Foundation Mission Request: TechNERDs Season 6 [CONTRIBUTIONS]

[opjulian]

Proposed Foundation Mission Request: This Mission Request is to maintain and expand the existing techNERD program. TechNERDs provide developer support for the Optimism Collective in the [Developers Support repo](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/discussions). This Mission will cover up to 5 techNERDs providing developer support for the duration of S6, as well as incentives for techNERDs to provide support to Optimism organized hackathons.

*S6 [Intent](https://gov.optimism.io/t/season-6-intents-ratification/8104):** *Progress Towards Decentralization (Technical)

Proposal [Tier](https://gov.optimism.io/t/collective-trust-tiers/5877): Ember

**Total grant amount: **26,250 OP (5,000 OP per techNERD, 250 OP bonus per hackathon supported)

Should this Foundation Mission be fulfilled by one or multiple teams: Multiple

OP Labs or Optimism Unlimited Sponsor: soyboy @sbvegan

Submit by: 26th July 2024

Selection by: 26th July 2024

Start date: 29th July 2024

Completion date: 16th Jan 2025 (start of S7)

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How will this Foundation Mission Request help accomplish the above Intent?

Technical Decentralisation needs to include decentralising support, allowing the developer community to help itself. The TechNERD program enables this by decentralising the knowledge needed to debug, build, and deploy on the Superchain. TechNERDs are also spread over the major timezones, ensuring quicker responses and consistant monitoring.

What is required to execute this Foundation Mission Request?

Applicants need to meet the following criteria:

• Have a technical background (ideally one directly related to development or deployment of production systems).
• Have a solid understanding of the OP Stack and the Optimism ecosystem as a whole. Some [resources have been provided](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/tree/main/community/support/training).
• Successfully close a discussion in the [Developer support repo](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/discussions).

After being selected, all applicants will need to also complete the following:

• Create or update a [“Contributor” page](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/tree/main/community/support/technerd-program/contributors) in the support repo.
• Attend bi-weekly techNERD calls in Discord.
• Maintain a minimum of 18 active weeks.
  • Only active weeks are considered for rewards.
  • Active weeks are defined as at least 3 tickets answered per week in the [Developer support repo](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/discussions) or at least 3 [T-shirt points](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/blob/main/community/support/brainstorming-sessions/02-brainstorming-session.md).

Hackathon support:

• TechNERDs will be made aware of hackathons durning bi-weekly calls, and will be able to indicate they available to provide support during the calls.
  • TechNERDs may need to be added to hackathon specific Discord servers or Telegram chats in order to provide support.
• As the support is likely to happen outside of the Optimism Discord, techNERDs only qualify for the hackathon bonus at the discretion of the support lead from the Optimism Foundation. Minimum actively can roughly be defined as at least 5 questions answered per 24 hours of hackathon.

Please list a [critical milestone](https://gov.optimism.io/t/token-house-grant-policies/5833).

The critical milestone should be a measure of whether an applicant has made best efforts to execute what is outlined in this proposal or not. If an applicant fails to achieve the critical milestone, their grant may be clawed back.

• Contribution activity increase on the [technical support repo](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/graphs/community?period=last_3_months) from S5.
• At least one hackathon where techNERDs support developers. Feedback from the internal Developer Support team will be taken into consideration.
• A further decrease in response time from [S5 TechNERD Mission Proposal](Foundation Mission Request: Expanding support for developers in the Collective through TechNERDs [CONTRIBUTION] #151).

How should the Foundation measure progress towards this Mission Request?

• Hackathon(s) require less team time on assistance than previous hackathons.
• Testimonials from developers helped by techNERDs.

How should badgeholders measure impact upon completion of this Mission (RFP)?

• Testimonials from developers helped by the program.
• Contributions from TechNERDs to the monorepo and other core infrastructure repositories will be tracked.
• Quality of discussions and answers in the [technical Support repo](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/developers/discussions).

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Application Instructions

Apply here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the last submission date.

[Please note: All of the contributor roles and associated rewards described here are intended for independent and engaged community members who volunteer to provide their knowledge and expertise to the Collective and receive an honorarium in the form of OP. These volunteers are not employees of the Collective, the Foundation, or any of its affiliates for any purposes.]