<h3>About the Role</h3>As the Technical Product Lead for our Protocol team, you will play a pivotal role in developing our groundbreaking prover network. You will guide the product vision, roadmap, and execution, ensuring we deliver a high-impact protocol that resonates with our customers and stakeholders. This role requires strong technical, leadership, and communication skills to lead and collaborate with teams and people across the organization to deliver on the product vision.<h3>Key Responsibilities</h3><ul><li><h3>Protocol Team Leadership</h3><ul><li>Act as a servant-leader, fostering a collaborative, empowering, and positive culture within the protocol team.</li><li>Leverage your strong technical, product, and protocol experience to guide the team toward creative, high-value, high-leverage outcomes.</li></ul></li><li><h3>User Advocacy and Research</h3><ul><li>Deeply understand and advocate for the user by conducting regular user interviews, synthesizing feedback from business development, and adopting a “boots on the ground” methodology.</li><li>Become the go-to person for customer insights within the protocol team.</li></ul></li><li><h3>Product Strategy and Execution</h3><ul><li>Develop and maintain the product backlog for our blockchain-based ZK prover network.</li><li>Drive product development from concept to launch, ensuring alignment with overall business goals.</li><li>After launch, prioritize and manage the 3-6 month product roadmap, balancing user value with technical feasibility and resource allocation.</li><li>Maintain a consistent habit of writing and foster a strong “working backward” culture of clear thinking, open, transparent feedback, and communication across the org.</li></ul></li><li><h3>Cross-Functional Collaboration</h3><ul><li>Work with cross-functional partners in Marketing, Business Development, and beyond to help ensure the protocol’s successful launch.</li><li>Be organized and biased toward action, aligning all parties on the product goal and unblocking progress.</li><li>Act as an enthusiastic representative of the protocol in external settings, engaging effectively with investors, users, community members, and the broader blockchain community.</li><li>Enable innovation by embracing a “best idea wins” attitude by embracing creativity and fostering intellectual openness within your team.</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Top Initiatives You’ll Own </h3><ul><li><h3>Short-Term (3 months)</h3><ul><li>Establish strong rapport with the engineering team and other key stakeholders.</li><li>Deliver valuable customer insights that guide product development.</li><li>Successfully manage and advance the product plan for our key protocol projects.</li></ul></li><li><h3>Long-Term (6 months +)</h3><ul><li>Lead the successful launch of our blockchain protocol, achieving significant customer adoption and market impact.</li><li>Develop and deliver impactful features and optimizations that cement the protocol’s market leadership.</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Minimum Qualifications</h3><ul><li>Experience: 5 years of experience in product management, with a proven track record in delivering technical products that have a large customer impact.</li><li>Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of and, preferably, experience with crypto protocols; experience with ZK proofs is highly desirable.</li><li>Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams with a servant-leader mindset.</li><li>Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.</li><li>Adaptability: Adept at working in a fast-paced, evolving environment; able to quickly adjust plans to meet changing needs and priorities.</li><li>Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in CS or a relevant field is preferred</li></ul><h3>Ideal Candidate Qualities:</h3><ul><li>🔒 Authenticity: Demonstrates ethical leadership, honesty, and transparency in all interactions.</li><li>💖 Empathy: Shows understanding and concern for the well-being of team members, demonstrating a humane orientation to leadership.</li><li>🌟 Resilience: Demonstrates positivity and resilience in the face of challenges, providing inspiration and motivation to the team.</li><li>🌱 Growth Mindset: Encourages continuous learning and personal development within the team, focusing on the human dynamic and the unique needs and strengths of all stakeholders.</li><li>🎯 Strategic Thinking: Exhibits the ability to think strategically and act decisively, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.</li><li>🌍 Inclusive Leadership: Champions diversity and inclusion, promoting equitable opportunities and treatment for all team members.</li><li>🤝 Collaborative: Excels at breaking down silos and creating a "one team, one roadmap" culture. Has a strong ability to facilitate productive relationships across teams.</li><li>👷🏾‍♀️ Builder: You’re a creator and a doer; you understand the vision, formulate the strategy, and take ownership of its execution.</li></ul><h3>What We Offer</h3><ul><li>Salary: Competitive range of $185,000 - 204,600 (can go higher with the right experience).</li><li>Professional Development: Access to leadership coaching and numerous learning opportunities.</li><li>Work Flexibility: Remote work with up to 20% travel for team meetings and events, plus a Seattle co-working space.</li><li>Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage with United Health Care Choice Plus (US employee), including significant premium contributions. Gold-level insurance for international employees via Deel. </li><li>Retirement Plan: 401k to support your future or statutory plans in your given country. </li><li>Equity: Generous company equity through Profit Incentive units (<a href="https://carta.com/learn/blueprints/piu-separate-holding/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">PIUs</a>), vesting monthly.</li><li>Vacation: Unlimited PTO, with 3-5 weeks standard.</li><li>Holidays: 11 paid holidays for rest and rejuvenation.</li><li>Culture: A supportive, collaborative, and inclusive work environment.</li></ul><h3>About Us</h3>We're on a mission to transform the internet for the better. Our team of innovative hackers, visionary futurists, and passionate nerds is devoted to creating a digital space that's safe, inclusive, and empowers everyone. By developing the world's first zero-knowledge virtual machine, we've laid the groundwork for running arbitrary code as a zero-knowledge proof. Utilizing a ZK Coprocessor to assist or enhance the compute of an on-chain application, we have created a unique package - the <a href="https://himalayas.app/companies/risc-zero">RISC Zero</a> ZK Coprocessor, comprised of the zkVM, Bonsai, and ETH Relay. Now, we're ambitiously constructing an entire ecosystem around this groundbreaking technology.To ensure effective collaboration and seamless communication across our global team, all candidates must be available to overlap with the Pacific Standard Time (PST) zone for at least 3 hours during regular business hours. This requirement is essential for maintaining efficient workflow, participating in team meetings, and facilitating timely responses to customer inquiries and internal requests.

