Head of Risk & Compliance

A rapidly growing regulated crypto trading venue is seeking a Head of Risk & Compliance to lead its governance, risk, and compliance strategy across the organization.

The company operates at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets, providing a secure and transparent platform for institutional and professional investors. Having recently launched one of Europe’s first regulated crypto derivatives products, they’re now expanding their product line and strengthening their leadership team.

The Role

You’ll oversee all Risk and Compliance functions end-to-end — from strategy design and framework development to regulatory assurance and operational resilience. This hands-on leadership role combines strategic oversight with practical execution and cross-functional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and implement the company-wide Risk & Compliance strategy and governance framework.
• Ensure compliance with MiFID II, MiCAR, DORA, Wwft, and related EU regulations.
• Lead ICT risk management, operational resilience, incident response, and business continuity.
• Oversee trade surveillance, market abuse monitoring, and financial crime controls (KYC/KYB, sanctions, transaction monitoring, blockchain analytics, Travel Rule).
• Drive data-driven risk reporting, defining KRIs/KPIs and delivering actionable insights to leadership.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Operations to enable compliant innovation.
• Build and mentor a high-performing Risk & Compliance team, embedding a strong risk culture.

About You

• 8+ years’ experience in Risk and/or Compliance within trading venues, brokerages, banks, or crypto/fintech.
• Deep knowledge of EU regulatory frameworks: MiFID II, MiCAR, DORA, and Wwft.
• Solid understanding of market structure, derivatives, liquidity, and operational risk.
• Proven ability to design and scale compliance frameworks and manage audits and inspections.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex regulation into clear business guidance.
• Professional certifications (FRM, PRM, ICA, CAMS, or similar) are an advantage.
• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus.

What’s Offered

• Competitive salary and benefits in a fast-growing, regulated fintech environment.
• Strategic ownership and autonomy to shape the Risk & Compliance function.
• Direct exposure to executive leadership and board-level discussions.
• Hybrid setup in a collaborative, entrepreneurial team culture.

Important Note:

While we welcome experienced risk & compliance professionals, please note that this role requires deep trading and risk management expertise — not just compliance documentation skills. Experience writing risk assessments alone does not qualify as practical risk experience. We’re looking for someone who truly understands market, liquidity, and operational risk in a trading environment — ideally with hands-on exposure to derivatives, crypto markets, or trading venue operations.