Head of Data Strategy New Abu Dhabi, UAE

Bybit Limited; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 420,000 - 750,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Study Growth Fund

Internal Events

Global Collaboration

Career Advancement

Internal Mobility

Job summary

Bybit Limited is seeking a seasoned data strategist to lead the Data Strategy Group (DSG). You will source, negotiate, and integrate external data streams powering Index Pricing calculations, while owning vendor relationships and end-to-end data lifecycle.

The role requires a track record in trading or financial data businesses, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to lead a small high-performing team within a fast-moving crypto exchange environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in data strategy, data sourcing, or data partnerships within trading, exchanges, or financial services
• Demonstrated ability to identify and acquire unique or alternative data sources with competitive advantage
• Proven track record negotiating commercial data agreements—pricing, licensing terms, redistribution rights, SLAs
• Deep understanding of market data ecosystems (exchanges, vendors, alternative data providers)
• Strong knowledge of index pricing or benchmark methodologies and their data inputs
• Technical literacy—comfortable discussing APIs, data pipelines, connectivity architecture, and data quality frameworks
• Experience building or managing small, high-performing teams
• Excellent stakeholder management across commercial, technical, and senior leadership functions

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the data sourcing strategy aligned with DSG's Index Pricing roadmap
• Identify and evaluate candidate data streams from market data vendors, exchanges, and alternative providers
• Build scoring framework assessing coverage, latency, reliability, cost, and licensing terms
• Lead negotiations for data contracts, licensing, and redistribution rights
• Oversee data ingestion pipelines (APIs, feeds, FTP, WebSocket, FIX)
• Coordinate with vendors on connectivity requirements and security considerations
• Ensure data quality with validation, reconciliation, and monitoring
• Manage renewals, amendments, and terminations; benchmark pricing
• Foster long-term strategic relationships with data partners
• Hire and mentor DSG team members and set delivery cadence
• Collaborate with Legal/Compliance and Finance on licensing and budget
• Maintain documentation and runbooks for operations

Skills

Data strategy

Data sourcing

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

APIs & data pipelines

Python

SQL

Streaming platforms

Education

Bachelor's in a related field

Tools

Python

SQL

Streaming platforms

Job description

Established in 2018, Bybit is one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges and digital financial platforms, serving over 80 million users across more than 200 countries and regions. Powered by world-class technology and a user-first mindset, Bybit delivers a seamless ecosystem across trading, payments, wealth management, custody, institutional services, and Web3 — connecting users to the future of digital finance.

Our core values define how we build. We listen, care and improve to create products and experiences that put users first. Backed by a global team of ambitious builders, problem-solvers, and innovators, we foster a high-performance and fast-moving environment where talent is empowered to drive real impact at the global scale. Supported by 24/7 multilingual customer service and a strong commitment to innovation, we are shaping the future of finance through technology, collaboration, and bold execution.

Today, Bybit is recognized as one of the most trusted and transparent platforms in the digital asset industry, continuing to expand its global presence while building the infrastructure for the next generation of financial services.

Role Summary

We are looking for a seasoned data strategist to lead and build the Data Strategy Group (DSG) within DSG — a 3-person team responsible for sourcing, negotiating, integrating, and maintaining external data streams that power Index Pricing Calculations. This is a hands-on leadership role combining commercial data partnership expertise with technical understanding, owning the full data lifecycle from source identification through ongoing operations and compliance.

