Head of Post-Trade Technology | Hands-On Leadership | Buy-Side

A high-performing, expanding hedge fund is creating a senior Operations Technology leadership role as part of its continued growth in assets, products, and operational footprint. This is a newly established position, reporting directly to the CTO, intended for a technically strong leader who wants real ownership while remaining actively involved in engineering decisions. The role sits at the intersection of technology and operations. You will lead the firm’s Operations Technology function, taking responsibility for both day-to-day platform ownership and the evolution of systems that support post-trade workflows as the business scales. The emphasis is on accountability and delivery rather than governance from a distance. This is not a programme management or purely strategic appointment. The successful individual will be hands-on, technically credible, and comfortable acting as a player–manager, guiding architecture, maintaining code quality, and mentoring engineers while partnering closely with Operations and Compliance.

Role overview

• Own and lead a globally distributed Operations Technology team
• Work directly with Operations, Treasury, Compliance and other stakeholders across the full post-trade lifecycle
• Balance BAU system ownership with selective greenfield development to support new strategies, products and counterparties
• Remain involved in technical decision-making, design reviews and engineering standards
• Approximately one-third of the role remains technical, with time spent on architecture, code reviews and technical leadership. The remainder focuses on team leadership, prioritisation, and close collaboration with the business.

Operations Technology scope

• The team is responsible for a broad operational technology estate, including:

• Integration with OMS and downstream straight-through processing
• Trade capture, trade entry and operational blotters
• Reconciliation and breaks management frameworks
• Counterparty, prime broker and third-party allocation flows
• Instrument setup and lifecycle processes
• Operational reporting, extracts and data feeds

The group owns both proprietary platforms and the integration and support of third-party operational systems, working closely with Operations to automate workflows and reduce operational risk. Global Ops Technology team spanning London, New York, Glasgow and APAC. Current team size around 11, with approved growth toward ~15. Senior, collaborative engineering culture with minimal bureaucracy. High visibility across trading, operations and post-trade functions.

Background sought

• This role is best suited to a senior Operations Technology leader who offers:

• A strong software engineering foundation, ideally in the Java / JVM ecosystem
• Deep understanding of the trade lifecycle, particularly post-trade, settlements, clearing and operations automation
• Experience leading small, high-quality engineering teams in a hands-on capacity
• The ability to engage confidently with both engineers and senior operational stakeholders
• Buy-side experience, or a strong bank-to-buy-side profile with broad front-to-back exposure

Candidates who are no longer close to engineering, or who come exclusively from highly siloed, large-scale environments, are unlikely to be successful.

Why this role

• Direct reporting line to the CTO
• Genuine end-to-end ownership of Operations Technology
• Opportunity to remain technical while progressing as a leader
• Exposure to multiple asset classes and trading strategies
• Clear scope to grow the function as the firm continues to scale
• Compensation is competitive and flexible for the right individual.

The search is being run confidentially, with further detail shared during initial discussions. To apply, either respond to this advert or send your CV directly to gala.santaballa@mondrian-alpha.com.