Head of DeFi

Remote, US / Remote UK
Business Development – Business Development /
FTE /
Remote
At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. We don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a team aligned around a single mission: to advance personal freedom for all (see ZK Credo).

To achieve this goal, we’re building zkSync — a credibly neutral, fully open source technology stack and network on top of Ethereum, which is owned and governed by its community. We use advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum infinitely without compromising on security or decentralization. With a world-class team, a community of over 1M supporters across Twitter + Discord, and hundreds of millions $ in funding, we have abundant resources to accomplish the mission.

The purpose of DeFi has significantly expanded from the previous cycle. It is no longer just about the traditional on-chain apps like lend/borrow, DEXs, Derivatives. DeFi encompasses all forms of money movement in an ecosystem that supports the functioning of a strong liquidity hub from payments and stablecoins to tokenization of RWA.

We need a leader that has experience in both the traditional payments space and crypto-native Defi that can build a strategy for how we enter into the new paradigm of DeFi. This individual will take our industry from 0-1 where cross border payments, stablecoins, and RWA start to move fully onchain en masse.

The mission for the Head of DeFi within the Era Squad is to work with the Head of BD and Era to holistically identify our DeFi strategy for Era across the crypto landscape, and execute on, our strategy for turning Era into a leading liquidity hub. Key areas where they will focus:

What You'll Be Doing

    • Identifying where Era can be dominant in “traditional DeFi” e.g stables, DEXs/lending/perps)
    • X-Border Payments
    • Deep liquidity across key trading pairs and collateral pools such as wstETH, stablecoins (both yield bearing and stable), LRTs, and BTC
    • Strategic bets in more nascent areas such as tokenization of RWAs
    • Work with other ZK Chains within the Elastic Chain to understand their liquidity and DeFi needs
    • Manage and build existing relationships with DeFi protocols on Era and ensure their success

What We Look For in You

    • 10+ years of professional experience in areas such as banking, asset management, management consulting, payments, or similar
    • 3+ years in DeFi
    • Deep understanding of the Defi and stablecoin landscape and industry trends such as intents and tokenization
    • Avid DeFi user and on-chain history
    • Ownership mindset and ability to independently drive growth, build strategies and execute to deliver results

Working at Matter Labs

At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. All positions are 100% remote (with optional travel to team and/or industry events). We operate in lean and nimble teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. We move fast. Only results matter. We will provide you with everything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.

Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from diverse backgrounds. That's why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace.

We designed our culture around the tenants of freedom and ownership. This ethos will underpin our positive-sum community as we evolve toward full decentralization.

What we Offer

- Competitive compensation
- Equity and token package 
- 100% coverage for health, dental, and vision Insurance 
- 16 weeks of parental leave
- Flexible paid time off 
- Company closure weeks 1-2x per year
- $2000 USD work equipment stipend
- $300 USD monthly co-working allowance 
- Company offsites 1-2x per year
- $500 USD learning & development stipend 
- 401k plan for US Employees 

Don't meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Matter Labs, we think big with a long-term view and encourage you to apply even if you don't think you check every box in the job description.

If this role resonates with you, please apply now.

Read more about working at Matter Labs here.

Important: We are remote-first, operating in the timezones between UTC-5 (Latam and Atlantic Coast) to UTC+7 (South-East Asia).

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