# Developer Advocates

### Overview

The Developer Advocate Program is an initiative of the **Open Source Office (OSO)** and the **Open Source Committee (OSC)**, designed to strengthen the bridge between the Cardano open-source ecosystem and its global developer community. Developer Advocates serve as educators, communicators, and community builders, ensuring that **Core Cardano (Node)** and other ecosystem projects are accessible, well-documented, and approachable for contributors of all levels.

### Objectives

The primary objectives of the Developer Advocate Program are:

* **Community Engagement** – Actively engage with the Cardano developer community through forums, Discord, Stack Exchange, events, and social platforms.
* **Education & Enablement** – Provide workshops, tutorials, documentation, and mentorship to lower the barrier to entry for contributors.
* **Advocacy & Outreach** – Represent the ecosystem at local and global events, conferences, and working groups, promoting adoption and visibility.
* **Feedback & Reporting** – Act as the voice of the community, relaying actionable feedback to maintainers, OSO, and OSC to improve tools, documentation, and processes.

### Structure & Support

Developer Advocates are funded through the **Paid Open Source Model (POSM)** and supported by the OSO\*. Each Advocate will:

* Be contracted for 9 months, a part-time equivalent role, with compensation provided in ADA.
* Participate in OSO/OSC bi-weekly meetings and contribute to Dev-Ex and other working group initiatives.
* Report activity and impact to the OSO through structured feedback, progress updates, and impact logs.

\*Support will include onboarding, mentoring, access to OSO community platforms, and assistance for participation in key developer events.

### Success Metrics

Program impact will be measured by:

* **Educational Reach** – Number of tutorials, workshops, AMAs, and events hosted or supported.
* **Onboarding Outcomes** – New contributors successfully onboarded into Core Cardano and ecosystem projects.
* **Community Feedback** – Quality and volume of actionable feedback relayed to OSO/OSC.
* **Ecosystem Growth** – Contribution growth in associated repositories, developer-experience tooling, and adoption of Cardano technology.

### Benefits to the Ecosystem

* **For Projects**: Increased visibility, improved onboarding materials, stronger adoption pathways.
* **For Contributors**: Easier access to resources, clearer entry points, mentorship, and recognition for contributions.
* **For the Ecosystem**: A global, diverse, and connected developer community that accelerates open-source collaboration and innovation.

### Program Funding & Sustainability

Developer Advocates are funded via **Intersect’s treasury allocation to POSM**, with sustainability achieved through:

* Milestone-based funding tied to measurable community impact.
* Transparent reporting to the OSC and community.
* Regular program evaluations and budget alignment with ecosystem priorities.

### Scope & Expectations

Developer Advocates are community-facing representatives who drive engagement, education, and feedback within the Cardano ecosystem. Each Advocate is expected to:

* **Community Engagement**: Host or participate in workshops, tutorials, webinars, and “office hours,” while maintaining active presence across developer channels (forums, Discord, Stack Exchange, events, etc.).
* **Education & Onboarding**: Provide clear onboarding pathways for new developers through documentation, mentorship, and practical resources.
* **Advocacy & Outreach**: Represent the ecosystem at local and global events, build partnerships with universities and external Web3 projects, and expand Cardano’s developer base.
* **Feedback & Reporting**: Collect and relay actionable community feedback to OSO, OSC, and maintainers to improve developer tools, documentation, and processes.
* **Professional Standards**:
  * Demonstrate verifiable prior contributions to Core Cardano or related projects (validated via GitHub or Bitergia dashboards).
  * Participate in bi-weekly OSO/OSC meetings and periodic 1:1 developer check-ins.
  * Contribute original content such as documentation, tutorials, or developer events.
  * Operate under milestone-based funding, with quarterly evaluations tied to impact, transparency, and ROI.
  * Abide by Intersect’s **Open Source Governance Policy** and **Community Code of Conduct**, including transparency in potential conflicts of interest.