Senior Director, Business Development, DeFi Trading

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world's leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle's platform includes the world's largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com .
What you'll be part of:
Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values : High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.
What you'll be responsible for
As Senior Director, Business Development, DeFi Trading, you will own the strategy and execution for growing Arc's ecosystem of decentralized trading venue partners. You will identify, develop, negotiate, and close partnerships with leading DEXs and on-chain trading venues, helping establish Arc as the preferred institutional settlement layer for on-chain trading. Working closely with Product, Liquidity, and cross-functional stakeholders, you'll shape Arc's go-to-market strategy, translate market insights into product direction, and drive adoption across the DeFi ecosystem. This is a highly strategic leadership role with the opportunity to build and scale a team as the trading ecosystem expands.
What you'll work on

• Develop and execute Arc's strategy for acquiring and growing DeFi trading venue partnerships.
• Build, prioritize, and manage a pipeline of high-impact DEX and trading venue opportunities from sourcing through signed agreement.
• Lead commercial negotiations and executive-level partnership discussions, effectively communicating Arc's value proposition to business and technical stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Product and Liquidity teams to align integrations, launch plans, and liquidity support for new trading venues.
• Gather market intelligence and partner feedback to influence product roadmap, ecosystem priorities, and long-term trading strategy.
• Build trusted relationships across the DeFi ecosystem and position Arc as the preferred settlement layer for institutional on-chain trading.
• Define success metrics, monitor partnership performance, and continuously optimize the trading venue program as the ecosystem scales.

What you'll bring to Circle
Core Requirements

• 15+ years of professional experience, with significant experience in crypto and decentralized finance.
• Proven success sourcing, negotiating, and closing complex strategic partnerships within the digital asset ecosystem.
• Deep understanding of DeFi trading venues, decentralized exchanges, settlement infrastructure, and liquidity mechanics.
• Strong existing relationships across DeFi protocols, exchanges, liquidity providers, or blockchain infrastructure organizations.
• Ability to engage credibly with both business and technical stakeholders on blockchain architecture, protocol design, and trading infrastructure.
• Demonstrated success developing ecosystem strategy and translating market opportunities into measurable business growth.
• Familiarity with generative AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) and prompt development.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience leading business development or partnerships at a DeFi protocol, crypto exchange, or blockchain infrastructure company.
• Experience influencing product strategy through customer insights and market feedback in a fast-moving technical environment.
• Experience building and scaling strategic partnership organizations or high-performing business development teams.

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.
Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.
Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [email protected] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.
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