Zcash Community Grants (ZCG) is seeking a part-time DeFi strategist (contractor) who can evaluate opportunities, guide integrations, and strengthen Zcash’s presence in decentralized finance and Web3. This role requires someone with proven experience in the DeFi ecosystem who can help determine which integrations, partnerships, and collaborations are most impactful.
You will be responsible for ensuring that ZEC (and/or synthetic versions of ZEC) is widely supported and available across DeFi and Web3. This includes assessing projects, pursuing high-value integrations, and advising on strategy to expand adoption.
Responsibilities
Ensure ZEC (and/or synthetic ZEC) is integrated and available across key DeFi and Web3 platforms.
Evaluate potential integrations and partnerships, identifying which opportunities align best with ZEC adoption and growth.
Work on current partnerships and integrations, including NEAR, Maya, RedBridge, Crosslink, ShapeShift, and ZSAs.
Track and analyze emerging DeFi trends, protocols, and primitives relevant to ZEC.
Build and maintain relationships with developers, market makers, and community leaders.
Coordinate with ecosystem stakeholders on communications, marketing, and community calls.
Provide clear recommendations on what integrations to pursue and how to best leverage resources.
Requirements
Demonstrated experience and deep understanding of the DeFi ecosystem.
Familiarity with cross-chain technologies, wrapped assets, liquidity mechanics, and integration models.
Ability to critically assess new protocols, weighing risks against potential benefits.
Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Proactive, research-driven, and comfortable advising on strategy.
Performance Metrics
Success in this role will be measured by:
The number and quality of high-impact integrations initiated and supported.
Tangible growth in ZEC’s adoption, liquidity, and availability across DeFi platforms.
The effectiveness of recommendations provided (e.g., helping avoid low-value or high-risk integrations).
Strength of relationships built with external partners and communities.
Measurable progress on existing and future integrations that expand ZEC’s role in DeFi.
Engagement Details
The respondent selected by ZCG will be an independent contractor governed by an independent contractor agreement with the Financial Privacy Foundation (FPF). The agreement will be for a probationary three month period with an option for ZCG/FPF to extend for a year.
Application Timeline & Details
RFP posted on Zcash Community Forum on November 7, 2025
Responses due December 5, 2025, 11:59pm UTC
ZCG will review and select the winning proposal by December 22, 2025
How to Apply
Please submit a single PDF to contact@fpriv.org with the subject line “DeFi Strategist RFP Response 2025.”
Required Information
A brief bio summarizing your experience in DeFi and any relevant work with cross-chain integrations, liquidity, or asset listings.
Examples of relevant experience, including prior integrations, partnerships, or strategic DeFi work you’ve led or contributed to.
Your desired rate (hourly or monthly), in USD, to be paid in shielded ZEC.
A note about availability, confirming you can support this as a part-time engagement.
Questions
Please direct questions to contact@fpriv.org with the subject line “DeFi Strategist RFP Question 2025” or post in the related forum thread.
I submitted a response to the RFP today and wanted to briefly introduce myself to the ZCash community here.
My current role is working for Aave DAO - the largest DeFi protocol by TVL - as a Growth Strategy and Governance Lead. In this role I’ve contributed to growing Aave TVL from $20bn when I joined to almost $80bn at peak. I’ve developed a strong network across DeFi through working with core teams of EVM chains where we are deployed and asset issuers looking to be onboarded to Aave. Alongside this I’ve contributed to various other DAOs and DeFi protocols on an ad-hoc basis, from managing cryptoeconomics research at Jito to advising early stage protocols on strategy.
I’m extremely excited about the developments at ZCash, from recent improvements in bridging and cross chain swaps to those still in development, particularly Crosslink and ZSAs which I believe could be key unlocks to help integrate ZCash into the broader DeFi ecosystem.
I’m happy to announce that ZCG has filled this RFP. We received several strong submissions, and after careful review, the committee unanimously selected a candidate with exceptional, hands-on experience in the DeFi and cross-chain integrations outlined in the RFP. We believe @rigs’ expertise is exactly what the project requires and will help ensure a successful outcome.
Please join me in welcoming Rigs, who will formally begin this role on January 1.
I’m excited to be stepping into this role and want to thank the committee and community for the trust. Over the past four years, I’ve worked across the crypto ecosystem—wallets, exchanges, DEXs, gaming, protocols, and more—most recently focusing on bridging Web2 and Web3 through a leading fiat on-ramp product.
I’m a strong believer in privacy and have always admired Zcash’s mission. I’m looking forward to applying my DeFi and cross-chain experience to expand ZEC’s presence across intents/swaps, key integrations, and new distribution channels so shielded ZEC becomes easily accessible worldwide.
The next few months are going to be very exciting, and I’m open to feedback, ideas, and strategies from the community as we move forward together.
A big shoutout to the current ZCG team—the progress so far is an incredible milestone and a testament to focused, disciplined execution. I’m thrilled to build on that momentum.
