Vice President, DeFi Product Manager
Company: Fidelity Investments
Location: Schiller Park
Posted on: February 19, 2026
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Job Description:
The DeFi Product Manager is responsible for designing,
evaluating, and scaling institutional-grade DeFi investment
products, with a primary focus on protocol assessment, vault
construction, and ongoing portfolio curation. This role sits at the
intersection of traditional capital markets, investment risk
management, and on-chain financial infrastructure, translating DeFi
primitives into investable, co mpliant, and risk-managed products
for investors. The role requires deep technical fluency in
blockchain and smart-contract systems, strong investment judgment
grounded in traditional finance, and extensive operating
relationships across the DeFi ecosystem. The successful candidate
will combine the judgment of a seasoned investment professional
with the technical fluency of a DeFi native. They will be capable
of structuring differentiated on-chain products, identifying and
mitigating risk before it materializes, and serving as a credible
bridge between traditional investment managers and the DeFi
ecosystem. Duties DeFi Protocol Evaluation & Due Diligence • Lead
comprehensive due diligence of DeFi protocols, including: •
Smart-contract architecture and upgradeability models • Economic
and incentive design (tokenomics, liquidity dynamics, fee
structures) • Governance frameworks and decentralization maturity •
Oracle dependencies, cross-chain risk, and composability exposure •
Assess protocol risk across market, liquidity, counterparty,
technical, and governance dimensions. • Maintain a living protocol
risk taxonomy and scoring framework aligned with institutional risk
standards. Vault Design, Construction & Curation • Design and
launch on-chain vaults and structured DeFi strategies (e.g., yield,
carry, delta-neutral, liquidity provision, structured credit). •
Curate vault parameters including asset eligibility, allocation
limits, rebalancing logic, and risk constraints. • Oversee ongoing
vault monitoring, performance attribution, and risk reporting. •
Work closely with engineering teams to translate investment logic
into smart-contract-enforced rules. Investment & Risk Management
Integration • Apply traditional portfolio construction, risk
budgeting, and capital markets frameworks to on-chain strategies. •
Define stress testing, scenario analysis, and drawdown management
approaches for DeFi portfolios. • Partner with legal, compliance,
and operations teams to ensure products meet institutional
governance and fiduciary expectations. • Support investment
committee materials, protocol memos, and board-level product
reviews. Ecosystem Engagement & Product Sourcing • Maintain deep,
active relationships across the DeFi ecosystem, including protocol
founders, core developers, DAO contributors, auditors, and
infrastructure providers. • Source early-stage protocol
opportunities and influence roadmap discussions relevant to
institutional use cases. • Represent the firm in DeFi governance
forums, working groups, and industry initiatives. • Monitor
emerging DeFi primitives, L2s, app-chains, restaking, and
cross-chain infrastructure relevant to vault strategies. The
Expertise and Skills You Bring Investment & Capital Markets
Experience • 7–12 years of experience across asset management,
trading, structured products, derivatives, or capital markets. •
Demonstrated experience with portfolio construction, risk
management, and investment decision-making. • Strong understanding
of fixed income, derivatives, financing markets, and liquidity
dynamics. DeFi & Blockchain Expertise • Deep understanding of
blockchain architecture (Ethereum, L2s, Solana, and emerging
ecosystems). • Strong working knowledge of smart contracts, DeFi
primitives (AMMs, lending, derivatives, staking, restaking), and
on-chain governance. • Experience evaluating smart-contract risk
and interpreting audit reports (no coding requirement, but
technical fluency required). • Familiarity with MEV, oracle design,
cross-chain bridges, and protocol upgrade patterns. Product &
Ecosystem Leadership • Proven ability to design investment products
from concept through launch and ongoing management. • Extensive
network across the DeFi ecosystem with a track record of trusted
relationships. • Strong written and verbal communication skills,
with the ability to translate complex on-chain mechanics into
investment-grade narratives. • Prior experience building and/or
managing on-chain vaults, structured DeFi products, or
protocol-level strategies. • Experience working in or alongside
DAOs, protocol foundations, or DeFi infrastructure firms. •
Exposure to regulated investment products, institutional custody,
or fund operations. • CFA, advanced finance degree, or technical
background in computer science or engineering. The Team Fidelity
Digital Asset Management (FDAM) is Fidelity Investments’ digital
asset investment platform, offering products and services designed
to meet the needs of retail, intermediary, and institutional
clients. As part of the Asset Management division, FDAM brings
Fidelity’s research-led investment culture to digital
assets—evaluating opportunities across the ecosystem and building
client-focused investment solutions. FDAM is a well-resourced team
with support from Asset Management and the broader Fidelity
enterprise, driving the development of critical digital asset
infrastructure for the firm. We foster an entrepreneurial culture
that leverages the latest technologies to create new products and
capabilities, integrating traditional and on-chain markets to
deliver innovative solutions for investors.
Keywords: Fidelity Investments, Buffalo Grove , Vice President, DeFi Product Manager, Accounting, Auditing , Schiller Park, Illinois
