Director of Risk Management

Lever, Inc.; Netherlands; Remote; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Learning sponsorship

Global collaboration

Job summary

Lever, Inc. seeks a Director of Risk Management to lead its risk function for a Bitcoin-focused capital markets business.

You will govern market, credit, liquidity, and operational risks across digital and traditional instruments, shaping governance, exposure limits, and risk policies in a fully remote, international setting. You will design advanced risk models, assess DeFi protocols, and drive risk controls with senior stakeholders, positioning the firm for sustainable growth in a frontier

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in Finance, CS, Math Finance or related field.
• Professional risk qualification (CFA/FRM/PRM or equivalent).
• 10+ years in risk management within asset managers, funds, banks, or crypto.
• Deep knowledge of Bitcoin, digital assets, and traditional markets.
• Proficient in Python, R, or SQL for risk modelling.

Responsibilities

• Lead risk governance, appetite, limits and escalation procedures.
• Develop VaR, scenario analysis and stress testing models.
• Assess counterparties, protocols, and DeFi risks.
• Approve new investments and ensure risk standards before launch.
• Oversee collateral, margin and liquidity risk across assets.

Skills

Python

R

SQL

Risk modelling

Portfolio risk analysis

Strong judgement

Education

Postgraduate degree in Finance/CS/Math Finance

CFA/FRM/PRM or equivalent

Tools

ISDA/CSA knowledge

Job description

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Risk Management based in Netherlands.

As Director of Risk Management, you will establish and lead the risk management function for an innovative Bitcoin-focused capital markets business. You will oversee risk across market, credit, counterparty, liquidity, operational, and blockchain protocol activities, spanning digital assets and traditional financial instruments. Working closely with fund management and senior stakeholders, you will design robust governance frameworks, develop advanced risk models, and define exposure limits that protect capital while enabling sustainable growth. You will evaluate complex investment strategies, assess counterparties and decentralized finance protocols, and ensure that new products meet institutional risk standards before launch. As a founding member of a lean, senior team, you will have significant ownership over strategic decisions, risk policies, and operational controls. This is an opportunity to shape the future of Bitcoin-based institutional finance in a fully remote, international environment at the intersection of traditional capital markets and blockchain innovation.

Accountabilities:

• Build the global risk management framework: Design, implement, and maintain comprehensive risk policies covering market, credit, counterparty, liquidity, operational, and protocol risks across Bitcoin, digital assets, and traditional financial markets.
• Establish risk governance and oversight: Define risk appetite, exposure and concentration limits, leverage thresholds, liquidity classifications, collateral haircuts, margin requirements, drawdown triggers, and escalation procedures. Present policies for board approval and provide regular reporting to the board and investment committee.
• Provide independent risk approval: Evaluate and independently approve new investment strategies, financial products, trading venues, and counterparties before launch, ensuring they comply with established risk standards.
• Develop quantitative risk models: Build and maintain analytical models to measure and monitor portfolio risk across traditional and digital assets, using value at risk (VaR), scenario analysis, stress testing, and other quantitative techniques.
• Conduct portfolio stress testing: Assess the impact of Bitcoin price shocks, liquidity crises, counterparty defaults, exchange failures, stablecoin depegging, smart-contract exploits, and liquidation cascades on portfolio performance and capital preservation.
• Evaluate complex financial transactions: Analyze secured lending, repurchase agreements, basis trades, derivatives, structured products, and other investment strategies, identifying how risks interact across on‑chain and off‑chain activities.
• Monitor exposures and emerging risks: Track portfolio positions and exposures daily, identify deviations from established limits or model assumptions, and elevate emerging risks with clear recommendations for corrective action.
• Lead counterparty and protocol due diligence: Assess the creditworthiness, financial stability, custody arrangements, and operational resilience of counterparties, trading venues, and decentralized finance protocols, including smart contracts, bridges, oracles, and governance mechanisms.
• Manage collateral and counterparty limits: Establish and monitor counterparty exposure limits, collateral eligibility criteria, margin requirements, and risk mitigation measures across bilateral and exchange‑traded activities.
• Review and negotiate transaction documentation: Work with fund management and legal counsel to assess and negotiate risk provisions in fund agreements, ISDA and CSA documentation, lending and repo agreements, collateral arrangements, termination events, and close‑out provisions.
• Strengthen operational risk controls: Design scalable controls across trade execution, settlement, reconciliation, custody, and treasury operations, ensuring appropriate safeguards for both traditional financial instruments and digital assets.
• Coordinate compliance and audit activities: Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, fund administrators, and external auditors to meet applicable regulatory requirements, support audits, and maintain accurate risk reporting and documentation.
• Support new product development: Partner with fund management and commercial, technology, legal, and compliance teams to bring new investment products from concept to launch while ensuring sound structures, appropriate risk controls, and institutional readiness.
• Drive continuous risk improvement: Refine models, policies, monitoring processes, and governance practices as the portfolio, market environment, and digital asset ecosystem evolve.

