Managing Director (Back Office) - Bullish DE

The Bullish Group has built an ecosystem focused on developing financial services for the digital assets sector through technology and investment businesses. These include: Bullish Exchange - digital asset trading services that utilize central limit order matching and proprietary market making technology to deliver deep liquidity and tight spreads within a compliant framework. The business is licensed by the Hong Kong SFC, German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFIN), and the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. Since its launch in November 2021, Bullish Exchange has surpassed US$1.1 trillion in total trading volume, with 2H 2024 volume exceeding US$2 billion per day. Bullish Capital - an investment company which offers strategic capital, industry expertise and an extensive network of resources to support initiatives that connect conventional finance with the revolutionary possibilities of the digital economy. CoinDesk - an award-winning media, events, indices and data business servicing the global crypto economy. 

Reports to:

Chief Executive Officer - Bullish Gibraltar

The role

Bullish DE is hiring a Managing Director (back office) to oversee and control the company’s compliance operations and to give strategic leadership and direction to the board. An ideal candidate should be familiar with BaFin’s ongoing compliance requirements applicable to the licensed entities. 

Key responsibilities 

• Ensuring the implementation of effective procedures for complying with the legal rules and regulations that are material to the institution, and of corresponding controls.

• Supporting and advising the management board with regard to complying with these legal rules and regulations.

• Regularly identifying the material legal rules and regulations, non-compliance with which might jeopardize the institution's assets, in the light of risk factors.

• Overseeing the daily operations and the work of the compliance function which includes regulatory affairs, KYC/AML, data privacy, financial crime, technology and cyber compliance; providing expert and strategic compliance advice to management and the Board

• Providing thought leadership in all aspects of compliance including the embedding of a controls culture and compliance training/awareness at all levels within the company

• Develop, maintain and ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the control framework for all relevant regulatory, operational and outsourced activities

• Mitigating compliance risks through anticipation of issues and proactive solutions

• Managing and liaising with external parties as appropriate such as external counsels, regulators, clients, etc. Overseeing delivery of compliance services and resources to accomplish corporate goals, strategies and priorities

• Monitoring regulatory changes and collaborate with management on response strategies

• Enforce adherence to legal guidelines and in-house policies to maintain the company’s legality and business ethics

• Build trust relations with key partners and stakeholders and act as a point of contact for important shareholders

Experience & Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Finance; Economics; Law, Tax, IT-Security or a similar major is required

• Solid experience in a management level role

• Extensive knowledge about German regulatory law and familiar with BaFin’s ongoing compliance requirements applicable to the licensed entities. 

• Experience of leading a compliance function for an exchange, banking, FinTech or trading business, Crypto experience would be highly desirable

• In depth experience working in a global environment with multi jurisdictional licensing and business operating considerations; exposure to German regulation would be an advantage  

• In-depth experience of leading a global team of compliance specialists 

• Experience of building and integrating a compliance function and hands on experience with leading a complex compliance function

• Solid knowledge in the finance or crypto related field to understand Bullish DE’s activities and potential risks. 

• Political and presentational skills with an appreciation of the demands of conflicting interests and of meeting statutory requirements.

• A very high level of commercial awareness.

• Leadership skills.

• Excellent communication skills in German and English. 

• A resident of Germany

• No criminal conviction and must not be insolvent. 

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.