Product Lead - Aura

Job Description

About Metaplex

Metaplex powers one of the largest blockchain developer ecosystems in the world, providing the onchain infrastructure needed to build decentralized applications on Solana and the Solana Virtual Machine (“SVM”). As the leading digital asset protocol for tokens, NFTs, gaming assets and more, Metaplex has facilitated the creation of over 800 million assets and powered $8.3 billion in transaction value across 9 million unique signers. 

The Metaplex Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and growing the Metaplex ecosystem. Our mission is to help build the onchain economy by empowering developers with comprehensive tools to create decentralized applications.

About the Role

The Metaplex Foundation is looking for a Product Lead to help drive the strategy and execution of Aura — a data network that extends Solana and the Solana Virtual Machine. Powering scalable and decentralized data access. 

This is a senior-level product role for someone who is both technical and highly strategic, with expertise in Solana, Metaplex, and decentralized data networks. You’ll collaborate closely with engineers, craft detailed technical specifications, and drive key architectural decisions to build a high-performance data network. Your work will enable developers to access real-time on-chain data, efficiently manage compressed state, and execute batch NFT minting—providing a resilient and scalable alternative to centralized data solutions.

Who We're Looking For

Our ideal candidate is an entrepreneur or former startup founder—someone who has built, shipped, and overcome challenges in the blockchain space. You actively code, excel in technical problem-solving, and possess a keen intuition for what developers need to build innovative products.

You should have a strong understanding of:

• Solana and the SVM — not just at a surface level, but with a deep technical grasp of their inner workings.
• Decentralized data networks and the Aura Network — particularly its capabilities for real-time data indexing, managing compressed state, and batch NFT minting.
• Blockchain product development — you’ve shipped protocols, infrastructure, or developer tools before and understand the tradeoffs involved.

This role requires deep collaboration with engineering, Developer Relations, and Partnerships to position the Aura Network as the go-to solution for decentralized, high-performance data access and efficient asset management on Solana and the SVM. 

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Vision

• Help Define & Execute Strategy: Work with leadership to develop and implement the product strategy for Aura, positioning it as the leading data network and read layer for Solana and the SVM.
• Roadmap Development: Align and lead teams around a clear, forward-looking roadmap that advances Aura as the leading data network for blockchain developers

Developer Experience & Adoption

• Drive Adoption: Collaborate with Developer Relations, Partnerships, and community teams to drive widespread adoption of Aura’s capabilities, both via the public gateway and through direct node participation.
• Engage & Gather Feedback: Regularly interact with developers and node operators to collect insights on usage challenges and feature needs, translating this feedback into actionable product improvements.
• Documentation & Onboarding: Partner with the developer relations and marketing teams to create comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and integration guides that showcase Aura’s unique functionalities (e.g., DAS API integration, batch minting, and state compression workflows).

Execution & Delivery

• End-to-End Leadership: Lead the complete product development cycle—from ideation and prototyping to final delivery—ensuring high performance, security, and reliability of Aura’s network.
• Seamless Integration: Work closely with engineering and design teams to ensure Aura is tightly integrated with Metaplex SDKs and developer tools, delivering a seamless, all-in-one solution for managing digital assets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Internal Alignment: Partner with engineering, DevRel, Partnerships, and business teams to align Aura’s product development with overall ecosystem needs and strategic goals.
• Ecosystem Engagement: Engage with open-source blockchain projects, external node operators, and protocol partners to standardize the DAS API and further enhance Aura’s infrastructure.
• Marketing & Communication: Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to clearly articulate Aura’s value proposition and drive awareness of its performance and resiliency benefits.

Product & Ecosystem Growth

• Define and track key success metrics (e.g., network performance, adoption rates, developer satisfaction) to ensure continuous product improvement and alignment with ecosystem growth.
• Identify opportunities for third-party integrations and strategic partnerships that extend Aura’s functionality and amplify its network effects.
• Work with relevant teams to optimize the MPLX staking and rewards model, ensuring that economic incentives align with high-quality node participation and robust network growth.
• Develop and refine end-user cost and subscription models to ensure sustainable access to Aura’s services.
• Stay ahead of emerging trends in decentralized data networks, blockchain scalability, and asset compression to inform long-term product strategy and maintain Aura’s competitive edge.

Requirements

• Experience in blockchain development—especially with data networks, RPC layers, or performance-optimized state management on Solana and the SVM. You’ve built protocols, smart contracts, or core infrastructure that enable efficient data indexing and scalable asset management.
• You have a strong understanding of architecture—whether in Rust, TypeScript, or any language relevant to designing high-performance blockchain systems and distributed data networks.
• Strong product intuition—you understand what developers need for reliable, real-time data access and can translate technical possibilities (such as compressed state management and batch minting) into real-world adoption.
• Entrepreneurial mindset—you’ve taken risks, built and shipped innovative products that tackle complex performance and scalability challenges, and you have a deep sense of ownership over your work.
• Exceptional communication skills—you can distill complex technical concepts like decentralized data indexing, state compression, and economic incentives into clear strategies, driving alignment across engineering, product, and business teams.

Bonus Points

• You’ve contributed to Metaplex, Solana, or other open-source blockchain projects or protocols.
•  Experience with DeFi protocols and an understanding of tokenomics, including incentive structures, staking mechanisms, and liquidity dynamics
• You have a robust startup background that reflects your entrepreneurial spirit and leadership

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundational layer of digital assets on Solana. You’ll have significant autonomy, work on deeply technical problems, and help define the standards that developers rely on to build the future of on-chain economies.

If you’re an engineer, builder, and strategist who thrives in high-ownership roles, we want to hear from you.

Benefits

Benefits

Location: Remote

Compensation and benefits: The base compensation range for this role is $200,000 - $250,000 per year. Additionally, this role is eligible to participate in the Metaplex’s Foundation’s token incentive plan. Final offer amount will be at the Metaplex Foundation’s sole discretion and determined by multiple factors, including years and depth of experience and expertise, location and other business considerations.

You will also be eligible to receive health, dental and vision benefits.