Head of Canton Strategy

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets.

We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters–it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus.

DRW is looking for a Head of Canton Strategy which can be based in Chicago or New York.  You will own the 0→1 journey for new capital‑markets businesses on crypto/DeFi rails. As a product leader within our new on-chain capital markets ventures, you’ll take a concept from thesis to pilot and early traction - building the business plan, compliance posture, MVP scope, GTM, and KPIs.

What you’ll do:

• Author the business plan & scale roadmap: Market sizing, customer/ICP, unit economics, pricing, milestones, and resource plan for each venture.
• Define GTM: Segmentation, value prop, channels/partnerships, launch criteria, pilot structure, and success metrics.
• Source & evaluate opportunities: Partner with BD, Engineering, Product, and Strategy to identify ideas, run structured discovery, and prioritize a stage‑gated portfolio of bets.
• Design operating workflows: Map business, customer‑engagement, and operational workflows; identify stakeholders and dependencies; convert into MVP → v1 scope and delivery plan.
• Navigate regulation with counsel: Work with Legal & Compliance to determine applicable regimes (e.g., custody, broker‑dealer/ATS, derivatives/commodities, KYC/AML/sanctions/travel rule) and draft a compliance roadmap.
• Translate strategy into execution: Write crisp product briefs/BRDs/PRDs, epics, and acceptance criteria; coordinate with product managers on builds and integrations; stand up pilots with early customers.
• Communicate & influence: Provide clear executive updates; align stakeholders and secure resources; pitch to the product’s first customers/partners.
• Own outcomes: Manage risks and trade‑offs, decide continue/pivot/kill at each gate, and be accountable for results until hand‑off.

What you’ll bring:

• 8+ years in product/strategy/BD/ops roles spanning digital assets and traditional capital‑markets exposure
• 0→1 builder: Demonstrated ability to launch or materially scale new products/business lines; comfortable with ambiguity and rapid iteration.
• On‑chain fluency: Working knowledge of L1/L2 ecosystems, smart‑contract basics, tokenization/RWAs, wallets/custody, DEXs/AMMs, and on‑chain data/oracles; ability to reason about security/risk trade‑offs.
• Regulatory literacy: Practical understanding of how KYC/AML/sanctions, custody, disclosures/reporting, and market‑conduct expectations shape product and operating models; effectiveness partnering with counsel and auditors.
• Structured thinking & speed: Can rapidly consume information, model complex businesses, and write clearly (exec memos, specs, financial models).
• Cross‑functional leadership: Credibility with Product, Engineering, BD/Partnerships, Ops, and Legal/Compliance; operates with high ownership and low process.
• Communication: Executive‑ready writing and narrative storytelling; strong external presence with customers and partners.

Capital‑markets familiarity we value:

You don’t need to be a career trader or banker, but you should be able to “speak the language” and map TradFi concepts to on‑chain designs. We’re looking for familiarity with:

• Market structure: Order‑book vs. quote‑driven markets, AMMs vs. matching engines, liquidity/market‑making, and best‑execution concepts.
• Trade lifecycle: Order → execution → clearing → settlement (T+1/T+0), corporate actions, and post‑trade reconciliations.
• Participants & infra: Exchanges/ATS, broker‑dealers, custodians, prime brokers, CCP/clearing, administrators, data vendors.
• Instruments & financing: Basics across equities, fixed income, FX, and derivatives (options/futures/swaps), plus collateral/margin, securities lending/repo.
• Risk & reporting: Market/operational risks, market‑abuse concepts, and the role of regulatory reporting in major jurisdictions.

(If your strengths skew deeper to crypto with lighter TradFi, that’s fine—show us you can learn fast and already grasp the concepts above.)

How we’ll measure success:

• Learning velocity & capital efficiency: Time‑to‑decision at each stage gate and cost‑to‑learn per thesis.
• Evidence of traction: Pilots that hit predefined adoption/compliance milestones and translate into repeatable playbooks.
• Scale‑readiness: Complete package per venture—business plan, operating model, MVP/v1 scope, GTM, and compliance roadmap—ready for hand‑off.

The annual base salary range for this position is $250,000 to $300,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, 401k (with discretionary employer match), short and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts.

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