Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth

Stellar Development Foundation; United States; Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive health, dental & vision

Flexible time off + holidays

Parental leave

Gym reimbursement

401K with match

Commuter benefits

HSA employer contributions

Company retreats

Job summary

Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is seeking a Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth to lead a team shaping founder funding and growth on the Stellar network. You will own builder programs, including the Stellar Community Fund, coordinating with mentors and resources post-launch to boost traction and adoption.

You will define metrics, drive planning, and partner across functions to scale impact while communicating clearly with executives, founders, and the public.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in ecosystem growth, venture or accelerator programs, grant programs, or startup and developer programs, including 3+ years managing people.
• 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).
• Sound judgment about early-stage teams and products: you can spot early signs of traction and make hard calls about resource allocation.
• Comfort with data: you define metrics, build dashboards, and adjust based on evidence.
• Operational discipline: you design processes that hold up at high volume.
• Clear written and spoken communication with executives, founders, and a public community.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a lean organizational structure.

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Ecosystem growth

Team management

Program management

Blockchain knowledge

Data-driven

Strategic thinking

Written communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Job description

Interested in working on cutting-edge blockchain technology and creating equitable access to the global financial system? Since 2014, the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network, an open-source platform that operates at high-scale today. Developers and companies around the world build on it, and the SDF team is expanding to support the rapidly growing and changing Stellar ecosystem.

As Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth, 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 keep making them better. That means choosing which teams to fund, matching them with mentors and resources after launch, and putting more behind the teams that show traction. You'll run these programs like products, using what funded teams go on to achieve (launches, retention, and real usage) to decide what to change, what to grow, and what to stop, with the goal of more products that find traction and grow on their own. Reporting to the VP of Ecosystem, you'll develop a team of experienced program managers and work with the community members who refer and mentor many of our strongest teams.

In this role, you will:

• 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

You have:

• 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

Bonus Points if:

• You're familiar with the Stellar network, Soroban smart contracts, or the Stellar Community Fund

• You've run or worked closely with a blockchain ecosystem fund, accelerator, or grants program

• You've been an early-stage investor, founder, or startup advisor

• You have experience with community governance or decentralized funding mechanisms

• You've built founder or developer communities in emerging markets

• You use AI tools heavily in your own work and know how to help a team adopt them

We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $160,000 - $230,000 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 dependents

• Flexible time off + 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 ($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

About Stellar

Stellar 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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