicklerin · FR développeur d’applications mobiles/développeuse d’applications mobiles
ICT network architect · DE IT-Netzwerkarchitekt/IT-Netzwerkarchitektin · FR architecte de réseau
ICT network engineer · DE IT-Netzwerkingenieur/IT-Netzwerkingenieurin · FR ingénieur de réseaux informatiques/ingénieure de réseaux informatiques

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

IT network professionals (2137)33,500 employed
Cyber security professionals (2135)91,200 employed
IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (2133)212,200 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test