Capital Markets Lead

About the role

This role focuses on developing and executing capital deployment strategies for the Stellar ecosystem. The work involves evaluating new protocols, managing liquidity solutions, and driving commercial negotiations with institutional partners and market makers. Success in this position means enhancing network health and asset accessibility through strategic integrations and effective partnership management.

A key aspect of this role is leading due diligence on emerging DeFi protocols, assessing their tokenomics, governance, and technical viability. The Capital Markets Lead will also be responsible for developing economic models to understand yield dynamics and net carry costs, translating complex technical outputs into actionable insights for leadership. This requires a deep understanding of both traditional finance and decentralized finance mechanics.

The position also entails significant risk management responsibilities, including operationalizing risk frameworks, defining continuous monitoring controls for various risks (smart contract, concentration, credit), and proactively mitigating systemic risks through hedging and diversification. The individual will also ensure accurate tracking and reconciliation of complex DeFi activities by acting as a liaison between Digital Capital Markets and Finance/Accounting teams.

The base salary for this position ranges from $160,000 to $240,000, with final compensation depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

Skills that matter here

• blockchain: This role requires hands-on experience and advanced knowledge of blockchain technology, especially within the DeFi space, to evaluate protocols and manage digital assets.
• DeFi: Proficiency in DeFi protocols, including AMMs, lending platforms, and CDPs, is essential for architecting capital deployment and managing associated risks.
• financial modeling: Expert-level quantitative skills are needed to build and interpret complex financial models for high-volatility digital assets and understand yield dynamics.
• risk management: The role involves developing and implementing risk appetite frameworks, monitoring controls, and designing mitigation strategies for various digital asset risks.
• capital markets: Extensive professional experience in capital markets is necessary for structuring and executing cryptocurrency sales, treasury management, and institutional negotiations.

Who this role suits

• A person with a strong background in traditional finance who has successfully transitioned into the blockchain and DeFi space.
• Someone who thrives on strategic planning and can translate complex technical details into clear business strategies for executive stakeholders.
• An individual who is meticulous about risk management and operational rigor, ensuring compliance and accurate financial tracking in a decentralized environment.
• A candidate with intellectual curiosity and a proactive approach to staying informed about rapidly evolving industry trends in decentralized finance.

From the employer

In this role, you will:

• Architect Capital Deployment Strategy: Manage the strategic roadmap for capital deployment to drive ecosystem utility, focusing on the evaluation and integration of high-quality protocols and liquidity solutions that enhance network health and asset accessibility.
• Partnership Negotiation: Drive end-to-end commercial negotiations with institutional co-parties, liquidity providers, market makers, and DeFi protocols.
• Ecosystem Stewardship: Serve as the functional point of contact within the DeFi landscape, cultivating high-level relationships to support the growth, security, and maturity of the ecosystem.
• Strategic Execution: Facilitate the execution of cryptocurrency sales and treasury management programs, ensuring they align with broader corporate objectives and market conditions.
• Program Economics: Develop and maintain internal options and volatility programs; define the quantitative parameters for execution to optimize program economics.
• Performance Oversight: Monitor the efficacy of sales and liquidity programs against benchmarks, adjusting execution playbooks to reflect real-time market shifts.
• Due Diligence Leadership: Conduct deep research into emerging DeFi protocols and assets prior to deployment. Evaluate tokenomics, governance models, technical viability, and strategic fit.
• Economic Modeling: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the yield dynamics or net carry costs of a strategy, alongside the associated risks. Translate these complex technical outputs into clear, actionable assessments for leadership.
• Engineering Liaison: Partner with Deployment Agencies to conduct security diligence on smart contracts, ensuring proposed integrations meet internal and external security standards.
• Framework Development: Operationalize the company’s risk appetite frameworks. Define and help implement continuous monitoring controls for smart contract risk, concentration risk, collateralization, and credit risk.
• Proactive Mitigation: Identify emerging systemic risks within the portfolio; design and implement hedging or diversification strategies to protect assets.
• Governance & Controls: Ensure that risk limits are not only monitored but actively enforced through automated alerting and reporting.
• Liquidity Strategy: Monitor market depth, volatility, and liquidity dynamics across key currency pairs. Propose and execute strategies to optimize liquidity.
• Volatility Management: Analyze and manage positions related to volatility. Leverage data-driven insights to propose adjustments to lending and borrowing strategies.
• Operational Excellence: Continuously improve the operations of our digital asset positions, including the architecture of wallet configurations, position documentation, and fund flow routing.
• Accounting Collaboration: Act as the primary bridge between Digital Capital Markets and Finance/Accounting. Ensure all complex DeFi activity (lending, AMMs, CDPs) is accurately tracked, audited, and reconciled.
• Executive Reporting: Generate high-level performance and risk reports for leadership, translating complex blockchain data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Documentation: Oversee the internal documentation for risk management practices, ensuring audit-ready logs for all trading activities and counterparty engagements.

You have:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Experience: 6–10+ years of professional experience in finance, investment banking, or capital markets; 3+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience within the blockchain/DeFi space.
• Technical Proficiency: Advanced knowledge of on-chain data, DeFi protocols (AMM/Lending/CDPs), and market-making dynamics. Proficiency in using blockchain explorers, on-chain analytics tools (e.g., Dune), and trading platforms.
• Strategic Leadership: Proven track record of presenting complex investment and risk strategies to executive-level stakeholders.
• Operational Rigor: Strong experience navigating the intersection of traditional accounting requirements and decentralized finance workflows.
• Analytical Depth: Expert-level quantitative skills. Ability to build, maintain, and interpret complex financial models in the context of high-volatility digital assets.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Passion for decentralized finance and a proactive approach to staying updated with industry trends.

We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $160,000-$240,000, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits:

• Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents.
• Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break.
• Generous paid parental leave for all parents, plus paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents.
• Gym reimbursement ($80 per month).
• Life & ADD (up to $50K).
• Short & Long term disability.
• 401K with 4% match.
• Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts.
• Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution.
• Family building benefits through Kindbody.
• Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace).
• L&D budget of $1,500/year.
• Daily lunch and snacks in the office.
• Company retreats.