Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth

As Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth at the Stellar Development Foundation, you'll guide the team that finds, funds, and grows the founders building on Stellar. You'll own SDF's builder support programs, including the Stellar Community Fund, and run them like products, using real outcomes (launches, retention, and on-chain usage) to decide what to change, what to grow, and what to stop. Reporting to the VP of Ecosystem, you'll develop a team of experienced program managers and work with community members who refer and mentor founders.

What you'll do

• Manage and develop a team of senior program managers and community managers: set clear goals, give direct feedback, and help each person grow and own their work end to end
• Set the team's strategy, goals, and metrics, and run its planning and reporting rhythm so the work is visible and aligned with the rest of SDF
• Own the full builder funnel, from finding founders through selection, funding, launch, and growth, with the Stellar Community Fund at its core
• Oversee programs that help funded teams reach users and customers, such as accelerator-style go-to-market help, mentorship, liquidity awards for new financial protocols, and security audit funding for smart contract projects
• Partner with Business Development, Developer Relations, Marketing, Legal, and Finance so funding reaches the markets where Stellar is most useful
• Define and report the measures that show whether the portfolio is working: launch rates, retention at 3, 6, and 12 months, follow-on funding, on-chain activity, and real user adoption
• Use AI tools and automation to scale review, tracking, and reporting without growing headcount at the same rate
• Keep the Stellar builder community informed and engaged as programs change, and represent SDF at Meridian, hackathons, and industry events

What you bring

• 8+ years of experience in ecosystem growth, venture or accelerator programs, grant programs, or startup and developer programs, including 3+ years managing people
• A track record of building and developing strong teams: hiring, coaching, setting expectations, and managing performance
• Experience running a funding, investment, or accelerator program at scale, including selecting teams, doing diligence, and managing a portfolio after the award
• Working knowledge of blockchain and crypto (smart contracts, wallets, DeFi, and on- and off-ramps) at a level that earns credibility with technical founders
• Sound judgment about early-stage teams and products: you can spot early signs of traction and make hard calls about where to put resources and when to stop
• Comfort with data: you define metrics, build or direct dashboards, and change course when the evidence says to
• Operational discipline: you design processes that hold up at high volume and retire the ones that no longer help
• Clear written and spoken communication with executives, founders, and a public community
• Comfort with ambiguity. SDF is a lean organization, and this role involves defining the path as much as following it

Nice to have

• Familiarity with the Stellar network, Soroban smart contracts, or the Stellar Community Fund
• Experience running or working closely with a blockchain ecosystem fund, accelerator, or grants program
• Background as an early-stage investor, founder, or startup advisor
• Experience with community governance or decentralized funding mechanisms
• Track record building founder or developer communities in emerging markets
• Heavy use of AI tools in your own work and experience helping teams adopt them

What we offer

• Base salary of $160,000 to $230,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location, plus lumen-denominated grants
• Competitive health, dental and vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee and dependents
• Flexible time off plus 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break
• Generous paid parental leave for all parents, plus paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents
• Gym reimbursement of $80 per month
• Life and ADD insurance (up to $50k)
• Short and long term disability
• 401k with 4% match
• Health and Dependent Care FSA Accounts
• Commuter benefits with $250 per month employer contribution
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution
• Family building benefits through Kindbody
• Wellbeing benefits including One Medical, Rightway, and Headspace
• Learning and development budget of $1,500 per year
• Daily lunch and snacks in office
• Company retreats

About the Stellar Development Foundation

The Stellar Development Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on creating equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. Founded in 2014, SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations, and develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and ecosystem and its mission above all else.