Cryptocurrency has become wildly popular in the past year as young investors and celebrities alike embrace the decentralized asset to grow their wealth outside of the traditional stock market.
The digital currency is attracting more investors from underrepresented groups such as women and lower-income workers as it can be less expensive and easier to understand than the traditional stock market. A recent survey by NORC at the University of Chicago found that 13% of Americans bought or traded crypto over the past year, compared with 24% who invested in stocks.
As demand for cryptocurrency grows, so has the number of jobs in the crypto market. There are thousands of open roles mentioning “bitcoin,” “cryptocurrency” and “blockchain” across job search platforms LinkedIn, Indeed and Monster. Fortune 500 companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, Apple and PayPal are hiring for cryptocurrency positions.
“The industry has reached a tipping point where larger, well-established companies are recognizing the validity and longevity of crypto,” Jonathan Tamblyn, the director of talent acquisition for cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, told CNBC Make It.
To determine where cryptocurrency hiring is happening most, researchers at Monster scoured several job search platforms to identify which roles had the most new postings featuring “cryptocurrency” or “blockchain” in their descriptions.
Here are the top five in-demand cryptocurrency jobs companies are hiring for right now.
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1. Chief artificial intelligence engineer
A chief artificial intelligence, or AI, engineer is responsible for developing and programming the algorithms that make up AI, including trading bots and enhanced cybersecurity to protect crypto exchanges. These engineers also perform technical analyses to help investors make better trading decisions and troubleshoot issues with AI technology used in the crypto market. AI engineers need to be familiar with certain programming languages, most commonly Python, robotics, developing AI and extensive math knowledge including linear algebra, probability and statistics.
Median yearly salary in the U.S.: $103,000 per year
Open positions:
Machine learning engineer at Coinbase
Senior machine learning engineer (Python) at Gemini
Blockchain and AI software architect and team lead at Fetch.ai
2. Account executive
Account executives oversee a cryptocurrency company’s business development and sponsorship sales. This job typically requires 3-5 years of previous experience as an account executive as well as business-to-business sales experience. Account executives educate clients on cryptocurrency market conditions, use social media and industry events to develop partnerships and collect data from sales figures and marketing campaigns to inform the development of new products.
Median yearly salary in the U.S.: $65,000 per year
Open positions:
Account executive at CoinCircle
3. Senior software engineer
Software engineers play a pivotal role in the cryptocurrency market as they are building, improving and maintaining the applications that process cryptocurrency transactions. “These folks are really building the backbone of the company,” Tamblyn said. “They’re also responsible for developing all the new technical products we offer our users.” Most hiring managers expect software engineers to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, mathematics or a related field, experience with protocol design as well as a mastery of programming and scripting languages.
Median yearly salary in the U.S.: $99,000 per year
Open positions:
Senior software engineer (crypto) at Algo Capital Group
Senior software engineer (backend), bitcoin, at BitGo
Senior software engineer at Gemini
4. Product manager
Product managers design and launch crypto products that advance the market, such as non-fungible token, or NFT, marketplaces, encoded health-care records and anti-money laundering tracking systems. “Product managers are extremely high in demand right now,” Raj Gokal, co-founder and chief operating officer at blockchain start-up Solana Labs, told CNBC Make It. “There’s a lot of competition in the market, and offering unique products helps differentiate you from the rest” of the companies. For this role, familiarity with the crypto ecosystem and previous experience in product management are vital. A bachelor’s degree in business or coursework in communications, marketing and economics is also recommended.
Median yearly salary in the U.S.: $103,000 per year
Open positions:
Product manager (DeFi, DAO) at Mirana Labs
Product manager, crypto, at Robinhood
Product manager, crypto, at Coinbase
5. Staff accountant
Accountants help coordinate billing, financial reports, tax filing and other financial tasks for cryptocurrency companies. A bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting is required for most open positions as well as certification as a Certified Public Accountant. As many cryptocurrency companies are still new and rapidly growing, accountants have a unique opportunity to develop their employer’s accounting policies and lead their compliance process following SEC guidelines.
Median yearly salary in the U.S.: $55,000 per year
Open positions:
