Business Development Manager

Makina, a crypto-native organization of builders and DeFi leaders, is seeking a full-time Business Development Manager. This role involves taking ownership of the strategy, execution, and growth of partnerships and integrations within the American market, requiring deep DeFi expertise and a proven track record of closing high-value deals.

Responsibilities:

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential DeFi partners (protocols, DAOs, liquidity providers, and institutional players) that align with the protocol’s goals
• Manage the lifecycle of partnerships, from initial outreach to closing and ongoing relationship management
• Map and analyze the DeFi landscape to spot emerging trends, new protocols, and innovative business opportunities for Makina
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies to expand Makina’s reach and drive adoption
• Represent the protocol at major events, forums, and governance discussions to build brand presence and source new opportunities
• Develop and execute comprehensive strategies to grow Makina’s Total Value Locked (TVL) by attracting both retail and institutional capital
• Monitor TVL metrics, analyze user behavior, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize growth tactics and address potential barriers to capital inflow
• Build relationships with institutional players to onboard large-scale liquidity

Requirements:

• Proven ability to source, diligence, and close high-value partnerships
• Crypto-native level industry knowledge as well as expert-level knowledge of DeFi protocols, crypto ecosystems, and emerging trends in the space
• Previous experience in a Business Development team, ideally in DeFi
• Ability to work autonomously and to be responsible for achieving the desired results while also contributing to the success of projects shared by the wider team
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage high-value relationships with key external stakeholders
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a capacity for independent and flexible thinking
• Integrity, humility, intellectual curiosity, honesty, and forthright communication. We are a team of open-minded intellectuals who utilize a dialectical approach to arrive at what is true
• Fluency in English
• The ability to support Makina's key business development tasks described above
• 3+ years of experience in an ecosystem partnerships role for a DeFi project, either as a manager or individual contributor
• Established network of high-potential partners that could be accretive to Makina's strategies and/or community
• A strong focus on / presence in the US market, specifically New York
• Demonstrated expertise in growth hacking to optimize and expand sales funnels
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills. Data-science, coding, cryptography, or a technical background is considered an asset