United States news giant the New York Times (NYT) has evidently been hunting blockchain talent to develop a proof-of-concept (PoC) that will implement the tech in news publishing. The development was revealed in an NYT job posting on job listings site Glassdoor today, March 13.

To press time, the original listing has been taken down from the Times’ site, and has been made “unavailable” on some listings sites, such as Indeed, where it nonetheless remains visible.

The reasons for its swift removal have not been explained. As of the time of writing, the Times has not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.

The listing states that the NYT is seeking “a forward-looking leader who will help envision and design a blockchain-based proof of concept for news publishers.”

The new “Lead, Blockchain Exploration” role at NYT would be tasked with developing the PoC within the newspaper’s research and development unit and expected to determine a vision, brand and public identity for the project.

Candidates are expected to have an “established track record in real-world application of new technologies” and a “mixed skill set with some experience in at least 3 of: journalism, product, design, software development, hardware engineering, user research.”

The listing emphasizes that applicants should have a strong understanding of how the NYT positions itself within the rapidly changing media technology landscape. Candidates should also be able to demonstrate a background in leading innovation and using cutting-edge technologies within the media, tech or creative spheres

According to the listing, the new hire will be expected to select and recruit the project’s first stakeholders, as well onboard project advisors from news agencies, academia and social media firms.

The NYT’s description further clarifies that the position is to be a temporary role, with an expected term of 12 months.

Despite publishing a swathe of blockchain-skeptic pieces, the Times has nonetheless kept abreast of developments in the crypto and blockchain space, just recently publishing an in-depth report on Facebook’s secretive alleged cryptocurrency project.