Product Lead - MPL

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 drive the strategy and execution of the Metaplex Program Library (MPL)—the standard library for building on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)—along with its related developer tools and SDKs. 

This is a senior-level product role for someone who is both technical and highly strategic, with experience in Solana, Metaplex, and on-chain development. You’ll work hands-on with engineers, write detailed technical specifications, and help navigate critical architectural tradeoffs. Your role will be to help deliver robust on-chain programs that empower developers to create, manage, and trade digital assets on Solana and SVM chains—all without the need to write custom smart contracts.

Who We're Looking For

Our ideal candidate is an entrepreneur or former startup founder—someone who has built, shipped, and learned from challenges in the blockchain space. You actively code, thrive in technical problem-solving, and have a strong intuition for what developers need to build great products.

You should have a strong understanding of:

• Solana and the SVM — not just at a high level, but how they work under the hood
• Metaplex and its ecosystem — including Core, Aura, compressed NFTs, and the broader tooling infrastructure for asset creation and management
• 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 ensure the Metaplex Program Library remains the default standard for developers building on Solana and the SVM.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Vision

• Work with leadership to define and execute the product strategy for the Metaplex Program Library (MPL) and developer tools, ensuring they remain the best way to build on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM).
• Develop and communicate a clear product roadmap that aligns with Metaplex’s mission and ecosystem goals.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the developer experience by improving SDKs, APIs, and supporting infrastructure.

Developer Experience & Adoption

• Collaborate with Developer Relations and Partnerships to drive adoption of Metaplex’s tooling and infrastructure across the broader Solana and SVM ecosystem.
• Engage with developers, gather insights, and translate feedback into actionable product improvements.
• Develop initiatives to onboard new developers, including documentation, tutorials, and integrations with existing tooling.

Execution & Delivery

• Lead the end-to-end product development process—partnering closely with engineering and design teams to ship impactful features and enhancements.
• Ensure MPL and related tools support trusted, secure, and scalable on-chain applications, making it easier for developers to build, use, and trade on-chain assets.
• Prototype and experiment with new concepts that push the boundaries of on-chain assets, machine-driven economies, and agentic applications.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with engineering, DevRel, partnerships, and business teams to align product development with ecosystem needs and growth strategies.
• Engage with open-source blockchain projects, Solana, and other ecosystem players to ensure Metaplex’s tooling remains interoperable and widely adopted.
• Collaborate with marketing and community teams to drive awareness and adoption of new product features and capabilities.

Product & Ecosystem Growth

• Develop and measure key product success metrics, ensuring continuous improvement in adoption and developer satisfaction.
• Identify opportunities for third-party integrations, partnerships, and open-source contributions to expand the capabilities of Metaplex.
• Stay ahead of emerging trends in blockchain, decentralized applications, and on-chain economies to inform long-term product direction to ensure MPL aligns with broader network and community priorities.

Requirements

• Experience in blockchain development—particularly with Solana and within the Metaplex ecosystem. You’ve built smart contracts, decentralized applications, or core protocol components that empower on-chain asset management.
• You actively code—whether in Rust, TypeScript, or any language relevant to constructing high-performance, developer-centric blockchain tools.
• Strong product intuition—you understand what developers need to build and scale their applications, and you can translate complex technical possibilities into widely adopted solutions within the Metaplex Program Library.
• Entrepreneurial mindset—you possess a robust entrepreneurial spirit with a proven track record of taking risks, launching, and scaling innovative products, demonstrating deep ownership over your work.
• Exceptional communication skills—you can distill intricate technical concepts into clear, actionable strategies and drive alignment across cross-functional teams to advance the Metaplex Program Library.

Bonus Points

• You’ve contributed to Metaplex, Solana, or other open-source blockchain projects or protocols
• You have experience with protocol governance, DAOs, or decentralized infra.
• Demonstrated track record of working on developer tooling or application layer products 
• 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 and enable the next generation of agent-driven applications. 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.