Technical Lead / CTO - Crypto Exchange

Client of AW Connect

We are seeking an experienced Technical Lead / Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the technology function of a newly launched crypto exchange venture, backed by a well-established UAE-based investment group with a diversified portfolio across retail, real estate, hospitality, and financial services.

This is a foundational leadership role, responsible for building and scaling a high-performance, compliant trading platform and contributing directly to the VARA Exchange License application.

 Key Responsibilities

• Own the full CEX technology stack end-to-end

• Design and oversee:

• Order book & high-performance matching engine

• Trade execution, clearing & settlement systems

• Lead custody and wallet architecture, including integrations with:

• Fireblocks, Copper, BitGo (or equivalent)

• Architect real-time trading systems (WebSockets, low-latency, fault-tolerant)

• Define and manage trading pairs, listing processes, and product rollouts

• Implement and oversee market surveillance & manipulation detection tools

• Solidus Labs, Chainalysis, or equivalent

• Author and review technical sections of the VARA Exchange License application

• Work closely with Compliance, Risk, Legal, Product, and Operations teams

• Build and lead the engineering organization, setting standards for security, scalability, and resilience

 Must-Have Requirements

• 5+ years building trading systems (CEX, DEX, or traditional exchanges)

• Hands-on experience with high-performance order matching engines

• Strong understanding of market surveillance and abuse detection

• Proven experience with custody and wallet infrastructure

• Deep knowledge of real-time systems (WebSockets, low-latency architectures)

• Exposure to crypto regulatory frameworks (VARA, MAS, FCA, or equivalent)

• Ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on technical levels

 Nice-to-Have

• Built a crypto exchange from 0 production

• Operated platforms handling $100M+ daily trading volume

• Experience with liquidity aggregation and smart order routing

• Knowledge of market making and algorithmic trading

• Prior leadership role in a licensed crypto exchange