Stellar
Senior Manager, DeFi Partnerships
Full-time$145,000 – $205,0005 days ago
Interested in building technology that actually changes lives?
Since 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has been on a mission to redefine finance for everyone harnessing the power of blockchain to make global financial access a reality, not just a buzzword.
Our open-source platform operates at high scale, and developers and companies around the world build on it every day.
But the technology is only part of the story.
At SDF, we're a mission- driven team of problem solvers committed to innovation with integrity, a culture of respect, and the freedom to do your best work.
We're expanding to support a rapidly growing ecosystem - and looking for people who don't just want a job, but want to build something that matters.
SDF is looking for an Account Manager to manage and grow our diverse infrastructure partnerships within the Business Development team.
These partners include RPC node providers, validators, identity verification services, indexers, and analytics firms that power dashboards, market and trading data, and compliance and risk analytics for both internal and external stakeholders.
Infrastructure partnerships are critical to the Stellar ecosystem - they are what developers and builders rely on to ensure a robust, secure, and performant blockchain environment.
In this role, you'll engage deeply with these providers, developing a thorough understanding of their capabilities, identifying gaps, and uncovering opportunities to expand relationships as the blockchain landscape continues to evolve.
You'll see the direct impact of your work, driving a movement that's tackling real-world problems and prioritizing users and real-world assets.
What you’ll do: Manage a portfolio of infrastructure partnerships across RPC node providers, validators, indexers, analytics providers, and compliance/risk data vendors — serving as the primary point of contact and relationship owner for each.
Develop deep familiarity with each partner's technical capabilities, roadmap, and service offerings, and translate that knowledge into actionable insights for internal SDF teams including engineering, product, and ecosystem.
Conduct regular partner reviews to assess performance, surface gaps in coverage or capability, and identify areas where partners can expand their footprint within the Stellar ecosystem.
Drive expansion of partner relationships by identifying new use cases, advocating for Stellar integrations, and coordinating with BD leadership on commercial terms or grant structures where applicable.
Monitor the health of the infrastructure ecosystem, flagging risks such as validator concentration, data provider outages, or indexer coverage gaps, and working proactively with partners to resolve them.
Collaborate cross-functionally with SDF's product, engineering, and developer relations teams to ensure partner capabilities align with the evolving needs of builders on the Stellar network.
Support onboarding of new infrastructure partners, including scoping integration requirements, coordinating technical introductions, and tracking progress through to launch.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of partner status, communications, and pipeline activity in CRM systems; provide regular reporting to BD leadership on portfolio health.
Stay current on trends in blockchain infrastructure — including developments in data availability, node infrastructure, on-chain analytics, and compliance tooling — and bring relevant insights back to internal teams.
Represent SDF at industry events and partner meetings, building relationships across the infrastructure provider community and positioning SDF as a thoughtful and engaged foundation partner.
What you bring: 3-6 years of experience in account management, partnerships, or business development, ideally in a technology, fintech, or blockchain/Web3 environment.
Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent relationships, with a track record of expanding accounts and driving measurable outcomes.
Working knowledge of blockchain infrastructure concepts, including validators/consensus mechanisms, RPC nodes, indexers, and on-chain data — you don't need to be an engineer, but you need to hold your own in a technical conversation.
Familiarity with data and analytics platforms, particularly those used in financial services contexts such as market data feeds, trading analytics, or compliance/risk tooling.
Strong communication and relationship management skills, including the ability to translate technical topics for non-technical audiences and vice versa.
Experience working cross-functionally, coordinating between technical and commercial teams to move initiatives forward.
Comfort with ambiguity and a builder's mindset - SDF is a lean organization and this role requires initiative, creative problem-solving, and the ability to define processes where they don't yet exist.
Proficiency with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and a disciplined approach to pipeline and account documentation.
if: Familiarity with the Stellar network — its architecture, ecosystem participants, consensus model (SCP), or the Soroban smart contracts platform.
Experience with infrastructure grant programs or ecosystem funding, particularly evaluating or managing relationships with grant recipients.
Background in or exposure to compliance and risk analytics, KYC/AML tooling, or identity verification in a financial services or crypto context.
Prior experience working at or closely with a nonprofit or open-source foundation, with an understanding of mission-driven organizational dynamics.
Knowledge of developer tooling ecosystems - SDKs, APIs, developer dashboards-and how these intersect with infrastructure partnerships.
Multilingual or cross-cultural communication experience, given the global nature of the Stellar ecosystem and its focus on emerging markets and financial inclusion.
We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $145,000 - $205,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits: USA Benefits/Perks: Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependants Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both non-birthing and birthing parents, as well as up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for birthing parents Gym reimbursement ($80 per month) Life & ADD (up to $50K) Short & Long term disability 401K with 4% match Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution Family building benefits through Kindbody Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace) L&D budget of $1,500/year Daily lunch and snacks in office Company retreats #LI-hybrid
is more than a blockchain.
Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology.
Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility.
Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations.
Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world.
About the Stellar Development Foundation The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting change-makers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology.
SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations.
SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility.
As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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