Senior Portfolio Manager - ADGM/VARA

Confidential Jobs; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Jobs is building an institutional digital asset platform in the UAE. We seek an experienced Portfolio Manager to lead discretionary portfolio management and fund operations with regulatory responsibility in two jurisdictions.

The role involves shaping investment strategy, regulatory reporting, trade execution, and NAV/daily reconciliation, with direct accountability to the Investment Committee and boards.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in portfolio management, trading, or fund operations with supervisory experience.
• Experience in discretionary portfolio management or proprietary trading at banks, asset managers, or hedge funds.
• Experience in DeFi yield, quantitative trading, or crypto fund-of-funds.

Responsibilities

• Execute the investment strategy across fund-of-funds, DeFi yield, and real-world asset strategies.
• Allocate to underlying managers and manage onboarding, capital deployment, rebalancing, and withdrawals.
• Deploy capital into whitelisted DeFi protocols and manage position sizing and risk controls.

Skills

Portfolio management

Regulatory reporting

Risk management

Fund operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance

Bachelor's degree in economics

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Bachelor's degree in engineering

CFA/CAIA/FRM (advantage)

Tools

NAV calculation

DeFi protocols

Job description

A leading, global Web3 and digital asset institution is building an institutional digital asset platform in the UAE, operating through two regulated entities: an ADGM FSRA-licensed fund manager (Category 3C) in Abu Dhabi, and a VARA-licensed entity in Dubai.

We are hiring an experienced Portfolio Manager to play a key role in shaping this business. This is a hands-on role that combines discretionary portfolio management and digital asset fund operations with personal regulatory responsibility in two jurisdictions. The successful candidate will be a key operational decision-maker for the platform's funds with direct responsibility for regulatory reportings, trade execution, and fund operations.

Responsibilities

• Execute the investment strategy approved by the Investment Committee across quantitative fund-of-funds, DeFi yield, and real-world asset strategies.
• Allocate to underlying quantitative managers and manage onboarding, capital deployment, rebalancing, and withdrawals.
• Deploy capital into whitelisted DeFi protocols and manage position sizing and risk controls.

Fund Operations

• Oversee all capital movements: fiat and stablecoin on- and off-ramps, transfers to DeFi wallets and exchange accounts, and redemption payouts.
• Operate the institutional virtual asset custodian, including transaction execution, policy engine whitelists, and wallet architecture.
• Approve outgoing wire and stablecoin transfer instructions for redemptions, in coordination with the fund administrator.
• Work with the fund administrator on subscriptions and redemptions, position data for NAV, and daily on-chain / off-chain reconciliation.

Regulatory & Governance

• Serve as a director of both the ADGM and VARA entities.
• Act as a VARA Responsible Individual, accountable for the day-to‑day conduct of the licensed activity and available to the regulator.
• Work alongside the Compliance Officer, MLRO, Risk Officer, and Finance Officer on the control framework, and support internal and external audit functions.
• Monitor fund-level risk limits: protocol diversification, exposure caps by venue, leverage constraints, and drawdown triggers.
• Maintain operational risk awareness across DeFi protocols (smart contract, oracle, and governance risk) and exchange counterparties.
• Report to the Investment Committee and both boards on performance, risk metrics, and operational matters.
• Support the annual audit with investment records, trade logs, and rebalancing documentation.

Requirements

Regulatory Eligibility

• Able to satisfy the Fit and Proper standards of both regimes, including relevant academic or professional qualifications, adequate virtual asset and management experience, honesty, reputation, integrity, and a sound understanding of the applicable regulatory framework.
• Eligible for FSRA approval as a Director, Partner, or Senior Manager performing the Portfolio Manager function, and for VARA approval as a Responsible Individual.
• Prior experience as a regulated approved person or licensed individual is a strong advantage.

Experience

Minimum 5 years in portfolio management, trading, or fund operations, including managerial or supervisory experience relevant to the Portfolio Manager function.

Depth in one or more of: discretionary portfolio management or proprietary trading at a bank, asset manager, or hedge fund; digital asset fund management (DeFi yield, quantitative trading, or crypto fund-of-funds); institutional fund operations with direct involvement in trade execution, reconciliation, or custodian interaction.

Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of crypto quant strategies: delta-neutral, basis, carry, and perpetual futures.
• Understanding of DeFi protocols and mechanics: lending, staking, liquidity provisioning, and yield strategies.
• Familiarity with engaging in Ethereum smart contracts, ERC-20 standards, and the ability to read and verify transactions on block explorers.
• Experience with fund operations including institutional digital asset custody, NAV calculation, and fund administration workflows.

Qualifications & Attributes

• Experience in ADGM and/or VARA-licensed entities.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, computer science, engineering, or a related field. CFA, CAIA, or FRM is an advantage.
• Proactive risk identification and escalation.
• Clear, concise communication with boards, regulators, and service providers.
• Comfort operating in a build‑stage environment where processes are still being established.