Coinbase is hiring a 'token & governance research specialist' for its Base team

Coinbase-incubated Ethereum Layer 2 project Base is hiring a “token & governance research specialist,” a move that signals the team is beginning to formalize plans around potential token strategy and decentralization.

The role, listed on the Base careers page, sits within the business operations and strategy team and is tasked with shaping the network’s potential token and governance roadmap. The hire will “define potential token goals and develop a phased roadmap for decentralized governance across the Base chain and ecosystem prioritizing long term growth and effectiveness,” the job posting reads.

Base described the position as a “once in a lifetime opportunity" to shape the future of Base and onchain protocols.

The posting was published on Wednesday and remains open, a Coinbase spokesperson told The Block. The Base team has several other active listings, including in engineering and ecosystem functions, according to the careers page.

Base continues to explore a token launch

Base exploring a token isn’t new. Last month, the network’s creator Jesse Pollak said the team is “beginning to explore” launching a native token. At the time, Coinbase co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong also said, “We’re exploring a Base network token,” calling it “a great tool for accelerating decentralization and expanding creator and developer growth in the ecosystem.” But he added that “there are no definitive plans. We’re just updating our philosophy. As of now, we’re exploring it.”

That marked a reversal from Coinbase’s earlier position that it did not plan to issue a new network token for Base and would instead use ether as its native gas token.

Base said the new role will involve collaborating with technical, legal, community, and product teams to design governance systems that balance decentralization with growth. Responsibilities include researching token designs, drafting the “Base constitution,” defining onchain voting and legislative processes, and creating systems to educate and engage the community in governance participation.

Base, built on the OP Stack in partnership with Optimism, launched its mainnet in August 2023 and has since become one of the fastest-growing Ethereum Layer 2 networks. It processes millions of daily transactions and has more than $5.4 billion in total value locked.