Head of Operations

Head of Operations – AlgoQuant Asset Management

Location: Dubai

Reporting to: CFO/COO

About AlgoQuant

At AlgoQuant, we're building the future of digital asset management, grounded in rigorous research, world-class technology, and a relentless focus on performance.

We began as a proprietary trading firm, developing sophisticated algorithmic strategies and operating in some of the most complex and fast-moving markets. That DNA remains at our core, but today we are evolving into a fully remote, globally distributed investment management business. This transformation reflects a broader ambition: to scale our edge, deliver institutional-grade results, and set new standards for the industry.

Our quantitative environment is built to empower innovation, combining vast data capabilities, disciplined model development, and highly automated execution. Risk is embedded in every layer of our thinking, with robust measurement, control, and scenario analysis integrated into our systems and decision-making. Technology is not just a tool for us, it’s a core competency and a competitive advantage.

Role Overview

The Head of Operations is responsible for ensuring the integrity, resilience, and scalability of AlgoQuant’s end-to-end operating model, from execution through to settlement, reconciliation, NAV support, reporting, and investor servicing.

This role sits at the centre of AlgoQuant’s platform and is accountable for building and running the operational system that enables the firm to trade efficiently at scale while meeting institutional expectations across controls, governance, and transparency. The Head of Operations will lead both the Middle Office control function and Operations execution teams, and will serve as the primary escalation point for operational incidents, market events, and counterparty/custodian issues.

A key element of the remit includes operational readiness and lifecycle oversight for AQ’s structured BTC-denominated instruments, ensuring processes for settlement, custody, servicing, treasury movements, and reporting are fully embedded and repeatable.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Operating Model Ownership

Own and continuously evolve AQ’s operating model across:

• Trading & execution (venues, brokers, OTC)
• Post-trade, settlements, custody, treasury
• Reconciliation (positions, cash, P&L, fees)
• NAV support & fund administration coordination
• Investor flows, reporting, and servicing workflows
• Define and enforce operational accountability across Middle Office and Operations, including documented procedures, controls, and runbooks.
• Ensure operational workflows scale across strategies, venues, and jurisdictions.
  
  

Leadership of Middle Office + Operations

• Lead the Middle Office control function and Operations team as a single integrated operating system.
• Set performance standards, control expectations, and escalation frameworks across both groups.
• Hire, develop and retain high-calibre operational talent, aligned with AQ’s technical, trading-centric culture.
• Drive execution discipline: daily cadence, weekly controls, break management, and continuous improvement.
  
  

Control Framework & Governance

Ensure robust controls exist across:

trade capture integrity

position and cash reconciliation

wallet management and approvals

transfer processes and limits

data integrity and reporting accuracy

Own and maintain operational governance artefacts:

• evidence logs
• exception reporting
• control checklists
• incident playbooks and escalation matrices
• Build “audit-ready by design” processes across Middle Office and Ops.
  
  

Operational Risk Management & Incident Oversight

• Act as AQ’s operational escalation owner for:
• market disruption / venue outages transfer / settlement failures custody issues operational breaches, limit events, and security escalations
• Lead incident response across teams (Trading, Tech, Risk, Finance), coordinate communications, and run post-incident reviews.
• Own operational risk assessments, remediation tracking, and learnings rollout.
  
  

Counterparty, Exchange & Custodian Oversight

Own operational onboarding and readiness for:

• centralised exchanges
• OTC counterparties
• custodians / wallet providers
• trustees / administrators / banking partners
• Define operational due diligence requirements and workflows (including on-chain and wallet controls).
• Maintain an operational monitoring framework:
• SLAs, incident history, service quality
• operational scorecards and periodic reviews
  

Third-Party / External Manager Oversight

• Oversee operational integration and servicing for any external manager relationships or outsourced functions.
• Ensure mandate compliance, operational risk standards, reporting controls, and escalation frameworks are in place.
• Own third-party governance cadence: controls, reporting, exception logs, and periodic reviews.
  
  

Investor Operations & Capital Flows (Execution + Control)

Oversee subscription/redemption operations end-to-end:

• onboarding workflows
• wallet creation + whitelisting approvals
• capital calls / transfers
• internal communications and confirmations
• Ensure investor servicing processes are robust and responsive.
• Support due diligence materials and operational transparency required for institutional allocators.
  
  

Key Qualifications & Experience

• 8–15 years of experience in hedge fund / prop trading / digital asset trading operations, with direct responsibility for trade lifecycle ownership and control frameworks.
• Strong understanding of:
• multi-venue trade lifecycle
• custody models and wallet infrastructure
• reconciliation and control frameworks
• operational risk management and incident response
• Experience building or scaling operational infrastructure in high-frequency or systematic trading environments (digital assets strongly preferred).
• Proven ability to operate effectively in 24/7 market conditions with strong escalation instincts and an ownership mindset.
• Comfortable working deeply with data, systems, workflows, and automation (not a “pure management” profile).
• Strong stakeholder management with credibility across trading, engineering, finance, and external counterparties.
  

Why Join AlgoQuant?

• Join a high performance digital asset hedge fund at a stage of significant institutional expansion.
• Lead one of the most important operational functions in the firm with direct influence over strategy, product scalability, and operational excellence.
• Support the launch and maintenance of innovative digital asset products including BTC denominated instruments.
• Work with world class quantitative researchers, traders, and engineers in a fully remote, globally distributed environment.
• Play a key role in shaping the operational foundation of a cutting edge digital asset investment manager with strong momentum and ambitious growth plans.