Director of Digital Asset Trading & Exchange Operations

About This Role

Role Overview:

We are seeking a senior crypto trading leader to build, lead, and scale a new chapter in our digital asset trading capabilities. This is a strategic and hands-on role responsible for shaping and advancing the firm’s crypto trading, liquidity, exchange infrastructure, and derivatives capabilities. The role spans OTC, perpetuals, funding logic, market making, liquidity sourcing, hedging, and market structure design , while also playing an important part in the strategy surrounding token-related initiatives, exchange engagement, and broader platform growth.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of trading leadership, derivatives expertise, liquidity and market-making experience, token exposure, and operational depth . They should understand how to build and scale a crypto trading function that is commercially effective, technically sound, and aligned with a more structured and institutional operating environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Trading Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and scale the crypto trading function across Spot, Derivatives, OTC, and Market Making.
• Define and execute the overall trading strategy in alignment with the company’s growth plans, platform roadmap, and commercial objectives.
• Take ownership of the trading desk’s performance, operating model, and long-term capability buildout.
• Develop a clear framework for how the business prices risk, sources liquidity, manages execution, and supports product growth.

Derivatives, OTC & Pricing

• Lead the design and launch of the derivatives trading capability from the ground up, including perpetual products, funding logic, hedging frameworks, and exposure management — this is a greenfield build requiring someone who has stood up a derivatives desk before.
• Lead the development of OTC pricing and execution frameworks, including liquidity sourcing, cross-venue hedging logic, and real-time pricing across crypto and fiat pairs.
• Ensure pricing, execution, and risk systems reflect actual market behaviour and support sustainable commercial performance.
• Improve the desk’s ability to manage complex market conditions, funding dynamics, and non-linear risk.

Market Making, Liquidity & Market Structure

• Design and oversee market-making strategies to optimise liquidity, spreads, order book depth, and execution efficiency.
• Define and execute liquidity strategy across exchanges and providers , improving access, reducing slippage, and enhancing execution quality.
• Shape market structure, execution workflows, and venue strategy to support client flow and platform growth.
• Develop frameworks to manage flow dynamics, adverse selection, and client behaviour effectively.
• Manage liquidity across CEX and DEX environments (including AMMs) , optimising execution in both off-chain and on-chain markets.
• Oversee integration with custodial providers (e.g. Fireblocks) , addressing latency, settlement, and operational coordination.
• Drive end-to-end latency optimisation across order routing, signing, and on-chain settlement.
• Maintain tight spreads and consistent market depth across venues , managing fragmented liquidity and multi-exchange listings.

Token Strategy & Exchange Engagement

• Lead token trading and liquidity strategy, including managing simultaneous listings across multiple Tier 1 CEXs, coordinating with exchange listing teams, meeting liquidity requirements, and managing launch windows and post-listing market support.
• Manage cross-exchange price consistency, arbitrage mitigation, and unified order book strategy to minimise price discrepancies and adverse arbitrage pressure when the token is live on multiple venues.
• Work closely with relevant stakeholders on exchange relationships, listing processes, and ongoing liquidity support across key venues.
• Ensure token and exchange strategy are underpinned by strong compliance awareness, including wash trading monitoring, market manipulation prevention, and adherence to exchange-specific listing rules and regulatory requirements.

Spot Platform & Exchange Infrastructure

• Oversee spot trading pair selection, curation, and lifecycle management on the platform, ensuring pairs are commercially viable and supported by adequate liquidity.
• Bring hands-on experience with matching engine architecture, order book design, and trade settlement workflows , working with technology teams to deliver best-in-class execution and liquidity on the platform.
• Optimise on-platform settlement processes and ensure seamless integration between the matching engine, custodial layer, and external liquidity sources.

Risk, Governance & Infrastructure

• Own risk management across trading books, liquidity operations, token-related exposure, and counterparty activity.
• Build robust controls around inventory, hedging, funding, execution, liquidity, and operational escalation.
• Partner with technology teams on execution tools, APIs, pricing systems, automation, and trading infrastructure.
• Ensure that trading activity operates within a strong governance and compliance framework suitable for a serious and growing platform.

Cross-functional Leadership

• Work closely with Product, Technology, Risk, Compliance, Operations, and senior management to align trading strategy with business objectives.
• Act as the senior internal owner for all matters related to trading logic, liquidity architecture, market structure, and execution design.
• Support decisions that sit across commercial strategy and trading reality, ensuring the platform is built in a way that is both scalable and market-relevant.

Reporting & Senior Management Communication

• Establish and maintain structured reporting frameworks covering trading performance, P&L, risk exposure, liquidity metrics, and market conditions, ensuring senior management has full visibility at all times.
• Deliver regular dashboards, commentary, and strategic updates to the executive team, translating complex trading dynamics into clear, actionable insights.
• Proactively escalate material risks, market events, or operational issues with clear recommendations and proposed action plans.

Team Building & Management

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-calibre trading team and supporting trading operations capability.
• Create a culture of accountability, speed, analytical rigour, and disciplined execution.
• Strengthen the function in a way that supports scale without compromising control, performance, or market edge.'

Candidate Profile:

• 7+ years of experience in crypto trading, derivatives, OTC, liquidity management, or market making.
• Proven track record of building or leading a crypto trading function within a structured or institutional environment.
• Strong expertise in derivatives trading, including perpetuals, funding, hedging, pricing, and risk management.
• Solid experience in OTC execution, liquidity sourcing, market making, and cross-venue trading strategies.
• Deep understanding of market structure, liquidity dynamics, exchange microstructure, and client flow behaviour.
• Experience working with tier-1 crypto exchanges, liquidity providers, and token-related trading environments (including listings or post-launch support).
• Good command of quantitative or systematic trading concepts, with the ability to collaborate with technical teams.
• Hands-on experience with DEXs (e.g. Uniswap), custodial platforms (e.g. Fireblocks), and hybrid CEX/DEX environments, including latency and settlement considerations.
• Familiarity with trading infrastructure, including matching engines, order books, and execution systems.
• Proven ability to manage fragmented liquidity, cross-exchange pricing, and arbitrage dynamics.
• Strong leadership, judgment, and crisis management skills in high-pressure market conditions.

Preferred Background:

• Experience within a crypto exchange, market maker, liquidity provider, prop trading firm, or institutional digital asset platform.
• Exposure to both centralised and decentralised trading environments.
• Experience supporting token listings, launches, or liquidity programmes.
• Familiarity with trading infrastructure, including pricing systems, funding mechanisms, and execution frameworks.
• Experience operating in institutional or regulated environments with strong governance and controls.
• Proven ability to manage external partners and counterparties, including exchanges, custodians, and liquidity providers.
• Understanding of exchange requirements, market-making obligations, and multi-jurisdictional considerations.