Head of Global Safeguarding/Client Assets in London

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of? At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system.

To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high calibre colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. If you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be. While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.

At Coinbase, we are committed to setting the global standard for the secure custody and safeguarding of client assets.

Role and responsibilities

Head of Global Safeguarding / Client Asset Management leads a high‑performing, cross‑regional team responsible for ensuring the safe custody, segregation, and regulatory compliance of client assets across all Coinbase entities and products. This is a critical leadership role with significant visibility to senior executives, Boards, and regulators, and it will shape how Coinbase designs and operates its global safeguarding framework for both fiat and digital assets.

You will own the end‑to‑end safeguarding lifecycle – from policy design and control frameworks, through daily reconciliations and rebalancing, to incident management, regulatory reporting, and audit – ensuring that Coinbase protects client assets with institutional‑grade rigor in every jurisdiction where we operate.

What you’ll be doing:

• Set the global strategy and framework for client asset safeguarding, defining the vision, target operating model, and key performance / risk indicators for safeguarding and segregation of client assets across all Coinbase entities and products.
• Lead and develop a global safeguarding/client asset management team, including managers and subject matter experts across regions, fostering a culture of operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Own the Global Safeguarding Control Framework, including policies, standards, procedures, and control objectives that ensure compliance with applicable regulations (e.g., EMRs/PSRs, MiCA, CSSF, FCA and other local regimes), as well as internal risk appetite and governance expectations.
• Oversee daily safeguarding, reconciliation, and rebalancing processes globally, ensuring:

• Client assets are fully and appropriately segregated from firm assets in books and records.
• Safeguarding and custody wallet balances align with client obligations at all times.
• Exceptions are promptly identified, investigated, escalated, and remediated.

• A complete, accurate, and current global client asset incident log is maintained.
• Safeguarding incidents are triaged, escalated, and communicated internally and externally in line with regulatory expectations.
• Regulatory notifications and remedial action plans are timely, accurate, and well‑controlled.

• Safeguarding performance, KPI/KRI trends, and incident themes.
• Control testing outcomes, remediation status, and upcoming regulatory or audit milestones.