Project Manager, Academic Engagements

Job description

ABOUT THE ETHEREUM FOUNDATION 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, we dynamically allocate resources to critical projects when needed and step back when others can take the lead. ROLE OVERVIEW The Project Manager (Academic Engagements) will build, scale, and operationalize the Ethereum Foundation’s engagements with universities, research institutions, and academic communities worldwide. The role serves as a coordinator between academic stakeholders and the broader Ethereum ecosystem, translating ecosystem needs into structured research and education initiatives. WHAT YOU’LL DO: - Translate Ethereum research priorities into questions, framings, and research opportunities that resonate with scholars in adjacent fields - Identify academic communities and researchers whose existing work intersects with problems relevant to Ethereum, and build pathways for them to engage with the ecosystem - Build and manage strategic partnerships with universities, research labs, and academic consortia globally - Design and scale academic programs (workshops, curriculum collaborations, hackathons, lecture series) - Work with EF teams and ecosystem researchers to understand where academic expertise could help advance important open questions, and connect those needs with the right scholars and institutions - Drive distribution of research through events, publications, and multi-format content to reach the right audiences - Develop and support funding pathways for academic research in partnership with Funding Coordination and ecosystem stakeholders - Track program impact and provide clear reporting on outcomes and ecosystem value WHAT YOU’LL BRING Professional Experience - 3+ years of experience managing academic programs, research partnerships, or university-industry collaborations. - Demonstrated success coordinating multi-stakeholder projects and programs with measurable outcomes. - Experience working with diverse, distributed teams across time zones. - Having a PhD, and experience doing academic research is highly desirable. Academic & Ecosystem Knowledge - Ability to understand research problems across disciplines and communicate them in ways that make sense to different academic audiences. - Ability to spot connections between Ethereum-specific questions and broader scholarly debates. - Strong understanding of academic research practices, incentive structures, publication cycles, and university admin dynamics. - Familiarity with blockchain research, Ethereum fundamentals, or related technologies is highly desirable. Skills & Attributes - Exceptional cross-cultural communication and relationship-building capabilities. - Strong project planning and execution skills, with comfort managing ambiguity and evolving priorities. - Proficiency with modern collaboration and project management tools (Notion, Google Suites of Tools - Docs, Slides). NICE-TO-HAVES - Prior experience in grants coordination or academic funding mechanisms. - Background in research organization or scholarly publishing. - Experience organizing academic conferences, workshops, and seminars.