Head of Custody Operations - KSA

Thndr; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Thndr is seeking a Head of Custody Operations in Saudi Arabia to establish and run trading, settlement, custody and funding operations in collaboration with Tadawul, Edaa and Muqassa, with CMA registration.

You will lead settlement and custody, build scalable operations, implement policies, automate processes, and ensure compliance with CMA requirements while protecting client assets and funds.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in securities operations with a focus on custody and post-trade.
• Experience in the Saudi market with Tadawul, Edaa and Muqassa.
• Experience leading an operations team at a CMA-licensed institution or custodian.
• Familiarity with CMA registration requirements.
• Fluent in English; Arabic strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of trade settlement and custody operations.
• Manage the full trade life cycle from execution to final settlement.
• Safeguard client assets and client money per CMA requirements.
• Build scalable, policy-driven operational processes.
• Automate processes to reduce manual errors and improve controls.
• Maintain daily reconciliations with regulators and counterparties.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Securities operations

Post-trade processing

Risk and compliance

Stakeholder management

English fluency

Arabic language

Education

CMA qualification CME-1A/CME-1B

CMA registration eligibility

Saudi residency or relocation willingness

Job description

About The Role

We are looking for a Head of Custody Operations in Saudi. This person will set up and run

Thndr KSA's trading, settlement, custody and funding operations in close collaboration with

Tadawul, the Securities Depository Center (Edaa), the Securities Clearing Center (Muqassa)

and other key stakeholders, and will be registered with the Capital Market Authority (CMA).

What You'll Do

Settlement and custody

• Oversee all aspects of trade settlement and custody operations.
• Manage the full trade life cycle, from execution to final settlement.
• Safeguard client assets and client money in line with CMA requirements.
• Run robust daily reconciliations with Edaa, Muqassa, custodian and bank records.

Operations build

• Build reliable operations that can scale with Thndr's growth.
• Develop and implement operational policies and procedures.
• Automate processes to reduce manual errors.

Risk and compliance

• Keep up with market practice and regulation and make sure our operations stay compliant.
• Identify and assess operational risks and put controls in place to protect the company and its clients.

What You'll Need

Experience

• 5+ years in securities operations, with a focus on custody and post-trade.
• Experience in the Saudi market, with hands-on knowledge of Tadawul, Edaa and Muqassa processes.
• Experience leading an operations team at a CMA-licensed Capital Market Institution or custodian.

CMA qualifications and registration

• Passed the CMA's general qualification route: CME-1A and CME-1B, or an exemption granted by the CMA. Holders of the CMA's previous-series qualification certificates for this function qualify without retaking the exams. Both must be passed before CMA registration.
• Eligible for registration with the CMA as a Registered Person under the Capital Market Institutions Regulations, including meeting the CMA's fit-and-proper criteria (skills, experience, competence and integrity).
• Resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (a requirement for CMA Registered Persons), or willing to relocate.

Skills

• A passion for improving people's financial lives through technology and access to investments.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to identify and resolve complex issues.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong communication and team coordination skills.
• Follows through on commitments and embeds this behaviour across the team.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Fluent in English; Arabic strongly preferred.

Who We Are

At Thndr, we believe that investing is a right. That anyone with a smartphone deserves to invest, regardless how much money they make.

For lifestyle investors, we offer easy access to local and US stocks, funds managed by professionals, and an AI-enabled experience to build and manage a personalized portfolio.

We also produce relatable financial content, which we post on social media platforms consumers already love and use.

For advanced traders, we offer an institutional-grade trading platform called ThndrX. We built ThndrX specifically to meet the needs of a trader. It offers advanced charts & data, custom screeners, trade-by-trade analytics, research coverage, and more.

There is no doubt that improving trust and participation in local capital markets is crucial for Saudi’s Vision 2030, and its stated goals of economic resilience and diversification. As an investment broker, we clearly see the role we can play in driving investment into productive local companies.

We don't just talk about change, we deliver it. Here's a glimpse into our impact so far:

• 5.5 million app downloads
• 21B SAR volume traded in H1 2026 (3.7x YoY growth), 14% of all volume traded on the Egyptian Stock Exchange in H1 2026
• 15m trades, 35% of all trades on the Egyptian Stock Exchange
• Assets under custody: $1B+
• #1 digital investing platform in Egypt for the third consecutive year
• 76% of users are first-time investors
• 40% of our users come from outside of capital cities and have previously had limited access to financial institutions

Building on the success of our core platform, we also launched Rumble, a subscription-based platform for investment recommendations. Rumble gives users in-depth advice straight from its team of licensed stock analysts.

We're looking for people driven by our mission to help us democratize investing across the MENA region.