Head of Risk

Harrington Starr are excited to be working with a fast-growing, multi-entity digital asset trading firm is seeking an experienced Head of Risk to lead the build‑out of an institutional‑grade risk and governance framework. The firm provides liquidity across spot, derivatives, and stablecoin FX markets, serving global counterparties across centralized, decentralized, and on‑chain environments.

Role Overview

The Head of Risk will design, implement, and oversee a comprehensive risk and control architecture across market, credit, counterparty, liquidity, and operational risk. This is both a strategic leadership role and a hands‑on build function, ensuring robust controls across trading operations, collateral management, and governance.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and implement firm‑wide collateral policies and monitoring tools.
• Establish real‑time leverage monitoring with automated alert thresholds.
• Work with technology teams to automate collateral movement and surveillance.

2. Counterparty Collateral & Credit Risk

• Design robust counterparty risk frameworks and trading documentation.
• Enhance risk mitigation models, including DMA‑based approaches.
• Define rules around collateral posting, settlement timelines, and liquidation rights.
• Build exposure dashboards across venues, assets, and counterparties.
• Integrate stress testing, liquidation proximity, and funding/basis analytics.
• Drive risk assessments for new products, venues, and settlement models.

4. Governance & Reporting

• Serve as an independent Risk Officer and Chair of the Risk Committee.
• Report directly to the Board on all risk matters.
• Ensure controls meet global regulatory expectations.
• Oversee daily risk reporting, reconciliations, and investor updates.
• Implement quantitative risk models (VaR, Monte Carlo, liquidity metrics).

5. Operational & Middle Office Controls

• Strengthen booking, settlement, and PnL reconciliation processes.
• Implement 24‑hour reconciliation SLAs across trading venues and internal systems.
• Oversee valuation, funding attribution, and treasury coordination.
• Develop and maintain a structured liquidation and escalation framework.
• Conduct scenario analysis and stress testing for major market events.
• Oversee periodic external reviews of risk controls.
• Modernize trading and operational documentation.
• Define clear default, liquidation, and conversion rules.
• Lead policy updates across risk, operations, and settlement processes.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of experience in risk management or trading operations, ideally in FX, derivatives, and digital assets.
• Proven experience building enterprise‑level risk frameworks from scratch.
• Strong technical understanding of market risk models, liquidity analysis, and collateral optimization.
• Knowledge of on‑chain settlement, custody models, and digital asset trading platforms.
• Familiarity with institutional tools (e.g., Fireblocks, Haruko, Tres, Talos) is advantageous.
• Professional qualifications such as FRM or CFA are a plus.
• Experience interacting with regulators, auditors, and Board‑level stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Compensation & Structure

• Competitive base salary and annual bonus.
• Equity participation subject to board approval.
• Senior leadership role with direct Board‑level visibility.
• Full authority over risk decisions as Chair of the Risk Committee.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Finance