Blockchain Technology – President and CEO – Toronto

Stonewood Group Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading firm in the blockchain and fintech space is seeking a President and Chief Executive Officer to drive growth in an evolving market. The ideal candidate will possess a strong strategic mindset, leadership skills, and the ability to manage a passionate team. This role entails refining strategic plans, leading business expansion, and enhancing performance management. The successful candidate will be pivotal in shaping the company's future and realizing its potential.

Benefits

Highly competitive base salary and equity compensation

Qualifications

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in enterprise SaaS software and FinTech.
• Willingness to relocate to Toronto.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy and execution for company growth.
• Drive revenue build strategy with rapid growth as the goal.
• Maintain senior-level relationships with customers and partners.

Skills

Strategic Approach

People Management

Results Orientation

Customer/Client Orientation

Commercial Acumen

Industry & Market Awareness

Education

Experience in building and scaling a SaaS software company

Job description

Recent turmoil in global markets caused wild volatility in equities and crypto prices leading to frustration for retail and institutional investors alike. It raised questions about the oversight of markets and the power of entrenched players. For many, these events were another catalyst for a broader democratization of markets, one powered by digital assets and decentralization. Major developments in security token technologies brings that future closer.

Security tokens are financial securities created using blockchain. Like traditional securities, they represent ownership interests in assets (equity, debt, real estate, etc.). However, as they are created digitally (tokenized), they unlock the power of the blockchain with enhanced features. Security tokens provide benefits such as efficiency through automated operations, increased global liquidity pools, and the creation of new and unique financial assets. Security tokens are an exciting new class of assets – truly digital securities, and they represent a massive global market opportunity.

The Ethereum blockchain has been most widely used to create, issue, and manage security tokens. Ethereum creates unstoppable applications through smart contracts that efficiently manage regulatory rules embedded in an issuer’s security token to unlock non-traditional assets and improve liquidity. Ethereum however lacks key elements which, if not included, hamper industry and institutional acceptance of security tokens. These include identity management, confidentiality, governance and compliance. These gaps create an opportunity for a dedicated, domain-specific blockchain built with security tokens in mind, one that incorporates these elements from the ground up.

Already leaders in the Ethereum token sector, our client has developed a purpose-built enterprise-grade blockchain. It provides an interface between financial securities and the blockchain, helping issuers to overcome the complex technical and legal challenges related to issuing regulated securities on the blockchain. Our client’s technology improves usability and optimizes the consensus mechanism, driving adoption and recognition for the security token industry. It is transformative technology that will alter the financial landscape, unlocking trillions of dollars in asset value and investment, programmably automating operations, and driving new paths to liquidity.

Scope of the Position

With a proven track record of success, breakthrough technology, early adopter customers in hand, a passionate and motivated team, and a clear vision for an exciting future, our client is primed for explosive growth.

Owning the strategy and execution will be the responsibility of the President and Chief Executive Officer. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the President & CEO will lever the company’s positioning, momentum and growing markets to continually develop and drive the go-to-market strategy and growth of the business. The individual will be sophisticated in enterprise SaaS software/Fintech and an operator, the face of the company and a key executive team member. It is expected that the successful candidate will bring a driving, hands-on, ‘lead from the front’ approach to that task while nurturing a collaborative culture of excellence.

Functional Tasks

• Work with the Board of Directors and members of the senior management team to refine the strategic plan, priorities and options.
• Lead the expansion of the company business into new high growth, profitable applications/business areas.
• Ensure that organizational capacity is in place by which to deliver on the company’s plans.
• Architect the organization ensuring that it has in place the human resources, processes and operational capabilities by which to scale and the corporate culture to outperform.
• Define and support the ongoing direction, performance management and developmental support to the team.
• Continue to build world-class capabilities. Focus the team to accelerate and drive the growth of the business, new market development, sector leadership and profitability.
• Drive the revenue build strategy with substantive rapid growth as the goal. Refine and align the organization and processes to that goal.
• Maintain, and create senior level relationships with existing and potential customers and strategic partners.
• Ensure operational milestones are met on time, with high quality – and that they meet the cost and profitability objectives that are established; report on a monthly as well as a quarterly basis.
• Remain abreast of the industry, competitors and trends with a view to ensuring that all alliance, acquisition and investment opportunities are considered and the most attractive pursued.
• Engage with strategic stakeholders in those markets.
• Report regularly and proactively to the board of directors on results and plans going forward.
• Adapt business model to capitalize on evolving market needs and new competitive offerings.
• Ensure that a product roadmap is in place that incorporates customer feedback and ensures competitive advantage in the marketplace.
• Drive overall profitable, sustainable growth and shareholder value.

Key Performance Deliverables

In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.

• Specific measures of performance relating to growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, etc. will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate.

Competency Profile

The following competencies listed below define the role of President and CEO:

Visioning
Imagines future possibilities. Thinks broadly and investigates a wide-range of alternatives in developing a vision for the future. Selects the most promising vision from a range of alternatives and communicates this vision to others.

Strategic Approach
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long-term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.

People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to situation to achieve optimum results. Develops a high-performing team that delivers in a highly complex organization or situation.

Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Customer/Client Orientation
Strives to provide customers/clients with personalized and efficient service. Anticipates customers’/clients’ needs. Quickly follows up on customer/client contacts and complaints. Monitors and acts on measures of customer/client satisfaction. Develops high-impact relationships with key external clients, with the ability to envision and advocate a mutually beneficial long-term partnership between the company and the client.

Industry & Market Awareness
Seeks to anticipate and respond to industry and market changes/challenges by understanding key characteristics, issues and the factors driving them. Aware of competitor’s products, services and position.

Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.

Preferred Experience and Education

The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.

• A highly intelligent, strategically minded executive with superb communication and interpersonal skills and a willingness to roll-up his/her sleeves.
• Enterprise SaaS software /Fin tech/ experience/understanding.
• Experience in building and scaling a SaaS software company
• Operational expertise: hiring, performance management.
• Experience working with boards of directors.
• Deep rolodex of potential C level hires, investors, partners.
• Track record of working with mid-sized enterprise software companies ($0-20mm) driving accelerated revenue growth over extended periods.
• Strong team orientation well-suited to building consensus in a growing concern.
• Toronto-based or willingness to relocate to Toronto.
• A charismatic, inspirational leader rather than a manager.

• Highly competitive base, variable and equity compensation package to the successful candidate.