Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth
"What You'll Be Doing"
About This Role
As Senior Manager, Ecosystem Growth, you'll lead the team responsible for finding, funding, and growing the founders building on Stellar. You'll own SDF's builder support programs, including the Stellar Community Fund, and continually improve them — deciding which teams to fund, connecting them with mentors and resources after launch, and increasing support for teams that show traction. You'll treat these programs like products, using outcomes such as launches, retention, and real usage to decide what to expand, change, or stop, with the goal of helping more products find traction and grow independently. You'll report to the VP of Ecosystem, manage a team of experienced program managers, and work closely with community members who refer and mentor many of the strongest teams.
What You'll Be Doing
Manage and develop a team of senior program managers and community managers, setting clear goals, giving direct feedback, and helping each person grow and take full ownership of their work
Set the team's strategy, goals, and metrics, and run its planning and reporting cadence so the work stays visible and aligned with the rest of SDF
Own the full builder funnel — from identifying founders through selection, funding, launch, and growth — with the Stellar Community Fund at its center
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 to ensure funding reaches the markets where Stellar is most useful
Define and report on the metrics that indicate whether the portfolio is succeeding, 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 a proportional increase in headcount
Keep the Stellar builder community informed and engaged as programs evolve, and represent SDF at Meridian, hackathons, and other industry events
What We're Looking For
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, conducting diligence, and managing a portfolio after funding is awarded
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, with the ability to spot early signs of traction and make difficult calls about where to allocate resources and when to stop
Comfort working with data — defining metrics, building or directing dashboards, and adjusting course based on evidence
Operational discipline — designing processes that hold up at high volume and retiring ones that no longer help
Clear written and spoken communication with executives, founders, and a public community
Comfort with ambiguity, as SDF is a lean organization and this role involves defining the path as much as following it
Bonus Points
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 personal use of AI tools, along with experience helping a team adopt them
Ready to Apply?
To submit your application for this position, please visit Stellar Development Foundation's official website and follow their application process.