A few months ago, I got a message from a founder I hadn’t spoken to in a while. Just three words: “We’re back on.” It was a clear sign that the new funding wave in Web3 was gaining momentum, bringing fresh capital and new hiring demands.
Turns out, they’d just closed a fresh $25M Series A after almost a year of keeping things lean. And now? They needed to scale—fast. We jumped on a call, and I walked away with a hiring brief that looked like a Web3 greatest hits: protocol engineers, growth leads, product designers, community heads, even a head of security. It was clear—the new funding wave in Web3 will be driving a surge in hiring across the industry.
And they weren’t the only ones. Over the next few weeks, I had similar convos with multiple teams. From infra projects to consumer apps, funding was flowing again—and hiring plans were back in full swing.
The new funding wave in Web3 isn’t just hype. It’s here, and it’s reshaping what roles are in demand.
Protocol Engineers Are Still Gold Dust
Let’s start with the obvious: protocol engineers are still at the top of everyone’s wishlist.
Whether it’s L1, L2, or something modular in between, projects need engineers who can write consensus code, optimise state storage, and build from scratch in languages like Rust, Go, or even Haskell.
I placed a Rust developer recently into a team building a new app-chain stack. Within a week of starting, they were already contributing PRs to core repos and shaping decisions around VM integration. That’s how fast things move in protocol land.
But good ones are hard to find. Everyone wants someone who’s already contributed to Cosmos, Ethereum, or Solana. The bar is high—but so are the comp packages. If you’re a protocol dev with proven commits? You’re in the driver’s seat.
Security Is Finally Front and Centre
After a few painful years of exploits and bridges being drained, security is finally getting the attention (and budgets) it deserves.
I’m seeing more demand for:
- Smart contract auditors
- Security engineers with formal methods experience
- AppSec leads who understand Web3-specific threats
One of my clients in DeFi made their first security hire before launching mainnet. Smart move. They’d been burned during testnet by a whitehat report that exposed a major flaw. Lesson learned.
There’s also a growing appetite for internal security teams. Startups are tired of relying solely on third-party audits. They want in-house talent who can think proactively, automate checks, and catch issues before they become six-figure bugs.
Growth Isn’t Just Marketing Anymore
Here’s a shift I didn’t see coming a year ago: growth teams are evolving.
It used to be all about Twitter threads, Discord mods, and meme marketing. That still matters, sure. But now? I’m seeing demand for:
- Growth PMs who run data-driven experiments
- Ecosystem leads who manage developer relations
- Community managers with serious retention strategies
I placed someone into a zk rollup project recently with a hybrid role: half product, half growth. Their mandate? Make onboarding easier and increase weekly active wallets. That meant rewriting onboarding flows, launching referral campaigns, and hosting hackathons—all tracked like a SaaS funnel.
It’s clear: Web3 teams are maturing, and growth is getting more strategic.
Designers Who Get Crypto Are Hot Property
Design is finally having its moment in Web3. And not just in shiny token dashboards.
The best teams are hiring product designers who understand:
- Embedded wallets
- Transaction flows
- Signing UX
- Cross-chain navigation
I worked with a wallet project that hired a designer from the fintech world. Talented, no doubt—but after a few weeks, they hit a wall. They didn’t know how to think about things like slippage, bridge states, or gas fees.
Contrast that with another team who hired a self-taught designer who’d been deep in crypto for years. Their Figma files weren’t just pretty; they included tooltip copy explaining how L2 confirmations work.
In Web3, design isn’t just about pixels. It’s about trust. And the best designers know how to earn it.
Foundational Roles Are Back Too
It’s not all engineering and growth. With funding flowing again, I’m seeing a resurgence in what I call foundational roles:
- People Ops: Hiring, onboarding, and retaining a global, remote team? That takes skill.
- Finance: Treasury management in Web3 is no joke. Token accounting, payroll, budgeting—all in one.
- Legal & Compliance: As more projects go legit, they need folks who understand global crypto regulation.
One founder told me, “I used to be the lawyer, HR person, and CFO. Now I’m actually hiring those roles.” About time.
What’s Working Right Now (From the Hiring Frontlines)
From what I’m seeing, here’s what’s helping teams attract top talent:
- Clear mission + long runway: People want to know your project has purpose and funding.
- Flexible comp: Mix of fiat and tokens, with clear vesting and upside.
- Remote-friendly setups: The best people aren’t always where you expect them.
- Fast hiring loops: Drag it out, and someone else will snap them up.
I’ve seen offers lost because the process took too long. Speed matters.
The Window is Open
The new funding wave in Web3 is more than a rebound. It’s a signal: serious teams are building again.
That means smart hiring decisions now can set the tone for years to come. Whether you’re scaling a protocol team, growing your community, or tightening up your security, now’s the time to get your talent in place.
I’ve been through a few cycles in this space. Each time, the ones who hired smart during the quiet periods were the ones leading the charge when things got loud again.
So yeah, things are heating up. The money’s flowing. The inbox is buzzing.
If you’re building, hiring, or just trying to figure out what comes next—you’re not alone. And if you need a hand finding the right people to ride this wave with you, you know where to find me.
