THE WORK:As Senior Program and Operations Specialist, Ecosystem Growth, you will be responsible for maintaining and scaling high-caliber program and operational processes for our high-impact global growth programs, including FinTech grants, accelerator, others, with a focus on growing XRP Ledger (XRPL) blockchain adoption. This role sits at the intersection of program strategy and operational excellence, ensuring programs run smoothly, consistently, and at scale.
You will lead end-to-end program operations, partnering cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, Compliance, and Marketing to ensure seamless execution. You'll also own key global initiatives and partnerships, support Ecosystem Managers in driving efficient deal flow and award processes, and ensure founders, vendors, and partners receive timely communication and payments. You will also serve as an external face of Ripple's ecosystem programs - building relationships with founders, developers, and startup communities around the world.
This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives in fast-paced startup environments and has experience building and scaling programs that support fintech founders, developers, and early-stage startups.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:- Run the end-to-end operations of ecosystem growth programs, including grants and accelerator programs, hackathons, and start-up competitions
- Serve as an external representative of Ripple's ecosystem programs - engaging directly with founders, grantees, developers, and partners at events, conferences, and through ongoing relationships
- Drive global program growth by ensuring consistent, high-quality execution across regions
- Partner with finance, legal, compliance, and marketing teams to ensure seamless program delivery and governance
- Monitor budgets, process payments, and ensure fiscal accountability
- Maintain CRMs and dashboards that track program metrics, goals, and achievements
- Develop decks to showcase program outcomes for internal and key industry events and developer conferences
- Coordinate on strategy and execution for promoting and marketing programs
- Continuously identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements
WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - 5+ years of experience in operating global or multi-region accelerator programs, grants programs, or founder support initiatives, for venture capital, FinTech, corporations, foundations, or startup ecosystems
- Finance or fintech background, with working knowledge of financial products, capital markets, payments infrastructure, or fintech ecosystems
- Direct experience in the crypto, blockchain, or Web3 industry - you understand how these ecosystems work, who the key players are, and how to engage credibly with founders and developers building in this space
- Experience in external, founder-facing, or partner-facing roles - you're comfortable representing an organization to startups, grantees, investors, and developer communities, not just managing internal workflows
- Strong operational background with owning complex, multi-stakeholder workflows
- Familiarity with capital deployment mechanics for grants, vendor, and partner payments.
- Acuity in budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting
- Proven track record to work collaboratively and cross-functionally to achieve program goals
- Data-savvy and proficiency in data management/data entry processes and standard methodologies
- Strong growth and metrics fluency, including funnel targets, retention analysis, and partner performance benchmarking
- Proficiency working with programmatic toolings, including: CRM and reporting platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Tableau); program platforms (Submittable, F6S, Airtable); and project management tools (Asana, Notion, Confluence)
- Exceptional organizational and communication skills
- Experience in developing presentation decks on program outcomes and impact
- Close attention to detail with a bias toward action and execution
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity in fast-paced environments with autonomy and accountability
- Active use of AI tools to automate workflows, improve output quality, and build scalable operational systems - AI fluency is a meaningful differentiator in this role
For positions that will be based in CA, the annual salary range for this position is below. Actual salaries may vary based on numerous factors including, among other things, an individual applicant's experience and qualifications for the position. This range does not include equity or additional compensation, such as bonuses or commissions.
CA Annual Base Salary Range
$116,000-$135,000 USD
