Business Development Manager

Job Description

About Akuna:

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market-maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies and mathematical models.

Our Founding Partners, including Akuna’s CEO Andrew Killion, first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, and Boston.

What you’ll do as a Business Development Manager at Akuna:

We are seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to join our dynamic team in our Chicago office. The ideal candidate will be a motivated individual with a desire to make an immediate impact at a growing firm. The role offers an opportunity to work directly on key business projects, with daily interaction with front office and senior management. As a Business Development Manager, you will work with varied stakeholders on a range of diverse projects, facilitating Akuna’s expansion in US markets. This is a very rewarding and “hands-on” position; championing the firm’s business goals from first inception all the way to implementation. In this role, you will:

• Be a focal leader in developing Akuna’s growth in new business initiatives, expanding market coverage, and launching on new markets
• Manage the firm’s key strategic relationships with trading counterparties, exchanges, and prime brokers
• Represent the firm externally; qualifying prospects, attending conferences, and developing Akuna’s interests in the US
• Provide business analytics to senior management through extensive research, industry knowledge, market intelligence, and financial modelling
• Manage internal and external parties to implement business strategy goals and develop new business opportunities

Qualities that make great candidates:

• 4+ years of experience within financial markets or cryptocurrency exchanges, working with technology providers, vendors, and exchanges
• Proven project management expertise in financial trading initiatives with a focus on technology
• Passion for financial markets, with keen interest in an area such as equities, derivatives, or cryptocurrencies
• Strong analytical, data analysis, and problem-solving skills, with expertise in synthesizing data into intelligible reports
• Experience working both independently and in cross-team collaborative environments
• Excellent communication skills