OTC Trader – Crypto at Fempower Recruitment Excellence

The role

• This is a front-line trading seat on the OTC desk in South Africa, reporting to the Head of Trading and sitting within the Treasury team. You’ll price, execute and risk-manage large trades for institutions, corporates and professional traders in one of the world’s most active crypto-fiat markets. You’ll work with the wider OTC desk, in-country teams and relationship managers to turn that client flow into a consistently profitable book.
• This is a mid-level role designed for growth. The business is building its future desk leadership from within. You’ll start by running South African flow, take on new markets and strategies as the business expands, and move toward senior desk leadership as trading scales.

Key responsibilities

Client book ownership

• Act as the voice of the desk for institutional and VIP clients: price and quote large OTC trades, source counter-trades and execute with speed and discipline
• Build long-term client relationships alongside country teams and relationship managers, with a focus on repeat flow
• Manage the desk’s working capital, making sure anticipated trades are pre-funded or backed by adequate credit facilities
• Own trade disputes end-to-end and work with Trade Operations to settle every trade cleanly

Execution and risk

• Execute OTC trades, counter-trades and market counter-trades within approved trading strategies
• Hedge market risk on working capital and revenue streams, and execute revenue liquidation trades
• Own the desk P&L against targets and risk limits

Trading strategy

• Develop trading strategies across crypto and FX: OTC, hedging and revenue liquidation now, with derivatives, arbitrage and warehousing as the desk matures

Market insight

• Produce in-depth analysis of digital asset markets, covering trends, opportunities, risks, regulatory changes and the flows that move prices
• Deliver a daily market read to the Treasury team and feed insights into wider business decisions

Reporting

• Maintain accurate, auditable records of trades, P&L, risk and performance metrics
• Produce regular stakeholder reports on trading activity, performance and market insight

Building the desk

• Specify improvements to trading and risk systems and help drive the move from manual execution to a scaled, systematic operation
• Pressure-test risk frameworks and models, and recommend changes as market conditions shift

Requirements

• 3–5 years’ trading experience on a sell-side OTC desk, market maker, prop desk or brokerage in crypto (preferred), FX, equities or derivatives
• Principal trading experience is essential. You need P&L responsibility for trade and counter-trade within trade size limits, position limits and working capital constraints. This is not an execution-only role.
• A proven broking or OTC trading track record across more than one market
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Business Administration, Accounting or a related field
• Advantageous: derivatives arbitrage knowledge or experience; CFA, CAIA, MBA or another relevant postgraduate qualification
• Strong commitment to regulatory compliance and ethical trading practices
• Excellent attention to detail in trade execution and documentation
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a team player
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic trading environment
• Ambition to grow into broader market ownership and, in time, trading leadership
• A genuine passion for crypto