About the role
Are you experienced in connecting talented contributors to mission, comfortable operating solo across continents, and attuned to what makes Ethereum’s culture unique? The Ethereum Foundation is seeking a Talent Partner to ensure our global team evolves in line with our mission and values. This is not a generic HR role – it’s a chance to build a talent recruiting function at the Ethereum Foundation that reflects Ethereum’s ethos. You will empower us to grow into important new domains in the Ethereum ecosystem where we have the opportunity to make a big impact.
About the Ethereum Foundation (EF)
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the Ethereum ecosystem in realizing the potential of Ethereum as open, neutral infrastructure for the world. In practice, this means we allocate resources to critical projects when needed and step back when others should take the lead.
Core Responsibilities
- Recruit high-impact talent globally: Manage the hiring pipeline from start to finish for various tech and non-tech roles (engineers, researchers, operations, community, and others) across continents with minimal supervision. Develop outreach strategies to hire mission-aligned candidates, prioritizing regions where Ethereum has relatively lower exposure. Work with leadership to define requirements, create job descriptions reflecting EF’s values, and oversee the selection process from start to finish.
- Act as a steward for the EF’s culture in recruiting: Identify potential contributors who will thrive in our unconventional work environment. Ensure that candidates gain a clear (and sometimes subtle) insight into how we work. Convey our mission and principles transparently while evaluating not only skills but also alignment with our values and operational style. Model our values across the recruiting process by acting decisively and treating all candidates with respect.
- Take ownership over our talent recruitment strategy: Continuously refine our hiring and talent development to meet EF’s unique needs. Identify capability gaps and propose solutions, such as adopting new tools, establishing policies, or engaging new talent pools through initiatives like a recruiter roundtable. This may mean stepping into a team lead role and bringing on additional recruiters as our needs evolve.
- Support departing EF Team Members in finding impactful new roles: Create processes to assist career transitions from the EF. This isn’t typical HR offboarding; it’s strategic, high-touch outplacement to help talented individuals secure roles contributing to Ethereum’s future.
What We’re Looking For (Qualifications & Attributes)
- International hiring experience is essential in both technical and non-technical talent, demonstrating the ability to engage talent from various regions beyond the Western tech world, such as Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The ability to build networks in new communities will be essential to successfully expanding Ethereum’s talent network in rapidly growing areas. Multilingual ability or experience living/working abroad are a plus.
- Intuitive understanding of Ethereum’s ethos and the broader Web3 community. You understand how a mission-driven foundation like EF operates differently from a traditional tech company, and you find this appealing. You can recognize the personalities and motivations that thrive in a public goods, open-source environment compared to a corporate setting.
- You will represent EF to candidates and external partners, and clarity with tact is key. You build trust one-on-one, and thrive in supporting high-touch, high impact roles. You can listen and read between the lines when speaking with candidates, allowing you to detect misalignment or excitement that might not be explicitly stated.
- Strategic and Leadership Potential: You can handle daily tasks, but also have the critical mindset necessary to build out our capabilities. You are highly self-motivated and excel when working independently. Ambiguity and a blank slate energize you. (If you need structure and guidelines to drive you, this role may not suit you.) You take the initiative when you identify gaps. This role may evolve into a team lead or manager position, so you should welcome that challenge and show mentoring abilities.
- Experience with outplacement or career transition support is a plus – such as coaching departing employees, running alumni networks, or facilitating job placements for others. Your approach to talent extends beyond just filling positions to caring about individuals’ journeys across the Ethereum ecosystem
Why Join EF in this Role?
- Impact on a Pivotal Mission: Your work will directly influence Ethereum’s trajectory by ensuring the right people are in the right places, both within EF and in the wider community. The leverage of this role is huge – a single great hire or a well-supported alum can lead to breakthroughs that advance Ethereum as a whole.
- Unique Culture and Colleagues: You’ll join a small, diverse team of people who are passionate about what they do and value the ethos of Ethereum. The internal culture is cooperative, knowledge-sharing, and often intellectually stimulating. You’ll interact with everyone from world-class researchers to community organizers. If you enjoy learning new things, you’ll fit right in.
- Flexibility: The role is full-time and fully remote with the expectation that you can travel for work events 1-2 times per year. We offer competitive compensation (commensurate with the global nature of the role) and the benefits of a distributed work style.
- Grow with Us: As mentioned, this role is envisioned to take on more responsibility over time. You’ll have the opportunity to set the standard for how EF approaches talent and, potentially, to build a team that you lead. There’s also ample room to expand your own knowledge – from diving deeper into Ethereum tech to understanding non-profit operations – given the Foundation’s broad scope.
If you see yourself thriving in an environment that values purpose-driven work, we encourage you to apply. This job description is meant to help you self-select – if you read this far and felt a spark of recognition, we want to hear from you!
