Head of Protocols

Full time - Permanent role - UK or EU

As our Head of Protocols, you will be responsible for:

• Owning the Kiln Validators protocols roadmap, deciding on which protocols we will support and why, including setting a strategic direction for which themes of protocols we want to invest in

• Managing a productive team of protocol specialists and protocol engineers who understand the intricacies of protocols, run them in testnet, and liaise with foundation teams

• Launching new protocols at Kiln in partnership with our GTM team, ensuring everyone is sufficiently trained on them to sell and support our clients

• Representing Kiln at ecosystem events and writing educational content 

You will collaborate closely with customers, sales teams, product, and the infrastructure team at Kiln to execute the Kiln Validators roadmap.

Requirements

• 3+ years of professional experience in the crypto industry. Passion for the industry and following recent developments. You are addicted to crypto Twitter :) 

• 3+ years of management experience 

• Demonstrated ability to understand technical concepts and work well with engineering teams. You are sufficiently curious and motivated to dig into the details of projects. 

• Analytical mind and rigorous communication. You enjoy and are good at synthesizing complex information and conveying your learnings both in oral and written format

• Strong product acumen, you have opinions about great products and can put yourself in the shoes of both a retail and B2B user in the staking space 

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup/scaleup environment

• Native or perfectly fluent in English

Soft skills

• Team spirit: discuss, don't impose. We value humility in our hires.

• Trust and transparent communication

• Curiosity and ability to dive deep into topics and follow through

• Genuine passion for the blockchain and cryptocurrency space

About Kiln:

Kiln is the leading enterprise-grade rewards platform that enables institutional customers to stake assets and integrate staking & DeFi functionality into their offerings. Our API-first platform provides fully automated validators, staking & DeFi protocols access, and comprehensive data and commission management.

With $13+ billion in crypto assets staked through our platform, Kiln has established a strong presence on Ethereum, managing over 4.3% of the network through 45,000+ validators — all with zero slashing events.

Kiln serves more than 140 leading customers, including Binance, BitPanda, Bitgo, Fireblocks, VanEck, and TrustWallet.

Our team of 90 ecosystem enthusiasts brings experience from industry leaders like Google, Circle, Ledger, Chainalysis, and other prominent technology and cryptocurrency companies.

We've raised $30M in total funding from prominent investors including 1kx, Crypto.com, Illuminate Financial, Consensys, Wintermute, Kraken Ventures...

Join Kiln and help us make the web more secure, stable, decentralized, and fair!

How Kiln will support you:

At Kiln, our values drive us: Technical Excellence ensures top security and usability; Innovation-Driven Meritocracy elevates groundbreaking ideas; Trust and Transparency build reliability through open communication; and People First keeps our team and clients at the heart of everything we do.

• A fast-paced, bureaucracy-free work environment

• Equity share options in the business: if Kiln succeeds, we all succeed!

• Competitive salary

• Flexible holiday

• Flexible remote working

• Choose your IT equipment

• Internet connection : €50/month

• Significant personal development budget (books, training)

• Overseas tech conferences budget

Kiln is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is valued and respected. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including women or persons with disabilities.

Your interview process

Our thorough process ensures the best fit for both you and Kiln, and we strive to make each step valuable and efficient.

1. Recruiter Interview (45 min)

2. Take-home test (< 3 hours)

3. Technical Interview (60 min)

4. Core Values Interview (45 min)

5. Founder Interview (30 min)

6. Offer!

Your personal information will be securely stored in our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and will not be shared with external parties. We comply fully with GDPR regulations to protect your data and privacy.

Please note that we do not sponsor visas for persons without work authorization in your location. This role is for full-time employees only (no B2B or contractors). Thank you!