On-site | UAE | Crypto/Fintech | Senior Leadership | UAE Residence is a must
About the Opportunity
We are a recruitment partner supporting a fintech company in the final stages of launching a regulated cryptocurrency exchange in the UAE (CMA licence).
The company is building a fully compliant trading platform designed to serve both retail and institutional clients under the UAE regulatory framework.
As part of the licensing process, they are assembling a core leadership team and are looking for a Head of Trading Platform - a critical role responsible for the performance, resilience, and regulatory compliance of the exchange's trading infrastructure.
Why This Role Is Unique
- Own and build the trading platform function in a regulated crypto exchange.
- Act as a key senior management role accountable to the UAE regulator (CMA).
- Join at an early stage with strong growth ambitions.
- High level of ownership over trading systems, performance, and market integrity.
- Direct impact on platform scalability, stability, and regulatory compliance.
What You Will Be Doing
Trading Platform Strategy & Leadership
- Define and execute the trading platform strategy aligned with business and regulatory requirements.
- Build and lead the trading platform function, including operations and market controls.
- Collaborate with Compliance, Risk, Operations, and Technology teams.
- Ensure strong governance focused on market fairness, stability, and transparency.
Platform Performance & Infrastructure
- Oversee the design, scalability, and performance of trading systems (matching engine, OMS, APIs).
- Ensure platform resilience, latency management, and high availability under peak conditions.
- Participate in technology roadmap decisions, including vendor selection and integrations.
- Maintain high standards for system reliability and operational efficiency.
Market Integrity & Surveillance
- Ensure fair, orderly, and transparent market operations in line with CMA requirements.
- Implement and oversee market surveillance frameworks to detect:
-market manipulation.
-abusive trading practices.
-suspicious activity
- Define procedures for trading halts, circuit breakers, and trade corrections
- Escalate and report market integrity issues to Compliance and regulators
Operational Resilience & Incident Management
- Own incident management processes, including outages and root cause analysis.
- Ensure Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCP/DR) frameworks are in place and tested.
- Lead response during critical incidents and ensure proper escalation.
- Conduct regular stress testing and failover exercises.
Risk & Regulatory Compliance
- Identify and manage risks related to trading platform operations.
- Work with Risk teams on KRIs, thresholds, and risk frameworks.
- Ensure compliance with CMA requirements related to trading systems, audit trails, and change management.
- Support audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
Regulatory Interaction & Reporting
- Act as the main point of contact with the CMA on trading platform matters.
- Ensure timely reporting of incidents, system changes, and market disruptions.
- Maintain accurate records of orders, executions, and system activity.
- Ensure full transparency and auditability of platform operations.
What We Are Looking For
- 10+ years of experience in trading platforms, exchanges, or fintech.
- 5+ years in a senior leadership role managing trading systems or infrastructure.
- Strong experience in regulated financial environments (CMA or equivalent).
- Deep understanding of trading systems, market structure, and execution models.
- Experience with market surveillance and market abuse prevention.
- Proven ability to manage high-impact incidents and operate under pressure.
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
- Fluent English (Arabic is a plus).
Nice to Have
- Experience with regulated exchanges or trading venues.
- Background in crypto markets or digital asset trading.
- Experience with market surveillance tools and technologies.
- Involvement in regulatory inspections or incident reporting.
Location & Conditions
Abu Dhabi, UAE - on-site role.
UAE residency required (or willingness to relocate).
Competitive compensation, discussed individually.
Why Join Us
- Opportunity to build and own a critical trading function from day one.
- Direct exposure to regulators and executive leadership.
- Join a high-growth crypto business entering a regulated market.
- Work in a high-impact role with real ownership and decision-making power.
Please note: this role is subject to regulatory approval. Certain restrictions may apply based on regulatory requirements.
