Marketing Counsel

Interested in working on cutting-edge blockchain technology and creating equitable access to the global financial system? Since 2014, the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network, an open-source platform that operates at high-scale today. Developers and companies around the world build on it, and the SDF team is expanding to support the rapidly growing and changing Stellar ecosystem. Marketing Counsel at SDF is a high-impact role at the center of how SDF shows up to the world. You will partner across Marketing, Communications, Product, Business Development, Ecosystem, Policy, and Legal to help teams move quickly while keeping external messaging, campaigns, grants, product launches, events, brand protection, and partner-facing work aligned with SDF’s legal, regulatory, reputational, and mission-driven priorities. This role extends well beyond traditional marketing review: you will advise on high-volume public-facing assets, strategic communications, marketing grants, major events, digital properties, brand and IP matters, and scalable legal processes that help SDF tell its story responsibly in a fast-moving industry. This is a rare opportunity for someone who wants meaningful ownership, close partnership with senior business leaders, and room to build deep expertise at the intersection of blockchain, payments, digital assets, advertising, consumer protection, and global public policy. In this role, you will: - Own legal review for SDF’s outward-facing marketing and communications materials across channels, including social, web, mobile, PR, blogs, digital ads, decks, FAQs, event collateral, scripts, product explainers, disclosures, and early-stage campaign concepts. - Advise Marketing, Communications, Product, Business Development, Ecosystem, Policy, and Legal stakeholders on public-facing content, campaign strategy, product messaging, partner marketing, and external positioning. - Identify and help mitigate legal, regulatory, reputational, contractual, privacy, and consumer protection risk in external-facing work. - Provide end-to-end legal support for marketing aspects of broader strategic business deals, including diligence, KYC coordination, drafting, negotiation, deliverables, and payment mechanics. - Serve as a legal partner to Marketing leadership on marketing strategy, campaign planning, thought leadership, strategic messaging, and cross-functional issues involving Marketing, Product, BD, Comms, Events, Ecosystem, and Legal. - Support SDF-owned and third-party events, by advising on event strategy, venue and vendor contracts, sponsorships, waivers, releases, collateral, activations, and time-sensitive operational issues. - Support SDF’s brand and IP function, including trademark portfolio management, brand policy questions, brand asset use, naming and rebrand initiatives, clearance coordination, contested IP matters, and brand protection. - Review and advise on product-related launch materials, webpages, explainers, FAQs, and announcements where product functionality, user understanding, external messaging, or legal sensitivity intersects with Marketing or Communications. - Help develop and maintain practical legal processes, templates, guidelines, playbooks, training, and intake workflows that allow teams to move efficiently while staying aligned with SDF’s risk tolerance and public posture. - Draft, review, and negotiate marketing, advertising, SaaS, event, vendor, sponsorship, strategic partnership, grant, and services agreements related to Marketing and other outward-facing initiatives. You have: - J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar. - At least 3 years of relevant law firm and/or in-house legal experience, ideally in marketing, advertising, product, media, technology, financial services, fintech, payments, blockchain, or digital assets. - Working knowledge of laws and regulatory issues related to marketing, advertising, promotions, sponsorships, endorsements, social media, online advertising, consumer protection, privacy, IP, data protection, and consumer financial services. - Ability to spot and assess legal, regulatory, reputational, contractual, privacy, securities, commodities, and consumer protection risks in public-facing materials and external communications. - Strong drafting, editing, and written communication skills, with the judgment to review high-volume, fast-moving assets across many formats, including web copy, social posts, press materials, product explainers, contracts, decks, FAQs, scripts, disclosures, and event collateral. - Sound business judgment and the ability to give practical, clear, risk-calibrated legal advice to non-legal stakeholders in a fast-moving environment. - Ability to work independently, prioritize competing requests, manage time-sensitive projects, and make thoughtful decisions with appropriate escalation. - Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with comfort partnering across business teams. - Ability to advise on complex, evolving, and sometimes ambiguous issues where product functionality, public messaging, partner expectations, regulatory sensitivity, and SDF’s mission intersect. - Experience drafting, reviewing, or negotiating marketing, advertising, SaaS, services, event, sponsorship, strategic partnership, grant, or similar commercial agreements. - Interest in SDF’s mission and curiosity about blockchain, digital assets, payments, and open-source technology. Prior blockchain or crypto experience is helpful, but strong marketing and advertising legal judgment is more important. - Motivation to build practical legal processes, templates, playbooks, training, and workflows that help teams move efficiently while maintaining appropriate legal and compliance guardrails. Bonus Points if (optional): - Experience in blockchain, digital assets, crypto, payments, fintech, financial services, or another regulated technology sector. - Prior in-house experience supporting marketing, product, advertising, media, or other fast-moving business teams. - Familiarity with smart contracts, open-source technology, or the Stellar ecosystem. - Experience supporting product launches, product marketing, user-facing flows, or technical content for external audiences. - Experience with grants, sponsorships, marketing development funds, ecosystem funding, or partner incentive programs. - Experience supporting events, conferences, sponsorships, speaker programs, attendee terms, waivers, or international event logistics. - Experience with trademark portfolios, brand policies, naming reviews, rebrands, trademark clearance, contested IP matters, or online brand protection. - Experience creating practical legal resources, such as templates, playbooks, guidelines, training, intake processes, or self-serve review frameworks. - Active membership in the California or New York bar. We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $165,000 - $225,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits: USA Benefits/Perks: - Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents - Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break - 401(k) with 4% match - Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution - Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts - Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution - Gym reimbursement ($80 per month) - Life & ADD (1x salary, up to $250K) - Short & Long term disability - Generous paid parental leave for all parents, plus paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents - Family building benefits through Kindbody - Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace) - L&D budget of $1,500/year - Daily lunch and snacks in office - Company retreats #LI-Hybrid About Stellar Stellar is more than a blockchain. Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology. Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility. Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations. Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world. About the Stellar Development Foundation The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting change-makers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else. We look forward to hearing from you! Privacy Policy By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy https://www.stellar.org/privacy-policy?locale=en. SDF is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SDF does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal law.