Program Manager, Real-World Asset Tokenization (Higher Ed Ventures)
A Program Manager for Real-World Asset Tokenization bridges academia, institutional finance, and decentralized infrastructure, guiding a university’s move to bring endowment, real estate, and intellectual property assets securely on-chain. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates, drawn from a Tier 1 research institution search, that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a Program Manager of Real-World Asset Tokenization do?
The role guides a university’s exploration and implementation of RWA tokenization initiatives, from endowment-linked financial products to tokenized intellectual property and on-chain real estate models. The Program Manager collaborates across finance, research, and technology divisions to design frameworks that bring institutional assets securely and transparently on-chain.
The ideal candidate combines deep fluency in blockchain infrastructure, smart contract development, and tokenomics with a genuine appreciation for higher education’s mission, governance, and regulatory context. They liaise with legal, compliance, and treasury teams to keep tokenization pilots aligned with regulatory guidance and institutional governance, while fostering partnerships with blockchain networks, oracle providers, and fintech partners.
Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is the process of representing physical, financial, or intellectual assets, such as real estate, endowment funds, or IP, as digital tokens on a blockchain. Tokenomics is the design of a token’s supply, incentives, and economic behavior, and smart contracts are the self-executing on-chain programs that enforce the rules.
What does this role bridge?
What are the key responsibilities?
- Design and execute tokenization strategies for university-managed assets including research IP, endowment funds, real estate holdings, and data licensing arrangements.
- Oversee pilot programs exploring new financial instruments including on-chain royalties, fractional ownership models, tokenized research funding vehicles, and yield-bearing endowment products.
- Develop business models and ROI analyses for on-chain initiatives, translating complex technical outcomes into clear institutional value for boards, presidents, and treasury leadership.
- Produce documentation, policy frameworks, and governance guidelines that allow the institution to scale successful pilots into durable, reproducible programs.
- Partner with blockchain service providers, oracle networks, and regulatory advisors to ensure smart contract interoperability, data integrity, and real-time asset price verification.
- Lead stakeholder engagement sessions to align campus leadership, faculty, trustees, and external partners on tokenization objectives, pilot outcomes, and institutional value.
- Build and maintain relationships with blockchain protocol foundations, fintech accelerators, research consortia, and peer institutions pioneering similar initiatives.
- Track emerging trends in RWA tokenization, decentralized finance, and institutional blockchain adoption to keep the institution’s strategic positioning current.
- Collaborate with legal, finance, compliance, and research teams to establish compliant frameworks for asset digitization, on-chain recordkeeping, and decentralized settlement infrastructure.
- Coordinate with IT and cybersecurity leadership so on-chain infrastructure meets institutional security standards, data governance policies, and risk management requirements.
What qualifications are required?
Education. Master’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Blockchain Management, Information Systems, or a related field required. PhD strongly preferred given the research and governance complexity of Tier 1 institutional environments.
Experience. Seven or more years in digital asset strategy, blockchain implementation, tokenization program management, or fintech leadership within large, complex institutions. Prior work in or alongside academic institutions is a significant differentiator.
Blockchain knowledge. Demonstrated knowledge of smart contracts, decentralized infrastructure, tokenomics, and tokenization frameworks for physical, financial, or intellectual assets, with hands-on experience in EVM-compatible chains, oracle integration, and on-chain settlement.
Regulatory fluency. Proven ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes including SEC and FINRA guidance on digital assets, higher education compliance, and institutional governance for novel financial instruments.
Which platforms and protocols are preferred?
Experience across the following categories is strongly preferred. This table maps each layer of the stack to the platforms a strong candidate is likely to have worked with.
| Category | Platforms and protocols |
|---|---|
| Oracle networks | Chainlink, CCIP |
| Smart contracts | Solidity, EVM |
| Layer 1 / Layer 2 | Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche |
| RWA protocols | Ondo, Centrifuge, Maple |
| DeFi infrastructure | Aave, Compound, Uniswap |
| Compliance tools | Chainalysis, TRM Labs |
What sets the best candidates apart?
- Higher ed or research institution experience. Direct work within or alongside universities, research hospitals, or national laboratories navigating technology transfer, endowment governance, and institutional IP policy.
- Blockchain network partnerships. Existing relationships with blockchain protocol foundations, oracle networks, fintech accelerators, or institutional DeFi platforms that can accelerate pilot launch timelines.
- Scholarly or industry research. Published research, white papers, or policy contributions on RWA tokenization, institutional DeFi adoption, or blockchain governance that demonstrate thought leadership and academic credibility.
Why is this role important?
As universities face pressure to diversify revenue, modernize financial operations, and stay relevant at the frontier of technological change, blockchain-enabled tokenization offers a new paradigm for capital efficiency, transparency, and institutional innovation. RWA tokenization is no longer theoretical; it is an active, rapidly growing segment of the global financial system, and the institutions that build competency now will define the standard for a generation.
The role bridges traditional institutional finance with decentralized infrastructure, positioning the university as a thought leader in the tokenized economy. The Program Manager does not just architect pilots; they define the blueprint for how higher education can securely unlock liquidity from intellectual property, real estate, and research portfolios. In a space where first-mover advantage is real, the institutions that move first will be the ones writing the policy and attracting the capital and talent that follow credibility.
A hiring note from Excelon
Excelon’s financial services practice specializes in blockchain, digital asset, and fintech leadership recruitment, led by an active equity and options trader with hands-on knowledge of the Chainlink ecosystem, RWA tokenization infrastructure, and institutional DeFi. That matters here because the market is full of candidates who can talk about blockchain and far fewer who have actually built on it. For this search, we screen hard for demonstrated on-chain work and real regulatory fluency, not vocabulary.
The institutions that put their assets on-chain first will not just be early adopters. They will be the ones writing the policy and training the next generation of practitioners.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Program Manager of Real-World Asset Tokenization do?
The Program Manager designs and executes tokenization strategies for university-managed assets such as research IP, endowment funds, and real estate, working across finance, research, legal, and technology teams to bring institutional assets securely and compliantly on-chain.
What qualifications are required?
This sample role requires a master’s degree in finance, business administration, blockchain management, information systems, or a related field, with a PhD strongly preferred, plus seven or more years in digital asset strategy, blockchain implementation, tokenization program management, or fintech leadership.
What is real-world asset (RWA) tokenization?
RWA tokenization is the process of representing physical, financial, or intellectual assets, such as real estate, endowment funds, or intellectual property, as digital tokens on a blockchain so they can be recorded, transferred, and settled on-chain.
What technical experience matters most?
Hands-on experience with EVM-compatible chains, oracle integration, and on-chain settlement is required, along with knowledge of smart contracts, tokenomics, and tokenization frameworks. Regulatory fluency with SEC and FINRA digital asset guidance is also expected.
Why does this role matter to universities?
As institutions look to diversify revenue and modernize finance, tokenization offers a path to capital efficiency, transparency, and innovation. Institutions that build competency now help define the standard, and first-mover advantage in this space is real.
Hiring blockchain or RWA tokenization leadership?
Excelon Associates places blockchain educators, digital asset program managers, and fintech leaders at universities and financial services organizations nationwide. Blockchain and RWA recruitment is an active specialty. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, FL.
More Sample Job Descriptions
Templates you can adapt for your own roles.