Head of Digital Assets Operations - Citi in London

Discover your future at Citi. Working at Citi is far more than just a job. A career with us means joining a team of more than 230,000 dedicated people from around the globe. At Citi, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community and make a real impact.

Are you looking for a career move that will put you at the heart of a global financial institution? Citi is seeking an exceptionally talented and visionary Director to lead our Digital Assets Operations team. By Joining Citi, you will become part of a global organisation whose mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress.

Citi is revolutionizing the future of digital asset management and blockchain integration. The Investor Services business is dedicated to building innovative solutions that redefine security, efficiency, and accessibility in the digital economy. Join a team where innovation is not just a buzzword, but the core of our DNA.

Investor Services Operations comprises multiple operations groups supporting our Custody (Global and Direct), Funds and Execution Services businesses. This new and exciting space for our clients where our business is looking to lead the way.

The role will require the successful candidate to form effective working relationships with all stakeholders - Technology, Product, Processing teams, Coverage teams, Risk and Control etc. ensuring that the team performs to the highest standard. The successful candidate will be required to have a good understanding of Blockchain and Digital Assets (including Crypto and digital money), end-to-end operations and act as the client advocate.

• Strategic Leadership: Define, develop, and execute the Digital Assets operations strategy, aligning it with the company’s overall vision and growth objectives. Identify emerging trends and technologies to maintain a competitive edge.
• Operational Excellence: Oversee the end-to-end operational lifecycle of digital assets, including issuance, custody, trading, settlement, and reconciliation. Implement best-in-class operational processes, controls, and risk management frameworks.
• Blockchain Innovation: Lead the research, evaluation, and implementation of new blockchain protocols, smart contract applications, and DLT solutions to enhance operational efficiency, security, and scalability. Drive the adoption of transformative blockchain-based capabilities across the organization.
• Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Partner closely with legal and compliance teams to ensure all digital asset operations adhere to evolving global regulatory requirements (e.g., FinCEN, SEC, CFTC, FATF). Develop robust risk assessment and mitigation strategies specific to digital assets.
• Team Leadership & Development: Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of digital operations specialists, blockchain engineers, and analysts. Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and accountability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as a subject matter expert and collaborate effectively with product development, engineering, cybersecurity, finance, and sales teams to drive successful product launches and operationalize new features.
• Ecosystem Engagement: Represent Citi in industry forums, conferences, and working groups to contribute to the broader digital asset and blockchain ecosystem, staying abreast of market developments and fostering strategic partnerships.
• Technology Road mapping: Contribute to the technology roadmap for Digital Asset platforms, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure to support future growth.
• Impact: Play a critical role and thought leader in shaping the future of digital asset management. Grow a dynamic team of operations experts to service our clients.
• Innovation: Work on cutting-edge technologies and solve unprecedented challenges.
• Growth: Tremendous opportunities for personal and professional development in a rapidly expanding industry. Opportunity to manage a growing workforce in a new product and drive change in dynamic and evolving operations area.

• Extensive experience of progressive leadership experience in digital operations, technology, or financial services, directly focused on digital assets, blockchain, or distributed ledger technologies.
• Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of crypto and blockchain fundamentals (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger), various consensus mechanisms, decentralized finance, smart contracts, and token standards (ERC-20, ERC-721, etc.).
• Operational Acumen: Proven track record of building and scaling complex operational processes, ideally in a highly regulated environment. Experience with back-office operations, settlement, and reconciliation is highly desirable.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong comprehension of the current regulatory landscape for digital assets globally, and an ability to translate regulations into actionable operational and technical requirements.
• Leadership Skills: Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems, identify root causes, and implement effective, scalable solutions.
• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with modern software development methodologies (Agile/Scrum), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and data analytics tools.

We work hard to have a positive financial and social impact on the communities we serve. In turn, we put our employees first and provide the best-in-class benefits they need to be well, live well and save well. By joining Citi London, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as: Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days plus.