Head of Market Data Development and Engineering

We are seeking an experienced Head of Market Data Development and Engineering to lead the development, delivery, acquisition, governance, and optimization of market data for both digital and traditional assets across the firm. This role sits at the intersection of trading and technology ensuring high-quality, cost-effective, performant, and compliant data services that power trading, research, and risk systems. You'll work closely with trading teams, stakeholders, and external partners to deliver critical initiatives that drive our business forward.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a unified market data strategy across centralized crypto exchanges (CEX), decentralized venues (DEX), and traditional markets; Design scalable, low-latency data architecture supporting tick-level, order book, and on-chain data; Evaluate build vs. buy decisions for internal data platforms vs. external providers; Lead a small team of developers and be hands on in Java; Design and build a Java based Market Data API to front all data sources including custom feedhandlers, vendor platforms, Kdb+, and DataBricks; Manage the Market data messaging bus used by all internal applications in the firm; Build relationships with crypto exchanges, data aggregators, and node providers; Assist vendor management with commercial negotiations, licensing, and exchange agreements; Ensure high-quality, normalized datasets across fragmented crypto venues; Oversee ingestion of real-time order book data, trades, reference data, funding rates, and on-chain metrics; Establish monitoring and alerting frameworks for data integrity and completeness; Manage and optimize the global market data budget across crypto and traditional vendors; Identify cost-saving opportunities through vendor consolidation, direct exchange connectivity, and internal data solutions; Implement usage tracking and chargeback models where appropriate; Partner with infrastructure teams to build data pipes and support hybrid environments (on-prem + cloud); Enable data access for research, backtesting, and production trading systems; Ensure compliance with exchange licensing, redistribution rules, and evolving crypto regulatory frameworks; Implement entitlement controls, audit trails, and governance policies; Work closely with trading, quant research, risk, and portfolio management teams; Support onboarding of new exchanges, instruments (perpetuals, options), and strategies; Act as the firm's subject matter expert on crypto and cross-asset market data; Build and lead a high-performing development team; Establish best practices for market data onboarding, validation, and lifecycle management; Foster a culture of innovation, automation, and operational excellence; Embrace and champion the thoughtful adoption of AI to improve team performance and business outcomes

Requirements

10+ years of experience in custom development of real time market data platforms within a trading firm, hedge fund, or financial institution; Knowledge of key market data vendors, exchanges, and licensing models; Strong understanding of trading workflows, asset classes (equities, futures, options, FX, fixed income), and data types (real-time, reference, historical); Experience with low-latency data systems, market data feeds, APIs, and streaming technologies; Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail; Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and business stakeholders

Nice to have

Familiarity with on-chain data, blockchain nodes, and crypto data providers

Benefits

Competitive base salary and discretionary bonus; Company-paid health and protective benefits for employees and their eligible dependents; Free virtual coaching and counseling sessions; Opportunities to learn about the Crypto industry; Employee Resource Groups; Free coaching and counseling sessions through Headspace