Director, Business Development

About us:

Avara builds innovative products leveraging blockchain technologies. Avara's suite includes the Aave Protocol, along with the native stablecoin GHO, Lens, an open social network, and Family, a design-first mobile crypto wallet. Avara's vision is to build a people-powered internet that benefits all.

About the role:

We are seeking an experienced professional to drive Aave’s relationships with Fintechs, stablecoin providers, and exchanges. This role is part of the Business Development team at Aave Labs and collaborates cross-functionally with engineering, product, and leadership teams.

Your main focus will be building partnerships with fintechs, exchanges, and stablecoin providers to grow adoption of Aave’s lending infrastructure and drive TVL, while reinforcing Aave’s position as the core layer for DeFi integrations and yield.

You will combine business development, product strategy, and fintech expertise to unlock large-scale distribution partnerships, using Aave as the infrastructure layer.

How you can make an impact:

• Collaborate with the Head of Business Development to lead and execute strategic partnerships with fintechs, exchange platforms (CeFi), and stablecoin providers, driving the growth and adoption of Aave’s lending infrastructure. Serve as the primary point of contact for these verticals.
• Position Aave as the premier lending backend for the next generation of financial platforms.
• Maintain and drive forward integrations with existing strategic partners. Identify, manage, and negotiate new high-impact partnerships and opportunities to unlock new use cases and expand Aave’s presence within the fintech and CeFi ecosystems.
• Strengthen Aave’s leadership as the top platform for stablecoin yields, positioning its infrastructure as the preferred solution for stablecoin integration and widespread industry adoption.
• Drive end-to-end commercial and product discussions for partners, identifying prospects, understanding product requirements, structuring partnerships, and negotiating terms.
• Collaborate closely with internal and external cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, legal, and leadership to drive integrations.
• Work with partner internal and external product teams to design tailored, innovative solutions using Aave V4.
• Ensure the successful execution and implementation of integrations, managing smooth rollouts and go-to-market with partners, including post-launch partner management.
• Monitor market trends, regulatory shifts, and competitive movements within the fintech, stablecoin, and CeFi sectors to uncover new growth opportunities for Aave’s ecosystem.
• Represent Aave at major industry events, showcasing its capabilities and driving new business development opportunities.
• Provide valuable strategic insights and feedback from partners to influence Aave’s product roadmap and enhance the platform’s appeal within the broader ecosystem.

Let’s connect if you have:

• 5+ years of professional experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or strategy roles within fintech, exchanges, and relevant crypto-native startups.
• Experience managing competitive partnership processes with a proven track record in driving complex integrations.
• Exceptional ability to convey ideas clearly, engage audiences, and influence decision-making.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to analyze trends to craft narratives and materials.
• Ability to grasp complex technical concepts and communicate them effectively to prospective partners amd distill into clear next steps.
• Extensive network within the fintech and crypto native space.
• Curiosity and motivation to deeply understand DeFi protocols, stablecoins, and the broader crypto ecosystem.
• Strong organisational and communication skills, comfortable managing multiple workstreams and executing swiftly.
• Self-starter mentality, with a willingness to roll up your sleeves and grow into new responsibilities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must have a positive, team-oriented attitude.

Nice to haves:

• Exposure to smart contract ecosystems and developer tools.
• Demonstrated product thinking or experience contributing to product strategy, solution design etc.

Haven’t quite met all the criteria? Let’s not miss out on the chance to speak. Whilst you might not meet every single requirement, you might bring other, more exciting skills to the companies!

Equal opportunity statement:

Avara celebrates diversity and view each and every team member as a separate individual with their own unique identity. No matter your race, religion, gender, ethnicity, age, (dis)ability, sexual orientation or even the wallet you use, we welcome you at Avara.

As an equal opportunities employer, we take accountability and believe in everyone's potential to build, create and inspire changes. With a mission to build a diverse workforce, we are proud to foster a working environment in which everyone can feel safe and valued for who they are.