Director, Institutional Growth

About the role

This Director role focuses on expanding Solana's presence within institutional finance. The work involves identifying and engaging banks, asset managers, and startups early in their tokenization efforts. A key responsibility is to build and manage a pipeline of potential issuers, assessing their suitability for the Solana ecosystem.

The position also supports founders and early-stage companies developing institutional and real-world asset (RWA) solutions on Solana. Success in this role means driving adoption and total value locked (TVL) for live tokenized products, as well as developing and executing market entry strategies for new institutional offerings. This includes establishing liquidity strategies through market maker relationships and DeFi integrations.

The ideal candidate will serve as the primary post-launch contact for institutional issuers, ensuring ongoing engagement and support. The role requires a track record of driving growth metrics for financial products and a deep understanding of digital asset market structure, including tokenization, RWAs, DeFi, and yield strategies. The Solana Foundation, a non-profit based in Zug, Switzerland, supports the network's adoption and decentralization.

The listed salary range for this role is between $200,000 and $300,000 USD.

Skills that matter here

• product growth or BD in a digital assets role: This experience is crucial for identifying opportunities and expanding Solana's institutional footprint.
• tokenization: Understanding tokenization is fundamental for engaging with financial institutions exploring digital assets.
• RWAs: Knowledge of real-world assets is necessary to support startups building in this specific institutional area.
• DeFi: Experience with decentralized finance is needed for developing liquidity strategies and integrations.
• liquidity provision, market making, or trading operations: This background is important for building and maintaining robust liquidity for institutional products.
• project management and communication skills: These skills are essential for managing multiple products, stakeholders, and external relationships.

Who this role suits

• A person who thrives on identifying and cultivating new business relationships within the financial sector.
• Someone with a strong analytical mindset, capable of identifying growth opportunities and optimizing strategies.
• An individual who enjoys supporting early-stage companies and founders, guiding them through product development and market entry.
• A professional comfortable with frequent travel for conferences and partner engagements.

From the employer

• Identify and engage banks, asset managers, and startups at early stages of their tokenization exploration.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective issuers and evaluate fit for Solana.
• Support founders and early-stage startups building in the institutional/RWA space.
• Drive adoption and TVL growth for live tokenized products.
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies for newly launched institutional products.
• Build liquidity strategies including market maker relationships and DeFi integrations.
• Serve as primary post-launch contact for institutional issuers.

• 3+ years experience in product growth or BD in a digital assets role responsible for TVL/AUM.
• Track record of driving adoption and growth metrics for financial products.
• Understanding of tokenization, RWAs, DeFi, yield strategies, and digital asset market structure.
• Experience with liquidity provision, market making, or trading operations.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to identify growth levers and optimization opportunities.
• Ability to manage multiple products and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Exceptional project management and communication skills.
• Experience working directly with founders or early-stage companies.

• Ability to travel 25-40% of the time for conferences, partner meetings, and ecosystem events.