About the role
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 Infrastructure partnership development is vital for the OP Stack. This role, the Partnerships Lead, Blockchain Infrastructure is about owning the entire lifecycle of critical partnerships for the OP Stack ecosystem. You will find opportunities, close deals, and manage relationships with key blockchain infrastructure providers. This requires a unique mix of commercial, strategic, and technical expertise to navigate the complex crypto landscape. What are the role responsibilities? Own the end-to-end lifecycle (sourcing, deal negotiation, integration, and partner management) for critical ecosystem infrastructure partnerships, including: On/off ramps and payments. Compliance, insurance, and risk infrastructure. Market makers, liquidity infrastructure, and selected CEX relationships. Stablecoin and fiat-rail related partnerships. Collaborate with the Product team to define and launch new products that leverage third-party capabilities/technology, specifically in areas like Privacy and CGT. Create and own the strategic roadmap for this section of the infrastructure partner ecosystem. Proactively communicate key ecosystem developments, potential partnership blockers, and strategic updates to executive leadership. What skills do you bring? Partnership & Business Acumen: Deep experience managing and scaling strategic partnerships in the crypto infrastructure space, with a track record of owning complex categories end-to-end. Strong commercial skills in deal structuring and negotiation for multi-party or multi-chain deals, balancing partner economics with ecosystem objectives. Systems-level reasoning, including an understanding of network effects, liquidity loops, and value exchange within the ecosystem. Product & Technical Fluency: Domain technical fluency (infra or DeFi), comfortable engaging with protocol and infra engineers. Strategic product thinking (build-partner-buy decisions) and the ability to run product discovery with partners. Execution & Communication: High-agency cross-functional operator, proficient at driving work across internal teams and external partners to ship integrations and create measurable impact. Clear written and verbal communicator, able to write concise strategy documents and integration plans to keep all stakeholders aligned. Proven ability to manage multi-quarter partnership roadmaps and drive clarity in ambiguous environments. A genuine passion for blockchain technology, decentralization, and the future of open systems. What will you like about us? 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! We are aware of fraudulent individuals falsely claiming to represent OP Labs in recruitment activities. 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 [email protected] to verify authenticity. Your safety and trust are very important to us. Thank you for helping us prevent fraud.