The ideal candidate has a background in data sourcing strategy within a trading firm, exchange, or financial data business — someone who understands how to identify unique and valuable data streams, negotiate commercial terms, and operationalize them at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Define and execute the data sourcing strategy aligned with DSG's Index Pricing roadmap

Identify and evaluate candidate data streams — market data vendors, exchanges, alternative data providers, OTC desks, and novel/non-traditional sources

Build and maintain a scoring framework assessing coverage, latency, reliability, cost, uniqueness, and licensing terms

Conduct proof-of-concept evaluations with shortlisted vendors

Maintain a continuous pipeline of potential future data sources to stay ahead of market developments

Lead end-to-end pricing and contract negotiations with data vendors and partners

Structure licensing agreements covering redistribution rights, usage scope, derived data permissions, and audit clauses

Negotiate SLAs for uptime, latency, data correction policies, and support

Manage renewals, amendments, and terminations; benchmark pricing against market rates

Build and maintain long-term strategic relationships with key data partners

Own the full commercial relationship with all data vendors post-signature

Technical Connectivity & Integration

Oversee the design and implementation of data ingestion pipelines (APIs, feeds, FTP, WebSocket, FIX, streaming protocols)

Coordinate with vendors on connectivity requirements (VPNs, cross-connects, credentialing)

Ensure normalization and validation layers meet Index Pricing quality standards

Work closely with the Big Data Team to ensure data is archived per retention policies and available for downstream analytics

Maintain integration documentation and operational runbooks

Data Monitoring & Quality Assurance

Establish and oversee automated monitoring for data reliability (staleness, gaps, anomalies)

Ensure regular soundness checks (statistical validation, cross-source reconciliation)

Define alerting thresholds and escalation procedures

Produce periodic health reports for stakeholders; track vendor SLA adherence

License & Compliance Management

Maintain a complete registry of data license agreements, terms, and obligations

Ensure all reporting requirements are met (usage reports, redistribution disclosures, audit responses)

Guarantee internal usage remains within contractual scope

Manage vendor audits and information requests

Flag renewals and renegotiation windows with minimum 90 days advance notice

Hire, mentor, and develop the two other DSG team members

Set team priorities and delivery cadence

Foster a documentation-first, cross-trained culture to mitigate single-point-of-failure risk

Cross-Functional Collaboration

This role works closely with:

Financial Logic — Pricing methodology alignment, calculation logic inputs, model validation

Product Innovation — New product requirements driving data needs, feature collaboration

Risk — Risk model data inputs, quality requirements for risk calculations, stress testing data

Big Data Team — Data archival, storage infrastructure, historical backfills

Legal / Compliance — Contract review, regulatory guidance, license interpretation

Finance — Budget management, cost tracking, vendor payments

Technology / Infra — Network connectivity, security review, environment provisioning

Requirements

Must Have

8+ years in data strategy, data sourcing, or data partnerships within trading, exchanges, or financial services

Demonstrated experience identifying and acquiring unique or alternative data sources that provide competitive advantage

Proven track record negotiating commercial data agreements — pricing, licensing terms, redistribution rights, SLAs

Deep understanding of market data ecosystems (exchanges, vendors, alternative data providers, aggregators)

Strong understanding of index pricing or benchmark methodologies and the data inputs that drive them

Technical literacy — comfortable discussing APIs, data pipelines, connectivity architecture, and data quality frameworks

Experience building or managing small, high-performing teams

Excellent stakeholder management across commercial, technical, and senior leadership functions

Nice to Have

Experience at a proprietary trading firm, quantitative fund, or exchange in a data sourcing/strategy capacity

Direct experience with cryptocurrency or derivatives market data (order books, trade feeds, reference data, on-chain data)

Background in alternative data identification, evaluation, and commercialization

Hands-on experience with data engineering tools (Python, SQL, streaming platforms)

Familiarity with data licensing models specific to financial markets (exchange fees, redistribution tiers, non-display usage, derived data policies)

Network of relationships across the market data vendor landscape

Why Join Us

At Bybit, we are committed to fostering a supportive and enriching work environment. Our benefits include:

• - Study Growth Fund: We support your professional development and continuous learning.
• - Internal Events: Participate in regular team‑building activities, workshops, and events designed to promote collaboration and innovation.
• - Global Collaboration: Be part of a diverse, international team, working alongside colleagues from around the world.
• - Career Advancement: Access opportunities for growth and advancement within a rapidly expanding global company.
• - Internal Mobility: Grow with us- Your long-term development is important to us. We offer internal job opportunities to help build your career path.