ICF Foundation Council Member

Overview: 

The interchain is an ever-evolving ecosystem of sovereign and interconnected communities. As the technological landscape evolves, so does our need for committed contributors who can steward the open-source technologies that form the backbone of a sustainable, interoperable, decentralized ecosystem.

The Interchain Foundation’s primary objective is to support the development and adoption of open-source technologies central to our ecosystem. The ICF Foundation Council is a cornerstone in achieving this mission, and we're looking to expand this council to better serve the community.

We are building a Board of Directors (Foundation Council) that functions as a cohesive and diverse team where everyone brings specialized knowledge, perspective, and expertise to the table.

The Foundation Council has the following key responsibilities:

• Ensure the mandate of the Foundation is met and that all execution occurs within a sound strategic framework that answers the “why” of what the Foundation does in line with the community’s & ecosystem’s needs.

• Build and retain a Board of Management to execute against the strategy and achieve the Foundation’s mission.

• Evaluate and support the Managing Director, and assist the Managing Director and Board of Management to succeed.

• Challenge, improve, and validate the strategy and vision articulated by the Board of Management.

• Provide oversight and assurance that the Interchain Foundation is acting as a good fiduciary and is meeting its mission. Ensure that the finances of the organization are spent soundly.

• Support and advise the organization with your relevant expertise on an as-needed basis.

Therefore, there are some base-qualifications that are expected of a council member to ensure professionalism and a good fit with the ecosystem that complement the flexible and specific expertise we expect each candidate can bring onto the board. We expect Foundation Council members to commit to roughly 20 days per year (including 2 in-person retreats of 2-3 days) to their service on the board.

Ideal but not prerequisite qualifications:

• Deep experience in complex environments (dynamism of open source, and distributed development).

• Comfortable with soft influence (not a BDFL type).

• Proven experience in leadership roles, preferably within relevant domains (e.g., computer science, finance, communications, governance, etc.).

• Board experience, either on a board or frequently working with one.

Personal Attributes:

• Interest (or understanding) of the crypto industry at large.

• Thoughtful, dedicated, and able to commit to the responsibilities of the ICF Foundation Council.

• Embodies the values of free and open source software.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, committed to collaboration and community engagement.

• Puts the mission and the team first, and oneself second.