Staking Researcher

SOLANA FOUNDATION; Canada; Remote; CAD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Join SOLANA FOUNDATION as a researcher shaping the future of validator-native financial infrastructure. You will investigate validator economics, develop new primitives, and collaborate across teams to influence product design and ecosystem strategies. This fast-paced role requires strong writing and analytical skills, with an emphasis on independent work and collaboration.

Benefits

Competitive salary and/or token incentives

Flexible structure for the right candidate

Opportunity to grow with a team focused on validator-first infrastructure

Qualifications

• Passionate about Solana, validator infrastructure, and the staking economy.
• Strong written communicator — able to distill complex topics clearly.
• Collaborative and transparent — comfortable working across teams.

Responsibilities

• Research validator economics, staking flows, and yield markets across Solana.
• Write research memos and strategic briefs to drive thought leadership.
• Collaborate with product and engineering to translate research into experiments.

Skills

Research

Writing

Communication

Analytical thinking

Job description

About Us

We’re building validator-native financial infrastructure on Solana — unlocking Solana’s yield layer. Our mission is to deepen the alignment between validators and capital by creating modular DeFi primitives around staking, restaking, and rewards flow. Backed by top-tier investors coming out of stealth mode, we’re collaborating closely with validators, protocols, and builders across the Solana ecosystem.

The Role

We’re looking for a motivated, independent researcher who’s passionate about the Solana ecosystem. Especially staking, validator dynamics, and DeFi. You’ll play a foundational role in shaping how our protocol thinks, builds, and communicates. This isn’t just about writing research; it’s about generating insights that directly influence product design, validator relationships, and ecosystem positioning.

You should be excited to work autonomously, hit aggressive deadlines, and drive forward high-leverage projects in a fast-moving environment.

What You’ll Do

• Research validator economics, delegation patterns, staking flows, restaking models, and yield markets across Solana.
• Track validator performance and behaviors across metrics like commission changes, uptime, and delegation shifts.
• Develop and model new validator-centric primitives such as staking bonds, restaked vaults, and revenue-sharing mechanisms.
• Research the correlation and yield patterns of traditional bond markets and the application to on-chain bond markets
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to translate research into product experiments and roadmap initiatives.
• Partner with ecosystem participants to uncover insights and co-create high-quality research and educational content.
• Write research memos, strategic briefs, and clear public-facing content to drive awareness and thought leadership.
• Stay up-to-date on governance changes, validator tooling, MEV design, and ecosystem developments that affect staking.

Who You Are

• Passionate about Solana, validator infrastructure, and the staking economy.
• A self-starter who thrives in remote-first environments and is comfortable working independently under fast-paced timelines.
• Analytical and curious — you enjoy deep diving into staking models, incentive systems, and on-chain behavior.
• Familiar with core Solana architecture: stake accounts, epochs, LSTs, restaking flows, and MEV.
• Strong written communicator — able to distill complex topics clearly for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborative and transparent — you’re comfortable working across teams and giving/receiving feedback openly.
• Bonus: You bring experience or fluency in staking, DeFi, or fixed income/structured products.
• Backgrounds in finance, engineering, or crypto-native research are welcome but not required.

Skills & Work Style

• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Comfortable in async, remote-first environments
• Strong instincts for identifying relevant problems and framing useful questions
• Able to work under tight deadlines and prioritize high-impact work
• Values open collaboration, feedback, and intellectual honesty

Compensation

• Competitive salary and/or token incentives depending on experience
• Flexible structure for the right candidate
• Opportunity to grow with a team focused on building novel validator-first infrastructure on Solana

When applying please send all published research, blogs, Twitter, and anything else to [e-mail]