Head of US Custody Financial Operations

Reports to:

Position Overview

Bullish is seeking an exceptional and results-oriented Head of US Custody Financial Operations to lead our critical post-trade financial functions in the Americas. This is a high-impact, high-visibility opportunity to lead a specialized regional team, act as the final escalation authority, and drive global process standardization for digital asset custody and financial settlements. In this role, you will define and execute the operational strategy for US Custody, regional fiat & crypto treasury, and support DeFi & proprietary trading activities. You will partner with other regional leads to drive operational excellence and enforce best-in-class controls to underpin the security and profitability of our business. The Director will be a crucial liaison between Treasury, Trading, Risk, and Executive Management, reinforcing the operational resilience and growth trajectory of a leading publicly-traded institution (NYSE: BLSH).

The ideal candidate will possess a unique combination of expertise in traditional financial operations, digital asset custody/settlement, treasury optimization, and/or high-frequency proprietary trading support. If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you.

Responsibilities:

Treasury & Trading Operations (DeFi, Prop Trading, and Yield Optimization)

• Liquidity & Financing: Support regional liquidity planning, execution, and reporting for all credit and financing facilities.

• DeFi & Movements: Oversee operational aspects of supply/borrow activities across DeFi protocols and manage flawless execution of all daily fiat/crypto treasury movements.

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

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

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

Custody Financial Operations & Control

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

• Operational Controls & Improvement: Maintain rigorous internal controls, audit trails, and compliance checks; identify and implement process automation; create and standardize core SOPs for all operations.

• Risk Monitoring & Reporting: Identify and escalate operational risks; provide daily/weekly updates on facility usage and key operational KPIs utilized by Executive Leadership.

Regional & Global Leadership

• Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop the US and Caymans based team, setting performance goals (KPIs/OKRs), managing resources, and ensuring robust 24/7 operational coverage.

• Ownership: Serve as the primary regional escalation point; act as the operational leader for the Americas, owning resolution of all events.

• Regulatory Representation and Liaison: Serve as the primary local regulated individual for operations and technology in the US, acting as a key liaison with US regulatory bodies (e.g., SEC, FinCEN, DFS ) to support examinations, provide operational insights, and ensure full compliance.

• Global Standardization: Collaborate with EMEA/APAC Team Leads to ensure smooth operational handovers, maintain consistent global procedures, and drive global process standardization initiatives.

• Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary liaison for senior internal stakeholders (Treasury, Accounting, FP&A) and partner closely with Exchange Financial Operations teams.

Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience in Treasury Operations, Trading Operations, and Custody/Settlements within a financial institution, FinTech, or digital asset firm.

• Deep functional knowledge of DeFi protocols, digital asset custody, liquidity management, and yield generation strategies.

• Expertise in managing and reconciling fiat and crypto settlements, credit facilities, and multi-jurisdictional financial movements.

• Strong understanding of operational controls, risk management, audit trails, and compliance best practices in a regulated or semi-regulated environment.

• Exceptional leadership and team development skills, with experience managing a regional or global operations team, including setting KPIs/OKRs and managing 24/7 coverage models.

• Demonstrated ability to drive process standardization, automation, and SOP creation across complex operational workflows.

• Highly effective stakeholder management and communication skills, capable of serving as the primary operational liaison for internal senior leaders (Treasury, Accounting, Risk, Legal) and external counterparties (banks, custodians, lenders).

• Ability to act as a decisive escalation point and confidently lead the operational response to system incidents or significant market events.

• A Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or a related quantitative field is typically required. (Master's degree or relevant professional certifications, such as CFA or CAMS, are a plus).

Bullish US LLC & CoinDesk Inc. are committed to offering competitive compensation and benefits. The anticipated base salary for this position is $220,000 - $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.