Application Guide

How to Apply for Trading Growth Lead, Americas

at Solana Foundation

🏢 About Solana Foundation

The Solana Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the decentralization, adoption, and security of the Solana blockchain. As one of the fastest and most scalable blockchain ecosystems, Solana offers unique opportunities for high-frequency trading and DeFi, making it a hub for traders and developers seeking low-latency, high-throughput environments.

About This Role

As Trading Growth Lead, Americas, you will drive the acquisition and retention of top-tier trading counterparties on Solana, directly impacting liquidity, volume, and market depth. This role is critical for expanding Solana's footprint in the Americas by structuring deals, managing relationships, and optimizing market infrastructure.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start by reviewing overnight volume and open interest on Solana, then hopping on calls with a prop shop to negotiate fee rebates. Afternoons could involve analyzing liquidity gaps and coordinating with the product team to prioritize features that traders need, followed by a meeting with an LP to discuss seeding a new market.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Solana Foundation Is Looking For

  • Has an existing network of trading firms, allocators, and LPs in the Americas, with proven ability to onboard and activate them.
  • Deeply understands market microstructure, including perpetual futures funding, margin, spot liquidity, and execution quality.
  • Fluent in DeFi concepts like collateral management, capital efficiency, and lending protocols.
  • Has a track record of moving volume or flow at a crypto exchange, market maker, prop shop, fund, or protocol.

📝 Tips for Applying to Solana Foundation

1

Highlight specific trading relationships you've built and quantify the volume or flow you've moved (e.g., 'Onboarded 5 market makers, driving $500M monthly volume').

2

Demonstrate your understanding of Solana's unique advantages for trading (e.g., low fees, high TPS, parallel execution) and how they compare to Ethereum or other chains.

3

Mention any experience with Solana-native DeFi protocols (e.g., Jupiter, Drift, Mango Markets) and how you've worked with them.

4

Show you can negotiate terms and rebates by providing examples of structuring incentive programs or fee arrangements.

5

Tailor your resume to emphasize numbers-driven results (volume, OI, counterparty count) and relationship management.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your existing book of trading relationships in the Americas and how you can leverage them immediately.', 'Specific examples of moving volume or flow in crypto markets, with metrics.', "Your understanding of Solana's technical advantages for trading and DeFi.", 'Your ability to work cross-functionally with internal teams (e.g., product, engineering) to relay trader needs.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Review Solana's current DeFi ecosystem: top protocols (Jupiter, Drift, Mango, Zeta), TVL, and trading volumes.
  • → Understand Solana's recent network upgrades (e.g., Firedancer) and how they improve trading performance.
  • → Study Solana's fee market and priority fees to understand execution dynamics for traders.
  • → Look into the Foundation's previous trading growth initiatives and partnerships (e.g., market maker programs).

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would approach onboarding a new HFT firm to Solana. What terms would you negotiate?
2 How do you evaluate the health of a perpetuals market? What metrics matter?
3 Describe a time you convinced a reluctant trader to move flow to a new platform. What was your strategy?
4 What are the key differences in market microstructure between Solana and Ethereum?
5 How would you structure a rebate program to incentivize market makers without overspending?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on retail trading experience; this role is about institutional counterparties.
  • Being too vague about your network; name specific firms or types of firms you've worked with.
  • Not understanding the difference between centralized exchange and decentralized exchange market making.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Solana Foundation!

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