Head of Japan

Monad Labs is seeking a Head of Japan to drive institutional business development and establish Monad as a credible financial infrastructure in Japan's capital markets. The Monad Foundation is a team of dedicated ecosystem and community builders who are on a mission to massively grow the impact of decentralized tech. We believe that the Monad blockchain--the performant and parallel EVM Layer 1--will help decentralized apps eat the world.

Win institutional business (primary mandate)

• •Own institutional business development for Japan: identify, negotiate, and close strategic deals that put real activity, flows, and assets on Monad, across megabanks, trust banks, securities firms, payment companies, exchanges, and large enterprises.
• •Build and structure commercial partnerships in Monad's priority pillars: stablecoin issuance and payments, tokenization and RWAs, on-chain settlement, and institutional capital markets use cases.
• •Develop senior relationships with the institutions that matter most in Japan and convert them into concrete launches with clear owners, timelines, and usage paths.
• •Help build the prerequisites for serious BD to scale: regulated pathways for stablecoins on Monad, exchange relationships, and the local credibility that institutional counterparties require before they commit.
• •Run deals with commercial discipline — clear milestones, real product launches, and a usage path beyond announcements and vanity partnerships.

Establish Monad's brand and presence (secondary mandate)

• •Own Monad's overall go-to-market and positioning in Japan, building the foundation's reputation as credible, long-term financial infrastructure rather than just another blockchain.
• •Build and nurture relationships with key regional stakeholders — exchanges, enterprises, ecosystem builders, media, and regulatory bodies, to expand Monad's standing and mindshare.
• •Represent Monad Foundation at the senior level with institutions, partners, and the local industry, and serve as the trusted face of Monad Foundation in the market.
• •Stay ahead of Japan's evolving regulatory landscape (FSA, JVCEA, and related bodies) and translate it into high-impact opportunities and a clear-eyed view of what is and isn't possible.

• •Challenging problems. You’ll tackle deeply complex and technically demanding problems, with autonomy and impact.
• •Endless Opportunity for Impact. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standard is ubiquitous, but existing EVM-compatible chains are slow and bandwidth-constrained. Monad’s core innovations offer developers and founders the best of both worlds (portability and performance) and are a game-changer to power global on-chain finance.
• •The right team. You’ll be part of a world class team, who are exceptional and highly-motivated.
• •Culture. We’re a lean team working together to achieve very ambitious goals. We are united in our culture of collaboration, low ego, and high-quality output.
• •Strong Ecosystem. The broader Monad ecosystem has attracted support from leading investors, builders and long-term contributors.

• •8+ years of business development experience, including 4+ years in blockchain, digital assets, or Web3 with a track record of closing large, complex institutional deals.
• •Deep understanding of the Japanese market and extensive experience engaging and selling to Japan's largest financial institutions and enterprises.
• •A robust, senior network across Japanese banks, trust banks, securities firms, payment companies, enterprises, and Web3 players and the ability to open doors at decision-maker level.
• •Strong command of how Web3 maps to institutional strategy — why an institution would issue a stablecoin, tokenize an asset, or move settlement on-chain, and where the real commercial value sits.
• •Sharp read on where major Japanese corporates and regulators are heading on digital assets, and the foresight to position Monad early.
• •A self-starter who owns initiatives from first conversation to closed deal and live launch.

• •Deep connectivity into Japanese exchanges and an understanding of the listing landscape.
• •Considerable expertise and relationships with Japanese regulators and industry bodies.
• •Experience guiding market entry for Web3 startups, including strategic guidance, local insight, and connectivity.
• •Strong understanding of and connectivity into Japanese financial and tech media.
• •Entrepreneurial experience across the startup lifecycle, including fundraising, product launches, and operations.
• •Solid technical understanding of blockchains and the EVM.