Head of Trading & Market Infrastructure

Head of Trading & Market Infrastructure

• Sydney CBD

• Innovative stock exchange with Asia Pacific focus

• Drive the next phase of growth and innovation across trading technology, connectivity, market quality, resilience and participant experience.

Our client is a stock exchange in Australia seeking a commercially astute and globally experienced Head of Trading & Market Infrastructure to lead the evolution, resilience and performance of its trading environment and market infrastructure.

This is a rare executive opportunity to shape the next generation of exchange trading in Australia, combining deep expertise in trading systems, market structure, exchange technology, participant connectivity, market operations and financial market infrastructure with the commercial and strategic capability to grow participation and strengthen the exchange's competitive position.

The successful candidate will bring substantial experience operating at the intersection of trading technology, exchange platforms, brokers, market makers, institutional investors, liquidity providers, technology vendors and other market participants, together with the leadership capability to develop robust, scalable and high-performance trading infrastructure.

The role will have a strong external focus, requiring the successful candidate to build trusted relationships across the trading ecosystem and understand the needs of brokers, market makers, institutional investors, proprietary trading firms, liquidity providers and other participants connecting to the exchange.

About the role

You will lead the Trading & Market Infrastructure function, with end-to-end accountability for the performance, development and strategic evolution of the exchange's trading environment, participant connectivity and associated market infrastructure.

The role will sit at the intersection of markets, technology and participants, requiring a deep understanding of how modern exchanges operate and how trading participants connect, access liquidity, execute orders and interact with exchange infrastructure.

You will work closely with technology, operations, risk, compliance and commercial teams, while maintaining direct and senior relationships with brokers, market makers, institutional investors, liquidity providers, technology partners and other market infrastructure organisations.

A key focus will be ensuring that the exchange's trading environment remains resilient, scalable, competitive and commercially attractive, while identifying opportunities to improve market quality, participant experience, connectivity, liquidity and operational efficiency.

Key responsibilities

Trading Systems & Market Infrastructure

• Own the strategic direction and ongoing evolution of the exchange's trading systems and associated market infrastructure.

• Ensure trading platforms deliver high levels of performance, availability, scalability, resilience and operational stability.

• Oversee the development and continuous improvement of trading functionality, including order management, matching, market data, order routing, trading protocols and participant interfaces.

• Develop and execute a technology and infrastructure roadmap aligned with the exchange's strategic and commercial objectives.

• Identify opportunities to modernise trading architecture, automation, integration and operational processes.

• Work closely with technology teams and external vendors to ensure trading platforms remain fit for purpose and competitive with global market infrastructure.

• Establish appropriate performance, availability, capacity and resilience standards for critical trading infrastructure.

• Ensure robust processes for incident management, business continuity, disaster recovery and operational resilience.

• Identify and manage technology and infrastructure risks associated with critical market systems.

Broker, Market Participant & Connectivity Management

• Build and maintain senior relationships with brokers, market makers, institutional investors, proprietary trading firms, liquidity providers and other exchange participants.

• Act as a senior point of engagement for participants regarding trading systems, connectivity, market access, functionality and operational matters.

• Develop and execute strategies to increase participant connectivity and improve the overall participant experience.

• Oversee onboarding and integration of new brokers, market participants, liquidity providers and other trading counterparties.

• Work with participants to understand their trading requirements and translate market feedback into platform and product enhancements.

• Develop effective engagement models with key market participants to improve liquidity, execution quality and market participation.

• Identify barriers to participation and develop practical solutions to improve access to the exchange.

• Build a strong understanding of participant technology environments, connectivity models, trading workflows and integration requirements.

Market Makers & Liquidity Development

• Develop strong relationships with market makers, liquidity providers and other participants critical to market quality.

• Work with market makers to understand liquidity requirements, trading strategies, technology needs and operational challenges.

• Develop initiatives to improve liquidity, spreads, trading volumes and overall market quality.

• Support the development of market-making, liquidity provision and participant incentive programs.

• Monitor trading activity and participant behaviour to identify opportunities to strengthen liquidity and market participation.

• Work with commercial and market teams to develop initiatives that attract new liquidity providers and trading participants.

• Maintain a strong understanding of competitive exchange environments and evolving global market-making models.

Trading Operations & Market Quality

• Provide strategic oversight of trading operations and the day-to-day integrity and performance of the trading environment.

• Ensure appropriate controls, processes and escalation mechanisms are in place for critical trading infrastructure.

• Monitor trading performance, system capacity, operational incidents, participant issues and market-quality indicators.

