Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth

Stellar Development Foundation•New York, NY

8d•$160,000 - $230,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth guides the team responsible for finding, funding, and growing founders building on the Stellar network. The role owns SDF’s builder support programs, including the Stellar Community Fund, and continuously improves them. This includes selecting teams to fund, connecting them with mentors and resources after launch, and increasing support for teams that demonstrate traction. Programs are managed as products, using outcomes such as launches, retention, and real usage to determine what to change, expand, or discontinue, with the goal of helping more products find traction and grow independently. Reporting to the VP of Ecosystem, the Senior Manager develops a team of experienced program managers and works with community members who refer and mentor promising teams. The role sets team strategy, goals, metrics, planning, and reporting; oversees the builder funnel from founder discovery through growth; and coordinates with internal partners to direct funding toward markets where Stellar can be most useful. It also uses AI tools and automation to scale review, tracking, and reporting, while keeping the builder community engaged and representing SDF at events. SDF is a mission-driven nonprofit focused on creating equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. It supports builders and organizations through grants, investments, funding, awards, resources, tooling, and strategic collaborations. The position offers a base salary of $160,000–$230,000, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location, as well as lumen-denominated grants and the listed benefits and perks.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in ecosystem growth, venture or accelerator programs, grant programs, or startup and developer programs.
3+ years of people-management experience.
Track record of building and developing strong teams, including hiring, coaching, setting expectations, and managing performance.
Experience running a funding, investment, or accelerator program at scale, including team selection, diligence, and portfolio management after awards.
Working knowledge of blockchain and crypto, including smart contracts, wallets, DeFi, and on- and off-ramps, sufficient to earn credibility with technical founders.
Sound judgment about early-stage teams and products, including recognizing early traction and making decisions about resource allocation and when to stop support.
Comfort with data, including defining metrics, building or directing dashboards, and changing course based on evidence.
Operational discipline, including designing processes that work at high volume and retiring processes that no longer help.
Clear written and spoken communication with executives, founders, and a public community.
Comfort with ambiguity and defining a path in a lean organization.

Nice To Haves

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.
Experience as an early-stage investor, founder, or startup advisor.
Experience with community governance or decentralized funding mechanisms.
Experience building founder or developer communities in emerging markets.
Heavy use of AI tools in personal work and experience helping a team adopt them.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop a team of senior program managers and community managers by setting clear goals, providing direct feedback, and supporting their growth and end-to-end ownership.
Set team strategy, goals, and metrics, and run planning and reporting processes to keep work visible and aligned across SDF.
Own the full builder funnel, from finding and selecting founders through funding, launch, and growth, with the Stellar Community Fund at its core.
Oversee programs that help funded teams reach users and customers, including accelerator-style go-to-market support, 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 markets where Stellar is most useful.
Define and report portfolio performance measures, including 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 increasing headcount at the same rate.
Keep the Stellar builder community informed and engaged as programs change.
Represent SDF at Meridian, hackathons, and industry events.

Benefits

Competitive base salary of $160,000–$230,000, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
Lumen-denominated grants.
Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage, with most plans covered at 100% for the employee and dependents.
Flexible time off and 15 company holidays, including a company-wide holiday break.
Generous paid parental leave for all parents and paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents.
Gym reimbursement of $80 per month.
Life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage up to $50,000.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
401(k) with 4% match.
Health and dependent care FSA accounts.
Commuter benefits with a $250-per-month employer contribution.
Health Savings Account 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 the office.
Company retreats.