Protocol Director

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Oversee the protocol teams.

• Supervise the leads of the validators, Solana, and Chainlink teams. Cultivate their development as technical leaders and maintain high standards for the engineers they oversee.

• Offer protocol-level technical direction to the teams, going beyond simple escalation management to provide substantial insights that help them resolve challenging issues more efficiently.

• Establish a consistent operational rhythm among the three teams, including planning, reviews, incident response, and ongoing improvement.

• Manage headcount health, retention, and performance within your area. Address issues proactively to prevent team challenges from escalating.

• Take charge of protocol strategy.

• Create and sustain a forward-looking perspective across the protocols in which the business is involved. Comprehend the technical direction of each protocol, its implications for our infrastructure and services, and how it aligns with business opportunities.

• Act as the link between protocol evolution (upgrades, forks, new mechanisms) and the engineering teams that must adapt.

• Provide counsel to the Head of Blockchain Engineering and the broader leadership on protocol-level risks, opportunities, and emerging areas worthy of pursuit.

• Recognize where emerging protocol developments present significant opportunities or threats for the business, such as new L1s, staking mechanisms, oracle integrations, and cross-chain primitives.

• Maintain an operational overview across the three teams: who is working on what, what is at risk, what is blocked, and what is being delivered.

• Make staffing and sequencing decisions within your scope. Collaborate with the Head of Blockchain Engineering and the hiring team to plan proactively.

• Facilitate the cadences and rituals that ensure the function remains coherent without imposing bureaucratic burdens.

• Coordinate with DIS, client-facing teams, and engagement leads to confirm that the protocol function is focused on the highest-impact work.

• Participate in client discussions where protocol expertise at a leadership level is required, providing technical insights rather than just seniority.

• Represent the protocol function in commercial negotiations, scoping discussions, and delivery evaluations when protocol capabilities are central to what is being sold or delivered.

• Simplify protocol complexities into understandable terms for non-technical stakeholders, both internally and externally.

⛳️ Requirements

• Proven expertise in protocols across at least two of the following: Ethereum (validator/consensus layer), Solana, or Chainlink/oracle networks. You should be capable of engaging technically with senior engineers in these areas.

• A history of managing technical teams, not only senior individual contributors but also building and nurturing teams, holding members accountable, and addressing the more challenging aspects of people leadership.

• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where protocol decisions significantly impact business and client outcomes.

• Excellent technical communication skills to articulate a protocol issue clearly to engineers, clients, and executives, tailoring the message for each audience.

• Operational fluency gained from overseeing the logistics of a multi-team function: capacity planning, sequencing, on-call duties, incident response, and hiring. You can maintain a holistic view and keep operations moving forward.

• High agency with a low ego. You will have a clear mandate and are expected to lead within it.

• A genuine interest in the future direction of the protocol landscape, not merely maintaining current operations but strategically positioning for upcoming developments.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive base salary and discretionary bonus.

• Generous paid time off.

• Company-funded health and protective benefits for employees and their eligible dependents.

• Complimentary virtual coaching sessions through Headspace.

• Free daily snacks available in the office.

• Opportunities to gain insights into the Crypto industry.

• Work alongside smart, entrepreneurial, and enjoyable colleagues.