Head of Trading

Head – Trading Strategy & Portfolio Management Proprietary Trading Firm | Bangalore | Full-Time About the Role We are a start-up proprietary trading firm operating across digital asset and alternative markets from Bangalore. We are looking for a sharp, high-agency Head – Trading Strategy & Portfolio Management to serve as the operational backbone of the firm — the person who ensures that everything between the founders' decision and the team's execution actually happens. In this role, you will manage the full spectrum of firm operations: coordinating across trading, engineering, and research teams; driving project timelines and accountability; handling HR, onboarding, and vendor relationships; supporting strategic planning and international expansion; and ensuring the day-to-day machine runs without friction. You will report directly to the founders and act as their operational multiplier. This is not a back-office role. You will be embedded in the business — sitting in trading meetings, tracking engineering deliverables, managing team dynamics, preparing founder materials, and making judgment calls or priorities when things compete for attention. The scope is deliberately broad because the firm is early-stage and the right person will thrive in that ambiguity. If you are the person who instinctively builds the system, tracks the follow-up, and closes the loop — and you want to do it at a fast-moving trading firm with global ambitions — this is the role. Key Responsibilities Serve as the primary operational interface between the founders and all functional teams (trading, engineering, quantitative research, compliance); ensure decisions translate into executed deliverables with clear ownership and timelines. Own and drive weekly operating cadence — meeting agendas, minutes of meeting documentation, action item tracking, and cross-team follow-ups. Manage people operations end-to-end: hiring coordination, onboarding, team structuring, performance tracking, compensation administration, and workplace culture. Oversee vendor and service provider relationships — negotiate contracts, manage renewals, track SLAs, and handle escalations across technology, data, legal, and office services. Coordinate the firm's international expansion workstreams — entity setup, regulatory applications, banking relationships, and operational readiness for new jurisdictions (Singapore, Dubai). Prepare strategic materials for founders: board-level presentations, investor updates, competitive intelligence briefs, operational dashboards, and decision memos. Manage the firm's budget, expense tracking, and financial operations — payroll coordination, profit-sharing cycle administration, and cost optimization across functions. Build and maintain internal operational systems — SOPs, documentation frameworks, knowledge bases, and process automation to reduce manual overhead as the firm scales. Handle sensitive operational matters including internal investigations, policy enforcement, and conflict resolution with discretion and sound judgment. Act as the firm's organizational memory — maintain institutional knowledge, track long-running initiatives, and ensure continuity across projects and personnel changes. Identify operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies proactively; propose and implement solutions without waiting for direction. Support compliance coordination where operational overlap exists (record-keeping, audit preparation, regulatory filings) in partnership with dedicated compliance staff. Requirements — Must Have 3–7 years of experience in operations management, chief of staff, business operations, or a similar high-context coordination role — ideally at a start-up, trading firm, or financial services company. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams across different functions without dropping threads; exceptional organizational discipline. Strong written and verbal communication — able to draft polished documents, run meetings effectively, and communicate with founders, team members, and external partners with equal clarity. Comfort with ambiguity and broad scope; you do not need a detailed job description to figure out what needs doing next. Proficiency in productivity and documentation tools: Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides), project management platforms (Notion, Asana, or equivalent), and basic data analysis in spreadsheets. High discretion and maturity — you will handle sensitive information including compensation, personnel matters, legal issues, and strategic plans. Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; ability to manage team dynamics, give difficult feedback, and maintain trust across all levels of the organization. Bias toward action and closure — you follow up, you close loops, you do not let things drift. Requirements — Good to Have Experience in financial services, trading, or fintech — understanding of how trading desks, research teams, and operational risk functions work. Familiarity with digital asset markets, digital asset exchanges, or blockchain industry operations. Experience supporting international entity setup — company incorporation, regulatory licensing, banking relationships in jurisdictions like Singapore (MAS), Dubai (DFSA), or similar. HR or people operations experience — formal or informal — including hiring processes, onboarding frameworks, and performance management. Exposure to compliance or regulatory environments (SEBI, MAS, or equivalent financial regulators). Background in management consulting, investment banking operations, or venture capital portfolio operations. Proficiency in building dashboards, trackers, or lightweight internal tools (Google Sheets, Airtable, or basic scripting). International Relocation Path This role offers a structured path to relocation to Singapore or Dubai after a minimum of 12 months, subject to performance and business requirements. The Chief of Staff will be central to establishing operational frameworks at international offices and may be among the first to relocate as the firm expands. Why Join Us Direct access to founders with a mandate to run operations across the entire firm — not siloed into one function. High-impact role at an early-stage proprietary trading firm with a clear international growth trajectory (Singapore and Dubai). Broad scope and autonomy — you will shape operational processes, team culture, and how the firm scales, not inherit someone else's playbook. Work alongside a high-caliber team of traders, quant researchers, and engineers in a fast-paced, intellectually demanding environment. Competitive compensation with performance-linked incentives and a path to international relocation within 12–18 months.