DeFi Operations Analyst
The DeFi Operations Analyst will sit at the intersection of traditional alternative asset-management operations and on-chain execution. This role is responsible for ensuring that all operational processes supporting DeFi strategies are robust, controlled, and scalable, while also being hands-on with wallet management, trade execution, and protocol interactions. This role is central to enabling a fund manager to safely and credibly deploy capital into DeFi
The focus is on operational integrity, controls, reconciliations, NAV support, and governance, alongside hands-on responsibility for wallets, protocol interactions, and on-chain transaction execution required to operate DeFi strategies within a fund structure.
The ideal candidate understands how institutional operations should function and is equally comfortable executing and monitoring transactions across wallets, DeFi protocols, and exchanges.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities
1. DeFi & On-Chain Fund Operations
- Execute and oversee on-chain transactions on behalf of fund vehicles, including:
- Deposits and withdrawals to DeFi protocols.
- Rebalancing, reallocations, and exits.
- Protocol-specific operational actions.
- Manage fund wallet infrastructure, including:
- Fund-level wallet architecture (hot / warm / cold as applicable).
- Multisig governance (e.g. Gnosis Safe).
- Signer management, permissions, and approval workflows.
- Maintain clear operational documentation and runbooks for all DeFi-related fund activities.
- Monitor transaction execution, confirmations, failures, and gas management.
2. Fund Trade Support & Reconciliations
- Support execution flows related to fund investments rather than active trading strategies.
- Reconcile:
- On-chain positions vs internal books and records.
- Wallet balances vs custodians, administrators, and internal systems.
- Protocol-reported balances vs independently verified on-chain data.
- Investigate and resolve reconciliation breaks promptly and methodically.
- Support asset movements between fund wallets, custodians, administrators, and counterparties.
3. Operational Risk, Controls & Governance
- Maintain strong operational controls around:
- Private key management.
- Transaction approval and segregation of duties.
- Change management for wallet signers and protocol usage.
- Monitor operational risks arising from:
- Protocol upgrades or migrations.
- Smart-contract incidents or pauses.
- Liquidity or redemption constraints.
- Escalate operational and control issues appropriately to senior operations, risk, or investment stakeholders.
- Support internal risk, compliance, and audit processes with accurate documentation and evidence.
4. Process Improvement & Institutionalisation
- Help evolve DeFi operations toward institutional fund-management standards.
- Identify opportunities to improve:
- Operational efficiency.
- Control frameworks.
- Monitoring and reporting.
- Work with internal technology, data, or external providers to improve tooling, dashboards, and automation.
- Assist in operational readiness reviews for new funds, strategies, protocols, or structures prior to launch.
Required Experience & Skills
Essential
- Fund, middle office, or investment operations experience in asset management, hedge funds, or private credit/alternatives.
- Hands-on experience executing and managing DeFi on‑chain transactions.
- Solid grasp of fund ops, reconciliations/controls, wallets, key management, and DeFi protocols.
- Very strong attention to detail and documentation.
- Comfortable working in a tightly controlled, audit‑focused environment
Desirable
- Experience with fund admins, custodians, multisig wallets, and governance tools.
- Comfortable using on‑chain analytics/blockchain explorers and understanding common fund structures.
- Some exposure to valuation/NAV processes and basic data skills (e.g. SQL/Python) for reporting and checks.
Benefits
- Competitive bonus scheme.
- Bupa health & dental, Cycle to Work scheme, enhanced pension, and generous annual leave.
- Enhanced parental leave, special leave allowances, and charity giving options.
- Regular team events, legendary summer & Christmas parties, knowledge sharing sessions, and quarterly town halls.
- Team lunches, dinners, Friday drinks, team sport activities.