Requirements:

• Education and professional qualifications: Postgraduate degree in Finance, Computer Science, Mathematical Finance, or a related discipline, complemented by a recognized professional qualification such as CFA, FRM, PRM, or an equivalent finance or risk management certification.
• Senior risk management experience: At least 10 years of experience in risk management within asset managers, investment funds, banks, trading firms, or digital asset businesses, including several years leading or building a risk function.
• Digital asset and traditional finance expertise: Deep understanding of Bitcoin, digital assets, capital markets, portfolio management, and traditional financial instruments, with practical knowledge of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and their associated risks.
• Quantitative risk modelling: Strong hands‑on expertise in financial modelling, value at risk, scenario analysis, stress testing, portfolio exposure analysis, and risk measurement across traditional and digital financial instruments.
• Technical proficiency: Practical experience using Python, R, or SQL to develop risk models, analyze financial data, automate monitoring, and support quantitative decision‑making.
• Complex transaction knowledge: Experience assessing secured lending, repo transactions, derivatives, structured products, collateral arrangements, and other complex financial activities involving traditional and digital assets.
• Counterparty and protocol risk assessment: Proven ability to conduct due diligence on financial counterparties, exchanges, custodians, and DeFi protocols, including evaluating creditworthiness, smart‑contract vulnerabilities, bridge security, oracle dependencies, and governance risks.
• Operational risk and controls: Hands‑on experience designing and implementing controls across trade execution, settlement, reconciliation, custody, treasury, and payment processes for OTC, bilateral, and exchange‑traded transactions.
• Legal and regulatory expertise: Familiarity with fund documentation, ISDA/CSA agreements, lending and repo contracts, collateral and margin terms, termination provisions, and relevant fund regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Governance and reporting: Experience defining risk appetite, setting exposure limits, preparing risk reports, and presenting complex findings and recommendations to boards, investment committees, investors, and regulators.
• Leadership and collaboration: Demonstrated ability to build and lead high‑performing teams, work effectively with senior stakeholders, and collaborate across investment, finance, technology, legal, and compliance functions.
• Strategic and analytical thinking: Strong judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to balance risk mitigation with commercial objectives, translating complex quantitative analysis into clear, actionable decisions.
• Adaptability and ownership: A proactive, independent approach suited to a small, senior team, with the ability to build processes from the ground up and operate effectively in a rapidly evolving financial and technological environment.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation: Access a competitive compensation package and additional benefits designed to support professional growth and personal well‑being.
• Fully remote work: Work remotely from eligible locations across Europe and Latin America, with access to global coworking spaces.
• Work-life balance: Benefit from paid vacation and sick leave to support personal well‑being and sustainable performance.
• Continuous learning: Access annual learning sponsorship, professional training programs, and language courses to support ongoing development.
• Innovative projects: Work on cutting‑edge blockchain technology and institutional financial infrastructure built around Bitcoin‑based lending, yield generation, and on‑chain capital markets.
• International collaboration: Join a globally distributed, diverse team working at the intersection of digital assets, financial services, and blockchain innovation.
• Strategic ownership: Help shape a new institutional investment business, with meaningful responsibility for risk strategy, governance, product development, and operational resilience.
• Professional impact: Contribute to the development of financial infrastructure designed to expand Bitcoin's role in institutional investing and capital markets.