Venture Lead - Payments

ABOUT THE ROLE We're about to launch a payments venture on top of Rootstock, Bitcoin's EVM-compatible sidechain. This is a 0 → 1 role — you'll take proven protocol-level technology and shape it into a portfolio of payment products, such as remittances, merchant pay, or agentic transactions. You'll operate at startup speed, supported by some of the best engineers in crypto, shape your own squad, and be the external face of this venture. You will report to the CTO/Head of Core INFRA with high autonomy and support from the wider organisation. This is a breakout role for someone who's been in the engine room of a crypto payments project and is ready to lead one. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Define and execute the product portfolio roadmap across multiple payment verticals Validate product-market fit through customer discovery, pilots, and design partnerships Build, structure, and lead a dedicated product-engineering squad Represent the venture externally - conferences, partner meetings, ecosystem conversations Align with R&D on underlying protocol capabilities and upcoming rollouts Deliver several foundational platform launches within 6–18 months Drive commercial traction — early partners, distribution channels, revenue paths WHAT YOU BRING 3–7 years in payments/remittances/fintech; crypto experience is a must, traditional rails a plus Hands-on experience building crypto payment products — you have been in the room, not watching from the side Strong understanding of Bitcoin/EVM ecosystems Fluent across product strategy, customer discovery, and partnerships Familiarity with agentic/AI-driven payment flows or programmable money Experience in incubating and scaling a product Startup speed — ships fast, prioritizes ruthlessly, comfortable with ambiguity Eager to step up — this is your chance to own and lead a venture, not just contribute to one Comfortable as the external face — present, visible, and active in the ecosystem ROOTIES BENEFITS At RootstockLabs , we don’t just offer a