The DNSP Director leads all activities pertaining to the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), ensuring the community, product, and operations around DSNP are vibrant. The Director is responsible for setting and implementing the strategy, building relationships in the open Internet ecosystem, and articulating the value proposition of existing (DSNP) and evolving standards. The Director reports to the Executive Director of the McCourt Institute (MCI) while working closely with the leadership and technical teams of Project Liberty (PL) as well as the broader Internet technical and academic community. 

About Project Liberty, the McCourt Institute & DSNP

Project Liberty is a nonprofit organization that aims to create a new civic architecture for the digital world that returns the ownership and control of personal data to individuals, embeds ethical values into technology, and expands economic opportunities for web users and developers alike. The organization seeks to accelerate the world’s transition to an open, inclusive data economy that puts citizens in control — a future in which all people can benefit from their participation and contributions. 

Project Liberty houses the McCourt Institute. With founding partners Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, the Institute aims to ensure that sound digital governance and informed policymaking are prioritized in the development of new technology and embedded in the next generation of the web. The Institute enhances digital governance by supporting timely, actionable research on ethical technology and is a meeting ground for technologists, social scientists, policymakers and governance experts, and leaders from the public and private sector. 

The Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) is a groundbreaking open-source protocol created to serve as a new infrastructure for the next generation of the web. DSNP establishes a shared social graph that is no longer dependent on a specific application or a centralized platform. In development for nearly three years and with an end-to-end proof of concept complete, DSNP builds on top of TCP/IP and HTTPS to facilitate a secure, open source, universally accessible social graph that is not linked to any financial incentives by crypto tokens or private company database servers. The decoupling of financial incentives from the core protocol is a key distinction of DSNP and is essential to support a healthier third generation of the web.

Key responsibilities of the Director include but are not limited to: 

Management and administration 

• Develop and facilitate an active strategic planning process based on goals agreed with the PL and MCI leadership, and informed by the DSNP Advisory Group.

• Work across the community and with the Advisory Group to adjust and implement as needed the DSNP roadmap

• Update and implement the DSNP White paper

• Set up and manage as need new DSNP working groups

• Work with the Advisors Group to develop and implement a governance structure around the DSNP protocol, with ethical norms built into its architecture

• Work towards the recognition of DSNP by mainstream standardization organizations, including through national and international processes

• Work with the Advisors Group and the technical community to build future technical iterations of DSNP, anticipate the articulation with additional features (wallet, digital identity, etc.) bearing in mind the constant requirement of interoperability

• Ensure appropriate forums and mechanisms exist for developer collaboration, including ways developers can engage and participate are clearly documented and updated, as well as building a bridge between developer work and governance structure to ensure that needs are being met as development evolves.

• Work with academia and industry around use cases that can be quickly scalable across the industry

• Recruit, manage, support and evaluate a team to support the DSNP operations

• Oversee flagship events 

• Oversee the sponsoring and management of projects to ensure that objectives are met 

• Partner with PL, MCI, and technology partners building on DSNP to align technology with advocacy, which may include participation in industry events, partnerships with other protocols to raise awareness and find synergies for further adoption; engage in other external activities to promote awareness and adoption of the protocol.

Fiscal Stewardship 

• Develop, recommend, and monitor annual budget 

• Ensure compliance with funding sources and regulatory requirements 

Technical advisory group and working groups 

• Support the all groups above mentioned (Advisors, working groups, etc.) 

• Assist them in planning the agenda and materials for meetings 

• Initiate and assist in developing priority and governance recommendations 

• Facilitate the orientation of Advisors with proper staff interactions 

Fundraising and Public Relations 

• Work with community members on fundraising, business development, grants and sponsorships initiatives 

• Serve as a liaison with community organizations in the technical ecosystem 

• Deliver regular blogs, newsletters, and social media outreach to engage the community and ensure transparency of DSNP development (in line with open source software development principles)

• Build relationships with other open technical communities and foundations 

Specification 

Candidates will combine strong leadership and communication skills with a passion for decentralized technical governance. Some key criteria for selection include: 

• Deep knowledge (5-10 years) and experience creating and building open-source technologies, including protocols

• Successful leadership experience and a minimum of 10 years of experience effectively managing a team and a scientific or technical community, preferably in a remote setting 

• Values-driven alignment with the concept of decentralization in technology generally, and protocols in particular

• Experience with working with software engineers, open-source communities, and with volunteers

• Ability to move with velocity and urgency and be adaptive to a fluid “start-up” environment and product needs

• Strategic planning and budgeting experience 

• Strong communication and listening skills for liaison work and fundraising 

• Strong collaborative and facilitative skills (in person and remote) 

• Personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion 

• A global mindset and experience working with stakeholders globally, ideally including experience working with volunteers 

• Ability to seamlessly switch between high level strategic and more detailed tasks 

• Experience with working with software engineers, open-source communities, and with volunteers

• Ability to move with velocity and urgency and be adaptive to a fluid “start-up” environment and product needs

  
  

  
  

  Salary: The expected salary range for this position is USD 150,000 - USD 250,000 annually. The actual salary offer will be determined on factors including the qualifications, experience, skills, and abilities of the applicant. This role is also eligible for an incentive bonus. You’ll find a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package here at Project Liberty.