We’re looking for a Director of Operations to lead the operational function supporting our growing global business.
This is a senior, hands-on leadership role responsible for building the processes, systems and operating infrastructure needed to deliver a seamless customer experience at scale. You’ll sit at the intersection of Product, Engineering, ICT & Security, Compliance, Support and the wider business, ensuring our day-to-day operations are efficient, resilient and ready to support continued growth.
The role combines Group-wide operational leadership with specific regulatory responsibilities within our Irish regulated entity, Push Virtual Assets Ireland Ltd. The successful candidate will be expected to obtain approval from the Central Bank of Ireland to perform the Pre-Approval Controlled Function of Chief Operating Officer (PCF-42) and undertake responsibilities associated with Controlled Function CF-8 (Complaints Adjudication).
You’ll be responsible for ensuring that our regulated operations meet applicable regulatory requirements, while developing proportionate and scalable operational frameworks for the wider business. This requires someone who understands how to balance operational efficiency, customer experience and innovation with the governance, accountability and controls expected of a regulated financial services business.
Given the nature of our products, you’ll help ensure we maintain a high bar for operational excellence while meeting the requirements expected of a regulated financial services business.
How you can make an impact:
- Develop and scale the operational strategy, structure and processes required to support a growing global business and customer base without compromising quality, controls or customer experience
- Assume responsibility for the operational management of Push Virtual Assets Ireland Ltd in the capacity of PCF-42, ensuring effective oversight of its day-to-day operations, operational risks, controls and regulatory obligations.
- Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies and operational risks, implementing processes and systems that improve reliability, speed and quality of execution
- Ensure we deliver a consistently high-quality customer experience across key operational touchpoints, from onboarding through to ongoing support and issue resolution
- Own the Group’s complaints management framework, ensuring complaints are appropriately identified, investigated, escalated and resolved, with specific responsibility for complaints adjudication within the Irish regulated entity in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
- Identify opportunities to use tooling, automation and AI to reduce manual processes, improve efficiency and create better experiences for both customers and internal teams
- Define and monitor operational KPIs, identifying trends, risks and opportunities and translating data into clear actions and priorities
- Bring operational and customer insights into product development, helping identify friction points, improve customer journeys and ensure operational readiness for new products and launches
- Own relationships and performance across relevant operational vendors and service providers, ensuring they meet our standards for quality, reliability and customer
- Partner closely with Compliance and Legal to ensure operational processes and customer outcomes meet applicable regulatory requirements
- Work with ICT & Security to oversee operational resilience, incident management and business continuity arrangements, working closely with relevant teams to ensure operational risks and incidents are appropriately identified, managed, escalated and remediated.
- Hire, coach and develop a high-performing Operations organisation with a strong culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Provide operational reporting and management information to executive leadership and relevant Boards, ensuring appropriate visibility of operational performance, customer outcomes, incidents, complaints and material risks.
Let’s connect if you have:
- You have 8+ years of experience in Operations, Customer Operations, Business Operations or a related function, with meaningful experience in a senior leadership role
- You’ve built or scaled operations within a high-growth consumer technology, fintech or financial services business
- You have experience operating across regulated and unregulated business activities, with an understanding of how operational requirements, governance and controls differ depending on the nature of the business
- You have experience delivering customer experiences at scale, with a strong understanding of how operations, technology and support come together across the customer journey
- You have a track record of designing processes and operating models that can scale with significant customer and transaction growth
- You understand how to use technology, automation and AI to improve operational efficiency and reduce unnecessary manual work
- You’re highly data-driven and comfortable establishing KPIs, analysing performance and using data to prioritise improvements
- You have experience working closely with Product, Engineering, Compliance and other cross-functional teams
- You have a strong understanding of the operational and governance requirements applicable to regulated financial services businesses, including customer complaints, operational risk management and regulatory accountability.
- You have experience being a PCF-42 or a similar regulated position
- Experience within crypto or Web3 is strongly preferred, particularly within consumer-facing products, but isn’t essential
Skills Required
- 8+ years of experience in Operations, Customer Operations, Business Operations, or a related function
- Meaningful experience in a senior leadership role
- Experience building or scaling operations in a high-growth consumer technology, fintech, or financial services business
- Experience operating across regulated and unregulated business activities
- Experience delivering customer experiences at scale across operations, technology, and support
- Track record designing scalable processes and operating models for significant customer and transaction growth
- Experience using technology, automation, and AI to improve operational efficiency
- Strong data analysis skills, including establishing KPIs and prioritizing improvements
- Experience partnering with Product, Engineering, Compliance, and cross-functional teams
- Understanding of operational and governance requirements in regulated financial services, including complaints and operational risk management
- Experience serving as PCF-42 or in a similar regulated position
- Experience in crypto or Web3, particularly consumer-facing products
- Ability to obtain Central Bank of Ireland approval for PCF-42 and undertake CF-8 responsibilities
What We Do
Aave Labs is the original author and key contributor of the Aave Protocol and a software technology company founded by Stani Kulechov. The team builds blockchain-based products that power decentralized finance, including the Aave Protocol, the Aave-native stablecoin GHO, and Horizon, an institutional platform for borrowing against tokenized real-world assets. Aave is DeFi’s largest and most trusted lending protocol, where users can earn, borrow, save, and swap alongside millions of others worldwide.
