Director of Trading & DeFi Operations

Reports to:

Position Overview:

We are seeking a detail-oriented and execution-driven Director of Operations, leading all operations for BTH.  BTH manages all proprietary trading, treasury yield optimization and DeFi activities for the Bullish Group. This role will manage a team that is responsible for custody, settlements, reconciliations, and liquidity management while also overseeing key members performing financial modeling, credit impacts, yield optimization strategies and partnership analysis. The Director will act as a key interface with counterparties, ensuring strong operational relationships and flawless operational delivery. The ideal candidate will combine deep financial acumen with hands-on operational expertise, balancing day-to-day execution with the ability to support yield, liquidity, and financing initiatives.   

Responsibilities:

• Custody & Wallet Management: Oversee digital asset movements, wallet operations, deposits/withdrawals, and reconciliations to ensure security and accuracy.

• New Deal Execution:  Responsible for operational planning and execution on newly originated deals. 

• Settlements & Reconciliation: Oversee and manage daily settlement processes for crypto and fiat trades, monitor breaks, and resolve discrepancies with counterparties.

• Liquidity & Credit Facilities: Support liquidity planning and execution, including drawdowns, repayments, and reporting for credit facilities.

• Yield Strategies: Oversight of finance-focused personnel to model and implement yield strategies across cash and digital asset balances.

• Financial Modeling: Ownership of financial sensitivity analyses to support liquidity, financing, and operational decision-making on prospective new deals.

• Counterparty Management: Act as the primary operational interface with banks, custodians, lenders, and trading counterparties.

• Operational Controls: Maintain and enforce internal controls, audit trails, and compliance checks across custody, settlements, and financing workflows.

• Reporting: Provide daily/weekly reporting on balances, settlements, facility usage, yield performance, and operational KPIs.  Develop and continuously improve metrics utilized by CEO/CFO.

• Risk Monitoring: Identify and escalate operational risks, monitor unusual activity, and coordinate with Risk/Compliance to resolve issues.

• Legal:  Liaising with legal and risk teams to drive markups and ultimate execution on new revenue agreements.  This involves understanding specific dynamics with counterparties such as centralized exchanges, market makers, protocols and token issuers.

• DeFi:  Navigating supply and borrow activities across dozens of DeFi protocols

• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor operations team members, ensuring accountability and consistent execution under tight deadlines.  Interface with other business units such as accounting, FP&A and treasury.

• Travel:  This role involves periodic travel to the Cayman Islands (~25%)

Experience & Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in financial operations, trading support, or settlements, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.

• Preferred:  In-depth knowledge of digital assets and DeFi ecosystem

• Strong background in reconciliations, trading support, settlements, custody, and liquidity management.

• Hands-on experience managing digital assets (wallet operations, custody, settlements).

• Proficiency in financial modeling and yield analysis using Excel or financial tools.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.

• Effective communicator with experience presenting operational and financial data to senior management and external partners.

• Comfortable in a fast-paced, execution-heavy environment with a strong sense of ownership.

Bullish US LLC & CoinDesk Inc. are committed to offering competitive compensation and benefits. The anticipated base salary for this position is $225,000 - $270,000 + discretionary annual target bonus + performance incentives/benefits. Offered salary will be reflective of job related knowledge, skills and commensurate experience.

Bullish is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are fast evolving and striving towards being a globally-diverse community. With integrity at our core, our success is driven by a talented team of individuals and the different perspectives they are encouraged to bring to work every day.