Portfolio Manager & Director (ADGM / VARA)

As Portfolio Manager & Director at Animoca Brands, you manage regulated investment funds across quantitative strategies, DeFi yield, and real world assets. You serve as director for the ADGM entity and portfolio manager, with flexibility to take on the VARA Responsible Individual role. You oversee capital deployment, fund operations, regulatory compliance, and risk management across a portfolio spanning digital assets and blockchain protocols.

What you'll do

• Execute investment strategy approved by the Investment Committee across quantitative fund-of-funds, DeFi yield and real world asset strategies
• Allocate capital to underlying quantitative managers and manage onboarding, capital deployment, rebalancing and withdrawals
• Deploy capital into whitelisted DeFi protocols and manage position sizing and risk controls
• Oversee all capital movements: fiat and stablecoin on- and off-ramps, transfers to DeFi wallets and exchange accounts, and redemption payouts
• Operate the institutional virtual asset custodian, including transaction execution, policy engine whitelists and wallet architecture
• Approve outgoing wire and stablecoin transfer instructions for redemptions, in coordination with the fund administrator
• Work with the fund administrator on subscriptions and redemptions, position data for NAV, and daily on-chain and off-chain reconciliation
• Serve as director for the ADGM entity and act as the ADGM portfolio manager, accountable for the regulated activity of managing assets
• Work alongside the Compliance Officer, MLRO, Risk Officer and Finance Officer on the control framework, and support internal and external audit functions
• Serve as director for the VARA entity and act as the VARA Responsible Individual, accountable for the day-to-day conduct of the licensed activity and available to the regulator
• Monitor fund-level risk limits: protocol diversification, exposure caps by venue, leverage constraints and drawdown triggers
• Maintain operational risk awareness across DeFi protocols (smart contract, oracle and governance risk) and exchange counterparties
• Report to the Investment Committee on performance, risk metrics and operational matters
• Support the annual audit with investment records, trade logs and rebalancing documentation

What you bring

• UAE residency or willingness to relocate to the UAE, preferably Abu Dhabi, on a full-time basis
• Ability to satisfy the Fit and Proper standards of both ADGM and VARA regimes, including relevant academic or professional qualifications, adequate virtual asset and management experience, honesty, reputation and integrity, and sound understanding of the applicable regulatory framework
• Eligibility for VARA and FSRA approval
• 8-10 years in portfolio management, trading or fund operations, including managerial or supervisory experience relevant to the Portfolio Manager function
• Depth in one or more of: discretionary portfolio management or proprietary trading at a bank, asset manager or hedge fund; digital asset fund management including DeFi yield, quantitative trading or crypto fund-of-funds; or institutional fund operations with direct involvement in trade execution, reconciliation or custodian interaction
• Understanding of crypto quant strategies: delta-neutral, basis, carry and perpetual futures
• Understanding of DeFi protocols and mechanics: lending, staking, liquidity provisioning and yield strategies
• Familiarity with engaging in Ethereum smart contracts, ERC-20 standards, and the ability to read and verify transactions on block explorers
• Experience with fund operations including institutional digital asset custody, NAV calculation, and fund administration workflows
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, computer science, engineering or a related field
• Proactive risk identification and escalation
• Clear, concise communication with boards, regulators and service providers
• Comfort operating in a build-stage environment where processes are still being established

Nice to have

• Prior experience as a regulated approved person or licensed individual
• Experience in ADGM and/or VARA-licensed entities
• CFA, CAIA or FRM certification

What we offer

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, life, and transportation allowances
• Casual work environment
• Opportunities to collaborate across the Animoca Brands ecosystem and subsidiary brands

About Animoca Brands

Animoca Brands is a Web3 leader leveraging tokenization and blockchain to deliver digital property rights to consumers. The company operates Web3 businesses including Moca Network, Anichess, The Sandbox, and Open Campus; provides digital asset advisory services such as tokenomics advisory and institutional research; and manages investments in over 540 companies including Pudgy Penguins, Yuga Labs, Axie Infinity, Polygon, Consensys, Magic Eden, OpenSea, and others.