DeFi Growth Lead

WHO WE ARE The Solana Foundation is a non-profit based in Zug, Switzerland, dedicated to the adoption, decentralization, and security of the Solana network. Solana is a high performance blockchain that can deliver a fast and friendly user experience, without sacrificing security. The Solana Foundation is working to realize a world where individuals own their data, use permissionless networks, and transfer information and value freely around the world. We are looking for talented people who are willing to jump right in and use their expertise to help the ecosystem build. THE OPPORTUNITY Solana Foundation is seeking a DeFi Growth Lead, Americas to support in developing and executing the DeFi growth strategy. This role is primarily partnerships and growth-execution focused; you'll spend the majority of your time on supporting Solana native DeFi protocols with their GTM and growth strategies. The ideal candidate has deep DeFi fluency and a track record of moving the numbers that matter: TVL, volume, and institutional adoption. TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE You will: - Be the primary day-to-day contact for DeFi venues on Solana — Work both startups and established teams to establish GTM strategy and help them in execution. - Execute liquidity and incentive programs — Design the mechanics with DeFi or DeFi related teams, model payout-to-outcome before committing spend, run the program and craft data driven insights to help with subsequent programs. - Source and qualify institutional counterparties — Desks, market makers, allocators, issuers. Bring qualified opportunities to the table and work with the rest of the DeFi and Trading team to onboard. - Own the delivery of the core DeFi metrics — TVL, volume, desks onboarded, program ROI against internal targets. - Feed the deal pipeline — Surface interesting and unique opportunities to the team often and be confident in thinking outside the box. YOU IDEALLY HAVE: Deep DeFi fluency — you understand DeFi deeply and how incentives transmit into volume and TVL; you hold your own with protocol founders and operators with traditional finance backgrounds. A track record of moving numbers — you've run growth or BD at a protocol, exchange, market maker, or fund and can point to TVL, volume, or adoption you were directly responsible for. Institutional credibility — you've sat across from allocators, market makers, or issuers and closed. Comfort owning protocol relationships as your primary surface, since that's where this seat spends most of its time. An operator mindset — you ship, and you're a global operator based in the US, able to run the Americas and coordinate across EU and APAC hours