Startup Operator, Launchpad

Guide and shape significant Web3 initiatives in the Protocol Labs Network

Protocol Labs drives breakthroughs in computing to push humanity forward. The Protocol Labs Network is a product-development lab and network with a mission to improve the internet and computing, generally. We are doing so by creating groundbreaking new protocols (IPFS, libp2p, IPLD, Filecoin, and more), and speeding up the research and development pipeline from ideas on paper to in users’ hands.

The PL Network is made up of 300+ projects, companies, and organizations. Most teams in the Protocol Labs Network are fully distributed and work remotely around the world. Engineers, researchers, and operators work in the open to improve the internet — humanity's most important technology — as we explore new advances at the intersection of many exciting fields (crypto, networks, distributed systems) and cultures (startups, research, open source, distributed work). 

Startup Operators in the PL Network are responsible for supporting our Projects through problem-solving, from data analysis and market segmentation to connecting them with industry experts, as well as establishing company-wide processes and tools that enable a unique global culture of innovation, collaboration, and performance. 

Launchpad Startup Operators in the Protocol Labs Network

The Startup Operator role requires people with a technical founder's skillset: at the intersection of strategy, operations, and technical depth. Working as a Startup Operator, you’ll have an outsized impact on the entire network by leading key products & initiatives across multiple strategic domains, including product strategy, analytics, project management, business development, process improvement, systems development, and special projects. 

We are hiring Startup Operators to join the Web3 development community through PL Launchpad, our new cohort-based web3 onboarding program. Many entrepreneurial leaders are excited about the decentralized web and blockchains, but are looking for support, guidance, and expert training as they get started with their new web3 careers. We are building the on-ramp to web3, helping web2 experts upgrade & apply their existing expertise. 

As a Startup Operator in the Protocol Labs Network, you will...

• Identify, scope, and prioritize key challenges faced by initiatives in the Protocol Labs Network
• Apply first principles thinking to create solutions and playbooks for key challenges, including aligning vision, setting direction, process improvement, decision support, ecosystem growth, org structure and governance, and more. 
• Drive and track the execution of key initiatives and special projects, individually or by managing a project and/or team.
• Conduct internal and external research to understand best practices across web2 and web3 organizations, then synthesize and share learnings.
• Partner with leaders and analytics teams to implement dashboards, reporting, systems, and tooling to enhance startup operations and effectiveness.

You may be a fit for this role if you have....

• Have 5-10 years of experience in technical product management, program management consulting, as a founder, or a combination of engineering & strategy/operations roles
• You get a kick out of aligning first principle thinking and data insights to achieve great results
• Technical depth that informs your approach to business execution
• Handle both complexity and ambiguity well
• Pride yourself in being a self-starter, thriving even without much direction
• Deep experience coordinating work across teams with different goals
• A rigorous, process-driven work style backed by an ability to communicate effectively
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and interpersonal skills

Bonus Points

• Experience leading from zero to one
• Experience with open source communities/projects
• Experience with distributed orgs
• Background in software engineering
• Experience in Storage 

We have a great benefits package, including parental leave, contributions to your retirement, competitive pay, and unlimited time off. For U.S.-based employees, we also provide platinum-level health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.

If you’re passionate about the future of computing and a more democratized internet, we want to talk to you.

What is PLN Launchpad?

PLN Launchpad is a hiring program designed to accelerate the development of the Web3 by hiring entrepreneurial leaders from diverse development backgrounds & teams into a six-week, full-time onboarding program designed to train, develop, and team-match technical talent at scale with opportunities in Web3 across the Protocol Labs Network (PLN).

The PL Launchpad Program is designed for people who are passionate about joining the Web3 space and thoroughly understand product strategy & operational execution fundamentals, who know how to apply them in guiding initiatives into the hands of users; and who will lean into the opportunity of applying those skills to open-source Web3 initiatives that will be deployed worldwide & ultimately reshape our world.

Starting with a curated 6-week Web3 onboarding experience, you’ll learn the fundamentals of protocols like IPFS, Filecoin, IPLD, and libp2p through hands-on labs, training, and projects, while forming relationships across the Protocol Labs Network and team-matching to a web3 role at the intersection of your skills & interests.

As you complete your onboarding with us, you will work closely with leadership in the Protocol Labs Network to determine the best match with a project that leverages your unique interests and capabilities in providing structure leadership, solving complex problems, and driving solutions forward.

Read more about Launchpad here:

https://protocol.ai/blog/announcing-pl-launchpad/

#LI-JM1