Director, Business Development and Partnerships - Digital Assets

VanEck is one of the few traditional asset managers with a live and growing suite of tokenized securities. As Director of Business Development and Partnerships for Digital Assets, you will build the partnerships that turn this infrastructure into sustained AUM growth. You own relationships end-to-end with US-based centralized exchanges, fintech platforms, and DeFi protocols, from initial outreach through integration, commercial structuring, and long-term partnership management. You will also serve as the internal voice of the market, translating what distribution partners need into product and roadmap input for the broader team.

What you'll do

• Own relationships with US-based centralized exchanges and retail fintech platforms, securing product listings, featured placement, and structured distribution agreements for tokenized securities.
• Develop and execute partnership proposals that go beyond simple listings: revenue share arrangements, co-branded product features, and embedded placements that give platforms economic incentive to grow AUM.
• Work with internal compliance and BD teams to structure agreements that are executable within VanEck's broker-dealer framework.
• Track and report AUM attributable to each channel partner, maintaining clear accountability for growth targets.
• Identify and pursue integration opportunities with DeFi protocols where tokenized securities can function as yield-bearing collateral, reserve assets, or base-layer liquidity.
• Build and maintain relationships with ecosystem leads, BD teams, and governance participants at major DeFi protocols and Layer 1 / Layer 2 networks with active real-world asset programs.
• Coordinate with internal product and technology teams to ensure tokenized products meet the technical standards and liquidity requirements of target DeFi integrations.
• Track onchain AUM and TVL attributable to DeFi integrations and identify follow-on distribution opportunities as protocols evolve.
• Source and develop distribution relationships with fintech platforms pursuing tokenized asset offerings, including neo-brokerages, digital wealth managers, stablecoin issuers, and emerging onchain financial applications.
• Identify early-stage distribution partners with real end-user reach and structure pilot programs that can scale into sustained AUM channels.
• Work with marketing and product to develop materials, onboarding flows, and co-marketing programs tailored to each partner's user base and commercial objectives.
• Serve as the primary internal voice on what distribution partners need (preferred product structures, yield requirements, collateral standards, compliance constraints) and translate that into product and roadmap input.
• Track competitive activity across the tokenized securities landscape and identify gaps that represent partnership or product opportunities.
• Represent VanEck at industry events, protocol governance forums, and ecosystem conferences relevant to real-world asset distribution.

What you bring

• 5+ years in a business development, partnerships, or distribution role at a crypto-native firm, tokenization platform, blockchain foundation, or digital asset-focused financial institution.
• A demonstrated track record of closing distribution agreements, exchange listings, or protocol integrations, with specific outcomes to show.
• Existing relationships with centralized exchanges, DeFi protocol BD teams, and fintech platforms pursuing tokenized or real-world asset strategies.
• A functional understanding of tokenized securities infrastructure, including how transfer agents, custodians, and onchain distribution systems interact, sufficient to represent products credibly in technical partnership conversations.
• Familiarity with AML/KYC constraints on CeFi and DeFi distribution, and the ability to navigate compliance requirements without losing deal momentum.
• The ability to operate in a build environment: you create process, not follow it.
• Series 7 (General Securities Representative) license, required within 90 days of start.
• Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent) license, required within 90 days of start.

Nice to have

• Prior experience at a tokenization platform in a role responsible for selling to or partnering with institutional asset managers or exchanges.
• Business development or ecosystem role at a major Layer 1 or Layer 2 blockchain foundation with a real-world asset or institutional focus.
• Experience at a crypto exchange in a listings, partnerships, or institutional sales capacity.
• An existing onchain presence: active DeFi participation, governance involvement, or demonstrated familiarity with the protocol communities relevant to real-world asset distribution.
• Prior exposure to traditional asset management distribution, fund sales, or structured product business development.

What we offer

• Base salary of $175,000-$200,000 for this New York-based position, with individual salaries varying based on factors including skills, experience, job-related knowledge, and location.

About VanEck

VanEck is a traditional asset manager with a live and growing suite of tokenized securities, building infrastructure for digital asset distribution at scale.