Head of Capital Markets, SHx
At a glance
Director-level Investment & Corporate Development role at Stronghold. San Francisco, California · full-time · $200,000–$500,000 base.
financeroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build and maintain global ties with market makers, brokers, exchanges, liquidators, and institutional participants
- Develop relationships with OTC desks, quantitative market makers, custodians, and prime brokers
- Shape plans for infrastructure that can attract participants and grow SHx market liquidity
- Take an exchange listing or market-making partnership from initial discussion through launch
- Bring token utility proposals to product teams and help move selected ideas into the market
What you bring
- At least ten years in markets, with a background in FX or commodities
- Five or more years managing people and five or more years in business development or strategic partnerships
- Strong knowledge of market structure and liquidity, plus familiarity with crypto liquidity networks
- You can negotiate partnerships and deals, communicate clearly, and work across internal teams
Who this fits
This senior leadership role suits a strategic, hands-on markets operator with relationships that can open doors. You’ll initially own external market-maker relationships, with broader portfolio responsibility earned through results. The role is based in San Francisco, with office days Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. US work authorization is required, and visa sponsorship is unavailable.
From the employer
Stronghold's mission is to provide fast, secure, and accessible financial services for all. Through our developer APIs, we enable pay-by-bank embedded payments and financial services while pushing the boundaries of financial innovation. Our SHx token is a key component of our ecosystem, supporting merchant rewards, DeFi-based financing, and governance.
We're a fast-moving, data-driven team committed to compliance, scalability, and innovation. We value curiosity, autonomy, and creative problem solving and we're looking for someone excited to bring a marketing edge.
The role
You'll build toward owning the SHx Markets vertical: expanding SHx market infrastructure and liquidity to strengthen the utility and health of the SHx ecosystem. That means managing and growing relationships across crypto-native and traditional institutional participants (market makers, brokers, exchanges, OTC desks, custodians, and prime brokers) and working closely with the SHx Markets team on strategy and execution. You'll bring a deep understanding of market structure, clearing, settlement, prime brokerage, and custody, and apply it to a market that's still being built.
How ownership works here: you take on our external market maker relationships from the start. The rest of the markets portfolio (exchange relationships, institutional partnerships) transfers to you as you deliver, not by title on day one. We're explicit about this because it's how we work: results earn scope.
This is an entrepreneurial seat on a distributed team, not a chair at an established desk. We're looking for someone who is both strategic and execution-oriented, with the network and reputation to open doors and the judgement to know which ones matter.
What you'll do
Manage relationships with market makers, brokers, exchanges, liquidators, and institutional market participants globally.
Own key traditional-market relationships: OTC trading desks, quantitative market makers, custodians, and prime brokers.
Guide company strategy for enterprise-grade infrastructure and solutions that attract and broaden the SHx markets ecosystem.
Explore new ways to partner with existing market participants to accelerate SHx liquidity growth.
Help develop crypto and traditional market infrastructure for SHx (listings, market-making programs, settlement).
Bring product ideas that expand the utility of the SHx token, and work with product to take the best ones to market.
Partner with product, engineering, business development, and leadership to construct the market buildout strategy.
Collaborate with compliance, legal, and finance to ensure efficient and compliant execution.
What you'll own
In the first 6 to 12 months, you are the person who:
Owns our external market maker relationships.
Has earned a growing share of the wider portfolio (exchange listings, OTC desks, custodians, prime brokers) on results.
Has taken at least one exchange listing or market making partnership from first conversation to live.
The technical side of the market (data, reconciliation, on-chain infrastructure) stays with our technical team. You own the business of the market.
What we're looking for
10+ years of markets experience, with a focus on FX or commodities.
5+ years of management experience.
5+ years of business development and/or strategic partnership building.
An experienced negotiator who is energized by partnerships and deal-making.
Deep understanding of market structure and the liquidity landscape; familiarity with the crypto liquidity ecosystem.
Both strategic and execution-oriented; works cross-functionally with internal stakeholders.
Outstanding verbal and written communication; serious attention to detail.
Conviction about where market infrastructure is headed, and why SHx belongs there.
How we hire
Four conversations: our recruiter, then each founder one on one (our CTO on market structure and liquidity, our CEO on strategy and how you'd build the vertical), then a final round with both.
Location and logistics
San Francisco (hybrid; in office Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday). US work authorization required; no visa sponsorship. Reports to the CEO. Full-time, senior leadership.
Perks & benefits
Health benefits, a seat shaping crypto market infrastructure from the ground up, and a team that values speed, curiosity, and autonomy.
As an equal opportunity employer, Stronghold does not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Authorized to work in the United States (required)
No visa sponsorship available at this time