Head of Licensing and Regulatory Authorisations

Tether.io; Abu Dhabi; Remote; AED 845,000 - 1,322,000; Full time

Job summary

Tether is seeking a Head of Licensing and Regulatory Authorisations to lead our global authorisations strategy across key jurisdictions. You will guide regional teams, secure regulatory approvals, and align with global policies while enabling market expansion.

The role requires 10+ years in regulatory licensing, deep knowledge of fintech and crypto regulatory landscapes, and strong stakeholder management across regions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in regulatory licensing or related fields in financial services.
• Experience with crypto and digital assets regulatory frameworks.
• Proven leadership and cross-regional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a unified global licensing strategy.
• Coordinate licensing activities across regions and ensure regulatory alignment.
• Lead regional teams and engage with regulators and supervisors.
• Ensure governance, compliance, and readiness for authorisation obligations.
• Advise executive leadership on regulatory risk and market entry.

Skills

Regulatory licensing

Regulatory affairs

Compliance

Stakeholder management

Cross-regional coordination

Project management

Job description

Join Tether and Shape the Future of Digital Finance

At Tether, we’re not just building products, we’re pioneering a global financial revolution. Our cutting-edge solutions empower businesses—from exchanges and wallets to payment processors and ATMs—to seamlessly integrate reserve-backed tokens across blockchains. By harnessing the power of blockchain technology, Tether enables you to store, send, and receive digital tokens instantly, securely, and globally, all at a fraction of the cost. Transparency is the bedrock of everything we do, ensuring trust in every transaction.

Innovate with Tether

Tether Finance: Our innovative product suite features the world’s most trusted stablecoin, USDT, relied upon by hundreds of millions worldwide, alongside pioneering digital asset tokenization services.

But that’s just the beginning:

Tether Power: Driving sustainable growth, our energy solutions optimize excess power for Bitcoin mining using eco-friendly practices in state-of-the-art, geo-diverse facilities.

Tether Data: Fueling breakthroughs in AI and peer-to-peer technology, we reduce infrastructure costs and enhance global communications with cutting-edge solutions like KEET, our flagship app that redefines secure and private data sharing.

Tether Education: Democratizing access to top-tier digital learning, we empower individuals to thrive in the digital and gig economies, driving global growth and opportunity.

Tether Evolution: At the intersection of technology and human potential, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible, crafting a future where innovation and human capabilities merge in powerful, unprecedented ways.

Why Join Us?

Our team is a global talent powerhouse, working remotely from every corner of the world. If you’re passionate about making a mark in the fintech space, this is your opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds, pushing boundaries and setting new standards. We’ve grown fast, stayed lean, and secured our place as a leader in the industry.

If you have excellent English communication skills and are ready to contribute to the most innovative platform on the planet, Tether is the place for you.

Are you ready to be part of the future?

About The Job

Tether and its affiliated entities (e.g. Bitfinex) are searching for an organized self-starter to join our Regulatory and Licensing team as Head of Licensing and Regulatory Authorisations. The successful candidate is someone with an understanding of the regulatory environment pertaining to the digital-asset industry / stablecoin industry, and who is excited by the opportunity to apply their existing legal and / or regulatory experience in an exciting and dynamic business environment.

The Head of Licensing and Regulatory Authorisations will lead the development and execution of our global authorisations strategy across key jurisdictions, working through a geographically distributed team of regional regulatory affairs and licensing teams. This role is responsible for securing and maintaining regulatory approvals required for the company’s operations, ensuring alignment with shifting regulatory landscapes, and enabling sustainable market expansion.

As a senior leader within the Regulatory Affairs & Licensing function, you will collaborate closely with regional licensing personnel, legal, compliance, product, and executive leadership to drive licensing initiatives end-to-end—from early regulatory assessments and submissions through to supervisory engagement and operational readiness. The ideal candidate brings deep multi-jurisdictional licensing expertise, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and the ability to coordinate across regions in a cohesive, consistent manner.

You will report to the Vice President of the Regulatory Affairs and Licensing division, and work alongside project managers and members of the wider business to execute on regulatory and licensing initiatives.

Responsibilities

Licensing Strategy & Execution

• Design and implement a unified global licensing strategy, ensuring consistency across regional approaches.
• Work closely with regional licensing personnel to assess regulatory pathways, evaluate market feasibility, and prioritise jurisdictions.
• Oversee and guide the preparation, submission, and management of licensing applications and / or other regulatory authorisation processes, in collaboration with regional teams.
• Ensure alignment between regional licensing efforts and global business priorities.

Regional Coordination & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the central point of coordination for licensing and regulatory authorisation activity across all regions, ensuring standards, documentation, and approaches remain cohesive.
• Provide direct support, guidance, and escalation oversight to regional licensing personnel.
• Align regulatory authorisation efforts with regulatory affairs leads to coordinate regulatory engagement strategies across regions.

Regulatory Engagement

• Act as a senior representative in regulatory engagements where global coordination or executive-level involvement is required.
• Support regional teams in interactions with local regulators, offering strategic guidance and ensuring consistent messaging.

Operational Readiness & Governance

• Coordinate with regional teams to ensure their understanding around local regulatory requirements such that they are prepared to meet jurisdictional authorisation obligations, where needed and / or desired, including governance, capital, operational, and reporting requirements.
• Maintain global oversight of regulatory authorisation conditions, ensuring local compliance is consistent with global policies and standards.
• Lead responses to cross-regional regulatory queries or supervisory reviews related to authorisation activities.

Market Expansion & Risk Analysis

• Work with regional personnel to conduct regulatory feasibility assessments for new markets and product expansions.
• Provide strategic recommendations to executive leadership on prioritisation of authorisation efforts and regulatory risk.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor the global regulatory and licensing team, including regional leads and supporting personnel.
• Build capability, consistency, and knowledge-sharing across regions to strengthen the company’s global licensing and authorisations function.
• Promote a culture of regulatory excellence, transparency, and disciplined execution.

Experience & Expertise

• 10+ years of experience in regulatory licensing and authorisations, regulatory affairs, compliance, or related fields (financial services, payments, fintech, crypto, or technology).
• Proven experience managing complex regulatory authorisation processes across multiple regions or markets.
• Strong understanding of diverse regulatory frameworks and supervisory expectations globally.
• Experience working within or leading a regional or matrixed team structure is highly preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional cross-regional coordination and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong project management capabilities and ability to manage complex, multi-jurisdictional workstreams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to synthesise regional inputs into a coherent global strategy.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• Ability to build trust and credibility with regulators and internal leadership.