• Work closely with risk, compliance and market surveillance functions to support orderly, fair and resilient markets.

• Develop and maintain frameworks for managing trading-system incidents and market disruptions.

• Ensure the exchange can respond effectively to periods of high trading volumes, market volatility and unexpected events.

• Drive continuous improvement across trading operations, processes and participant services.

Third-Party Technology & Market Infrastructure

• Manage strategic relationships with third-party technology providers, trading technology vendors, connectivity providers and other market infrastructure organisations.

• Evaluate and oversee external platforms, systems and services that support the exchange's trading ecosystem.

• Lead commercial and technical discussions with strategic technology partners and infrastructure providers.

• Establish appropriate governance, service-level and performance frameworks for critical third-party relationships.

• Identify opportunities to leverage external technology and infrastructure to accelerate innovation and reduce operational complexity.

• Ensure third-party dependencies are appropriately assessed, managed and integrated into the exchange's resilience framework.

Market Development & Commercial Growth

• Identify opportunities to grow trading activity, participant numbers and market share through improvements to trading infrastructure and participant proposition.

• Develop strategies to attract new brokers, market makers, liquidity providers and institutional participants.

• Identify opportunities for new trading products, functionality, market models and participant services.

• Work closely with commercial teams to develop propositions that strengthen the exchange's competitive position.

• Support international participant and technology partnerships across Australia and Asia-Pacific.

• Develop appropriate metrics covering trading volumes, liquidity, participant growth, system performance, connectivity and commercial performance.

• Use market and participant data to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.

Regulatory, Risk & Governance

• Maintain strong relationships with relevant regulators and market infrastructure stakeholders.

• Ensure trading systems and market infrastructure operate within applicable regulatory, governance and market integrity requirements.

• Maintain a strong understanding of exchange rules, market structure, trading obligations and operational resilience requirements.

• Work closely with risk, compliance, legal and operations teams to ensure appropriate controls across trading infrastructure.

• Contribute to senior executive and board-level discussions regarding trading strategy, infrastructure, operational resilience, technology risk and market development.

• Ensure appropriate governance over material changes to trading systems, market structure and participant connectivity.

• Balance innovation and commercial growth with market integrity, operational resilience and regulatory obligations.

Leadership & Transformation

• Lead and develop high-performing teams across trading, market infrastructure and participant-facing functions.

• Establish a culture of operational excellence, accountability, innovation and strong risk and control discipline.

• Lead major trading-system transformation and market infrastructure initiatives.

• Drive automation, scalability and process improvement across trading and participant operations.

• Partner closely with technology, operations, risk, compliance, legal and commercial functions.

• Build an operating model capable of supporting future growth in trading volumes, participants and products.

• Lead through complex technology, regulatory and market changes across multiple stakeholders.

About you

We are seeking a senior financial markets executive with a substantial track record in exchange trading, trading technology, market infrastructure, electronic trading, broker connectivity or related financial market businesses.

The ideal candidate will combine deep technical understanding of trading environments with strong commercial judgement, operational discipline and the ability to engage credibly with senior executives across brokers, market makers, institutional investors, technology providers, regulators and other market infrastructure organisations.

You will be comfortable operating between technology and financial markets, translating participant requirements into practical infrastructure and trading-system improvements while maintaining a strong focus on resilience, market quality and commercial outcomes.

Essential experience

• 10+ years' experience in financial markets, exchange trading, electronic trading, market infrastructure, trading technology, brokerage or related businesses.

• Significant senior leadership experience within an exchange, trading venue, financial market infrastructure provider, broker, investment bank, proprietary trading firm or related organisation.

• Deep practical understanding of exchange trading systems, matching engines, order management, market data, trading protocols and participant connectivity.

• Strong understanding of broker, market maker, liquidity provider and institutional participant requirements.

• Demonstrated experience managing or influencing complex trading platforms and critical market infrastructure.

• Experience working with third-party technology providers, connectivity providers and market infrastructure organisations.

• Proven experience managing operational performance, technology risk, resilience, controls and regulatory requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams spanning technology, trading, operations, risk, compliance and commercial functions.

• Strong commercial orientation, including experience identifying opportunities to increase participation, liquidity, trading volumes or market share.

• Established relationships across Australian or Asia-Pacific brokers, market participants, technology providers and financial market infrastructure organisations.

• Strong stakeholder management skills and the credibility to engage with regulators, boards and senior industry executives.

How to apply

Submit your CV via ••••@financerecruitment.com.au

Please note that all applications will be treated as extremely confidential and only short-listed candidates will be contacted.