Strategic Initiatives Manager

At the Celo Foundation we partner with organizations across the Celo ecosystem including partnering with cLabs, the team working on the open source platform Celo, whose mission is to build a financial system that creates the conditions for prosperity for all.

Celo aims to remove the barriers for large-scale adoption of cryptocurrencies as means-of-payment. Using a novel address-based encryption algorithm, the Celo protocol makes sending money as easy as sending a text. Additionally, Celo uses stable-value tokens pegged to fiat currencies, like the US Dollar, to minimize volatility. Celo is an open protocol enabling many to participate in the system, even with a budget Android smartphone. The first application launched on the Celo platform, Valora, is a social payments and money transfer app, aimed at developing markets.

The Celo Foundation is seeking a Strategic Initiatives Manager to join our Builder Growth team and manage the DeFi for the People initiative as well as other key strategic initiatives. The Strategic Initiatives Manager will be responsible for facilitating initiatives and working across different stakeholders within and outside the Celo ecosystem. Stakeholders include but are not limited to teams within the Celo Foundation, cLabs, Celo dApp projects, and other relevant industry partners. As a Manager, you will bring a strategic vision, stakeholder management expertise, structure, and the ability to identify and mitigate risks for Celo’s strategic initiatives.

Experience in crypto/blockchain technology and project management, and a curiosity to explore decentralized platforms are a must. Experience in decentralized finance and fintech is a strong plus.

You Will:

• Manage the day-to-day operations of large scale programs that are crypto-focused, highly technical, and cross functional in nature
• Be part strategist, part manager, and part operational guru, working alongside other members of the Celo ecosystem to set goals, align cross-functional teams, and execute releases
• Engage with business development and engineering stakeholders to ensure the effective launch and support of new DeFi protocols
• Monitor initiative status, identify potential risks, succinctly communicate issues, and proactively collaborate to internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely resolution
• Get buy-in and implement solutions that respond to community needs around DeFi development
• Conduct industry research and competitive landscaping to identify key gaps and opportunities for DeFi on Celo

You Have:

• 2-4 years of experience at a top tier management consulting firm or a background in managing large-scale initiatives
• Cross-functional experience working with internal and external stakeholders to execute projects
• A demonstrated interest in blockchain, cryptocurrency, distributed systems, or fintech
• A go-getter attitude and and the ability to thrive in uncharted waters
• The skills to manage upward and downward across a growing organization in a fast-moving industry
• Excellent communication skills and high emotional intelligence