About the Role
As the Technical Product Lead for our Protocol team, you will play a pivotal role in developing our groundbreaking prover network. You will guide the product vision, roadmap, and execution, ensuring we deliver a high-impact protocol that resonates with our customers and stakeholders. This role requires strong technical, leadership, and communication skills to lead and collaborate with teams and people across the organization to deliver on the product vision.
Key Responsibilities

Protocol Team Leadership

Act as a servant-leader, fostering a collaborative, empowering, and positive culture within the protocol team.
 Leverage your strong technical, product, and protocol experience to guide the team toward creative, high-value, high-leverage outcomes.

User Advocacy and Research

Deeply understand and advocate for the user by conducting regular user interviews, synthesizing feedback from business development, and adopting a “boots on the ground” methodology.
 Become the go-to person for customer insights within the protocol team.

Product Strategy and Execution

Develop and maintain the product backlog for our blockchain-based ZK prover network.
 Drive product development from concept to launch, ensuring alignment with overall business goals.
 After launch, prioritize and manage the 3-6 month product roadmap, balancing user value with technical feasibility and resource allocation.
 Maintain a consistent habit of writing and foster a strong “working backward” culture of clear thinking, open, transparent feedback, and communication across the org.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work with cross-functional partners in Marketing, Business Development, and beyond to help ensure the protocol’s successful launch.
 Be organized and biased toward action, aligning all parties on the product goal and unblocking progress.
 Act as an enthusiastic representative of the protocol in external settings, engaging effectively with investors, users, community members, and the broader blockchain community.
 Enable innovation by embracing a “best idea wins” attitude by embracing creativity and fostering intellectual openness within your team.
Top Initiatives You’ll Own

Short-Term (3 months)

Establish strong rapport with the engineering team and other key stakeholders.
 Deliver valuable customer insights that guide product development.
 Successfully manage and advance the product plan for our key protocol projects.

Long-Term (6 months +)

Lead the successful launch of our blockchain protocol, achieving significant customer adoption and market impact.
 Develop and deliver impactful features and optimizations that cement the protocol’s market leadership.
Minimum Qualifications

Experience: 5 years of experience in product management, with a proven track record in delivering technical products that have a large customer impact.
Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of and, preferably, experience with crypto protocols; experience with ZK proofs is highly desirable.
Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams with a servant-leader mindset.
Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
Adaptability: Adept at working in a fast-paced, evolving environment; able to quickly adjust plans to meet changing needs and priorities.
Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in CS or a relevant field is preferred
Ideal Candidate Qualities:

🔒  Authenticity: Demonstrates ethical leadership, honesty, and transparency in all interactions.
💖  Empathy: Shows understanding and concern for the well-being of team members, demonstrating a humane orientation to leadership.
🌟  Resilience: Demonstrates positivity and resilience in the face of challenges, providing inspiration and motivation to the team.
🌱 Growth Mindset: Encourages continuous learning and personal development within the team, focusing on the human dynamic and the unique needs and strengths of all stakeholders.
🎯 Strategic Thinking: Exhibits the ability to think strategically and act decisively, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.
🌍 Inclusive Leadership: Champions diversity and inclusion, promoting equitable opportunities and treatment for all team members.
🤝  Collaborative: Excels at breaking down silos and creating a "one team, one roadmap" culture. Has a strong ability to facilitate productive relationships across teams.
👷🏾‍♀️ Builder: You’re a creator and a doer; you understand the vision, formulate the strategy, and take ownership of its execution.
What We Offer

Salary: Competitive range of $185,000 - 204,600 (can go higher with the right experience).
Professional Development: Access to leadership coaching and numerous learning opportunities.
Work Flexibility: Remote work with up to 20% travel for team meetings and events, plus a Seattle co-working space.
Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage with United Health Care Choice Plus (US employee), including significant premium contributions. Gold-level insurance for international employees via Deel.
Retirement Plan: 401k to support your future or statutory plans in your given country.
Equity: Generous company equity through Profit Incentive units (PIUs), vesting monthly.
Vacation: Unlimited PTO, with 3-5 weeks standard.
Holidays: 11 paid holidays for rest and rejuvenation.
Culture: A supportive, collaborative, and inclusive work environment.
About Us
We're on a mission to transform the internet for the better. Our team of innovative hackers, visionary futurists, and passionate nerds is devoted to creating a digital space that's safe, inclusive, and empowers everyone. By developing the world's first zero-knowledge virtual machine, we've laid the groundwork for running arbitrary code as a zero-knowledge proof. Utilizing a ZK Coprocessor to assist or enhance the compute of an on-chain application, we have created a unique package - the RISC Zero ZK Coprocessor, comprised of the zkVM, Bonsai, and ETH Relay. Now, we're ambitiously constructing an entire ecosystem around this groundbreaking technology.
To ensure effective collaboration and seamless communication across our global team, all candidates must be available to overlap with the Pacific Standard Time (PST) zone for at least 3 hours during regular business hours. This requirement is essential for maintaining efficient workflow, participating in team meetings, and facilitating timely responses to customer inquiries and internal requests.

Technical Product Lead, Protocol

As the Technical Product Lead for our Protocol team at RISC Zero, you will guide the product vision, roadmap, and execution of our groundbreaking prover network.

Remote Senior Technical Product Lead, Protocol at RISC Zero

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