What are the responsibilities and job description for the Partnerships Lead, Defi position at OP Labs PBC?
The financial system still runs on infrastructure built for a different era. Slow settlement, extractive middlemen, economics you don't control. OP Labs is the team changing that.
We build the technology behind Optimism — the infrastructure already powering 65% of all Layer 2 activity on Ethereum. Our open-source OP Stack lets developers and enterprises launch their own scalable, secure, customizable onchain networks. Through OP Enterprise, we give companies fully managed blockchain infrastructure — their chain, their revenue, their rules. Through OP Mainnet, we run the most battle-tested public network in the ecosystem, where the hardest problems get solved first.
Sony did it. Kraken did it. OKX did it. 50 enterprises in production and counting.
Backed by a16z, Paradigm, and others, we've raised over $175M. The next generation of financial infrastructure is being built here. Come build it with us.
Role And Responsibilities
This role is focused on accelerating Total Value Locked (TVL) growth across OP Stack chains. You will achieve this by setting the overall DeFi strategy for the OP Stack and managing key relationships with top-tier protocols, including asset issuers, decentralized exchanges, and liquidity providers. A core component of the role is structuring and executing high-ROI, multi-party initiatives, as well as sharing knowledge and best practices with our chain partners.
What are the role responsibilities?
What skills do you bring?
Please Note
We build the technology behind Optimism — the infrastructure already powering 65% of all Layer 2 activity on Ethereum. Our open-source OP Stack lets developers and enterprises launch their own scalable, secure, customizable onchain networks. Through OP Enterprise, we give companies fully managed blockchain infrastructure — their chain, their revenue, their rules. Through OP Mainnet, we run the most battle-tested public network in the ecosystem, where the hardest problems get solved first.
Sony did it. Kraken did it. OKX did it. 50 enterprises in production and counting.
Backed by a16z, Paradigm, and others, we've raised over $175M. The next generation of financial infrastructure is being built here. Come build it with us.
Role And Responsibilities
This role is focused on accelerating Total Value Locked (TVL) growth across OP Stack chains. You will achieve this by setting the overall DeFi strategy for the OP Stack and managing key relationships with top-tier protocols, including asset issuers, decentralized exchanges, and liquidity providers. A core component of the role is structuring and executing high-ROI, multi-party initiatives, as well as sharing knowledge and best practices with our chain partners.
What are the role responsibilities?
- Own relationships with top-tier DeFi protocol teams, serving as the primary point of contact, running quarterly business reviews, proactively removing blockers, and ensuring those DiFi partnerships can deliver on joint OP and partner objectives.
- Contribute to OP Mainnet and the OP Stack DeFi strategy and execution, by owning the asset pipeline, and working with partners to create new markets, vaults, and sustainable DeFi yield strategies.
- Design and deploy milestone-based incentive programs, track grant ROI, and work with internal partners (Growth, Data, Product) to optimize incentive strategies to drive towards sustainable business outcomes.
- Lead strategic initiatives and thought leadership for the OP Stack DeFi ecosystem (e.g., create and deploy playbooks for TVL growth across OP Stack chain partners), build narrative and content to showcase the ecosystem’s growth and wins, represent Optimism at industry events, and surface emerging trends and opportunities.
What skills do you bring?
- 4–7 years in DeFi partnerships / protocol ops experience
- Deep understanding of the EVM DeFi ecosystem including DeFi protocol mechanics and onchain behaviors of various user archetypes from yield-seekers, liquidity providers, farmers/degens, to institutions.
- Demonstrated experience with tokenomics and incentive programs, with sharp business intuition to choose incentive campaigns that drive durable outcomes.
- Hands-on product/technical fluency, obsessed with understanding how DeFi protocols, apps, and the infrastructure required for successful DeFi ecosystem
- Strong cross-functional execution and negotiation skills.
- Excellent written/verbal communication — exec-level presence.
- We take care of our employees. Competitive compensation, fully paid medical, dental, and vision, and a 4% 401K match.
- We take pride in the accomplishments of our teammates and support each other in doing the best work of our careers.
- Our team is a diverse group of people from varied backgrounds. We cherish our eclecticism and consider it a great strength.
- We're remote-friendly with an NYC office where we like to collaborate in person.
- We think long-term. Our founders have been scaling Ethereum since 2015.
- Learn more about our interviewing here!
Please Note
- All official communication will come from an @oplabs.co email address, or from a verified Linked profile.
- We will never ask for payment, banking information, or personal identification details at any stage of our hiring process.
- All current openings are listed exclusively on our official careers page and linked from our verified social profiles.
- If you’re ever unsure about a communication that claims to be from OP Labs, please contact us directly at people@oplabs.co to verify authenticity.