ROXY SYSTEMS · SUBSTRATE ROLES OPEN

Build the Substrate, Not Just the App.

Roxy Systems designs and operates substrate‑level infrastructure for identity, truth, time, and trust. We build systems where every change is witnessed, ordered, auditable, and coherent. If you think in invariants, flows, and guarantees, this is your kind of work.

Substrate Engineering
COSMOS & C‑MOS
Evidence-Based Hiring
Auditability by Design
Absolute Standards

Roxy Systems

What we are building

Roxy Systems is a substrate company. We build the underlying machinery that lets organizations maintain coherent identity, ordered decisions, and verifiable history across time. Our core stack includes COSMOS and C‑MOS — a commit and evidence layer that turns every change into a witnessed, auditable event.

Our work sits at the intersection of systems engineering, compliance, cryptographic guarantees, and organizational reality. We care less about frameworks and more about:

  • What must never break.
  • What must always be ordered.
  • What must always be provable.
  • What must always be explainable.

If you're drawn to the idea of a "substrate" — the layer beneath products, protocols, and teams — you'll recognize yourself in our work.

Roles & Tracks

Track A · The Invariant Thinker (Non‑Technical)

For PMs, operations, and design partners who work closely with engineering. You'll be expected to internalize COSMOS, reason about guarantees, and connect technical constraints to business reality.

  • Understand why we never "just ship" around the substrate.
  • Explain COSMOS in plain language to non‑technical stakeholders.
  • Hold the line on auditability, ordering, and evidence.

Track B · The Polyglot Builder (Engineering)

For engineers who are comfortable moving across languages and layers. You'll work directly in the Roxy Systems codebase, shipping changes into a live substrate.

  • Navigate unfamiliar codebases calmly and systematically.
  • Use c-commit, c-linker, and C‑MOS guarantees as first‑class tools.
  • Design and debug systems where every action leaves a verifiable trace.

We hire for capability, not credentials. We care how you move through a real system, not how you perform in a contrived puzzle.

Our Process

Observable behavior. Real work. Evidence‑based decisions.

Core principles

  • Absolute standards: We'd rather leave a role unfilled than lower the bar.
  • Real work: You'll work with COSMOS and our repo, not whiteboards.
  • Observed execution: We watch how you read, debug, and decide.
  • Recorded evidence: All technical evaluations are screen-recorded and scored against explicit rubrics.
  • Zero Dark Triad: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are hard stops.

Track A · Invariant Thinker (2 hours)

Part 1 · 15 minutes
Knowledge Verification: Five questions about COSMOS to verify you read and understood the preparation materials. We're testing comprehension, not memorization.
Part 2 · 60 minutes
Supervised Hands-On: Complete the COSMOS onboarding together. You drive, we observe how you learn, problem-solve, and handle technical tools.
Part 3 · 30 minutes
Concept Internalization: Explain COSMOS to a confused teammate, analyze a C-MOS guarantee, respond to a real judgment scenario.

Track B · Polyglot Builder (6 hours)

Part 1 · 30 minutes
COSMOS Debrief: Discuss your pre-work experience. What went smoothly? What was challenging? What would you change?
Part 2 · 60 minutes
Architecture Tour: Navigate the ROXY-SYSTEMS repository. Explore structure, analyze services, understand COSMOS integration, explain CI/CD.
Part 3 · 3 hours
Ship a Feature: Pick an issue from our backlog and ship it end-to-end. Code, tests, commits, everything. We observe your planning, execution, and judgment.
Part 4 · 60 minutes
Technical Deep Dive: Explain your solution, identify failure modes, discuss COSMOS internals, demonstrate architectural thinking.

Our process is intentionally demanding. It's also transparent, respectful, and grounded in real work. If this excites you more than it scares you, you're in the right place.

How We Evaluate

Every candidate is measured against objective competency thresholds, not compared to other applicants. We optimize for false negatives (missing good candidates) over false positives (hiring poor fits).

Track A Scoring (100 points)

Strong Hire
85–100
Hire
70–84
Marginal
55–69
No Hire
0–54

Track B Scoring (210 points)

Strong Hire
170–210
Hire
140–169
Marginal
105–139
No Hire
0–104

Marginal candidates

When a candidate scores in the marginal range, a senior team member independently watches the full recording and completes the rubric. Both reviewers then meet to discuss. If they disagree, the hiring manager makes the final call.

We would rather keep a position open than compromise on quality. This framework enables us to identify exceptional candidates while treating all applicants with respect and fairness.

What We Value

How you move through uncertainty

  • You read error messages before reacting.
  • You stay calm when something doesn't work the first time.
  • You ask precise questions instead of flailing.
  • You care about the integrity of the system more than your ego.

How you connect systems to reality

  • You can explain technical decisions in business terms.
  • You understand why audit trails, ordering, and evidence matter.
  • You see compliance as a design constraint, not an annoyance.

How you show up as a person

  • Curiosity without manipulation.
  • Confidence without grandiosity.
  • Directness without cruelty.

We are building systems that other people will rely on when things go wrong. We need people who take that responsibility seriously.

Apply to Roxy Systems

This form is intentionally specific. It helps us see how you think, what you've actually done, and whether our substrate is the right place for you. Take your time.

We review every application carefully. If there's a potential fit, we'll reach out with next steps and COSMOS onboarding details.