Job Description

Position Overview:

The MIT Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) works to advance the foundational security, scalability, and privacy of decentralized networks and to mature the digital currency ecosystem through research, development, and education. The DCI serves as a neutral and trusted hub for decision makers in technology, policy, and business to investigate the risks and opportunities, and rigorously evaluate the tradeoffs, of various digital currency design choices.

The DCI began researching Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in 2015 and has become a leading research group studying centralized digital currency technologies. MIT DCI has already built strategic engagements with government agencies and major technology companies (including current collaborations with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRBB), the Bank of England, the Bank of Canada, Google, and PayPal).

OpenCBDC, MIT DCI’s jointly released codebase with the FRBB, is quickly becoming a global resource for individuals, companies, and governmental institutions pursuing improvements to our underlying payments infrastructure and wider financial system. As the creator and lead maintainers of the first, and most extensive, neutral, open-source CBDC code repository in the world, MIT DCI is well-positioned to guide the world into an exciting digital future and intends to act as a responsible steward of this vital resource for the public good.

About the role:

The current climate represents a unique opportunity to shape the future of money.  Not since the foundation of the internet have such societally important technology decisions been on the table.

The DCI is seeking a Senior Advisor and Head of Programs to lead the DCI’s CBDC research agenda. Working alongside the Director, this person will have the vision and experience to make a lasting impact in the centralized digital currency space and to grow (ideally double) the program’s current multi-million dollar research budget.

In addition to managing a world-class CBDC research team of 25+ researchers, advisors, collaborators, and staff, the Head of Programs will be a leader in the DCI organization, helping define the DCI strategy and operations and representing the MIT DCI in global public fora, especially to global stakeholders and decision makers in government and the private sector. This role will also help make connections between and develop MIT and the Media Lab’s position in digital assets and Web3 broadly.

Our ideal candidate will expand DCI’s footprint in the CBDC space, sourcing new projects and working with product managers and engineers to uncover new interesting and challenging technical questions to solve that will enhance policy makers’ understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with launching a CBDC.

Responsibilities

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**):

Strategy (25%)

• Work iteratively to co-develop a 5-10 year strategy with the DCI Director
• Align aspirations and expectations of research objectives with DCI’s overall strategy
• Identify resource needs and create plans to meet them
• Evaluate DCI’s progress on a quarterly and annual basis towards its goals
• Ensure plans are updated and expertly communicated internally, helping to build an open and inclusive team culture
• Play a lead role in all the branding, design, digital, editorial, messaging, and public relations efforts of the DCI

Operations 25%

• Oversee DCI programs and operations; ensure that the capacity and integrity of the team is aligned, supported, and equipped to execute DCIs strategy
  • Oversight to include student researchers

• Manage a growing operations team (including staff and graduate students); share research-staff-management responsibilities with the DCI Director (includes scientists and engineers with expertise in security, privacy, cryptography and blockchain technology software)
• Working closely with Media Lab HR, lead DCI’s staffing to identify and recruit employees, develop new roles, and professional development of team
• Build a generative and resilient team culture

External relations (25%)

• Create and execute DCI’s external stakeholder-engagement strategy including government, non-profit, open-source ecosystems, industry, academia, and funders
• Design and manage DCI’s overall collaboration strategy to leverage DCI’s expertise, increase the impact of its research, and protect limited DCI capacity
• Directly oversee and strengthen a core set of strategic relationships with key field collaborators, funders, and other stakeholders as well as manage other DCI team members in charge of additional stakeholder relationships
• Create and maintain alignment between funding and DCI programs
• Steward existing DCI donors, ensuring relationships are constructive and maintained
• Host multiple in-person and virtual events to share the latest DCI research, develop collaborative and idea sharing spaces
• Manage co-hosted events/conference with key partners associated the blockchain technology community

• Give presentations and tours to support the Media Lab and MIT’s public relations and visibility

Fundraising (25%)

• Create a generative pipeline of stakeholders, including but not limited to funders, who can effectively amplify and advance DCI’s mission
• Develop and manage strategy with respect to collaborations within the MIT and Media Lab communities
• Lead and develop new DCI funding strategies; work with the Director of DCI to evaluate and develop potential opportunities
• Identify, cultivate, and secure funders, with a focus on individuals, companies, and foundations with $250k – $1M+ giving capacity
• Oversee grant writing and pitch development in coordination with Media Lab member relations
• Set and reach various fundraising campaigns from $2-10 million. US dollars

Supervision Received:

• General supervision from Dr. Neha Narula, Director of DCI.

Supervision Exercised:

• The CBDC Head will manage or co-manage the following current staff and hired contractors: CBDC Software Engineer(s), Program Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, CES Managing Editor.  In addition, future additions to the team.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree;
• At least seven years of administration or operations experience and/or project/program management required;
• Superior interpersonal skills for interacting with a diverse group of researchers, students, funders, program collaborators, and other stakeholders;
• Ability to lead the development and execution of strategic objectives;
• Learning mindset – ability to interact at high speed with new concepts and contexts at the cutting-edge of technology
• Proven ability to attract funding as well as programmatic collaborations;
• Advanced ability to synthesize and communicate complex information verbally and in writing with superior presentation skills.

PREFFERED:

• Master’s degree;
• At least seven years of leadership experience in management, program strategy, and strategic operations
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in digital currency, central banking, or financial services in related companies or organizations
• A professional background in regulation and public policy is ideal, specifically with a connection to the overlap between technology and policy;

This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of  renewal.