Head of Data Strategy

Job description

**About Us** Established in 2018, Bybit is one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges and digital financial platforms, serving over 80 million users across more than 200 countries and regions. Powered by world-class technology and a user-first mindset, Bybit delivers a seamless ecosystem across trading, payments, wealth management, custody, institutional services, and Web3 — connecting users to the future of digital finance. Our core values define how we build. We listen, care and improve to create products and experiences that put users first. Backed by a global team of ambitious builders, problem-solvers, and innovators, we foster a high-performance and fast-moving environment where talent is empowered to drive real impact at the global scale. Supported by 24/7 multilingual customer service and a strong commitment to innovation, we are shaping the future of finance through technology, collaboration, and bold execution. Today, Bybit is recognized as one of the most trusted and transparent platforms in the digital asset industry, continuing to expand its global presence while building the infrastructure for the next generation of financial services. #### Role Summary We are looking for a seasoned data strategist to lead and build the Data Strategy Group (DSG) within DSG — a 3-person team responsible for sourcing, negotiating, integrating, and maintaining external data streams that power Index Pricing Calculations. This is a hands-on leadership role combining commercial data partnership expertise with technical understanding, owning the full data lifecycle from source identification through ongoing operations and compliance. The ideal candidate has a background in data sourcing strategy within a trading firm, exchange, or financial data business — someone who understands how to identify unique and valuable data streams, negotiate commercial terms, and operationalize them at scale. #### Key Responsibilities #### Data Source Strategy & Discovery - Define and execute the data sourcing strategy aligned with DSG's Index Pricing roadmap - Identify and evaluate candidate data streams — market data vendors, exchanges, alternative data providers, OTC desks, and novel/non-traditional sources - Build and maintain a scoring framework assessing coverage, latency, reliability, cost, uniqueness, and licensing terms - Conduct proof-of-concept evaluations with shortlisted vendors - Maintain a continuous pipeline of potential future data sources to stay ahead of market developments #### Commercial Negotiation & Vendor Partnerships - Lead end-to-end pricing and contract negotiations with data vendors and partners - Structure licensing agreements covering redistribution rights, usage scope, derived data permissions, and audit clauses - Negotiate SLAs for uptime, latency, data correction policies, and support - Manage renewals, amendments, and terminations; benchmark pricing against market rates - Build and maintain long-term strategic relationships with key data partners - Own the full commercial relationship with all data vendors post-signature #### Technical Connectivity & Integration - Oversee the design and implementation of data ingestion pipelines (APIs, feeds, FTP, WebSocket, FIX, streaming protocols) - Coordinate with vendors on connectivity requirements (VPNs, cross-connects, credentialing) - Ensure normalization and validation layers meet Index Pricing quality standards - Work closely with the **Big Data Team** to ensure data is archived per retention policies and available for downstream analytics - Maintain integration documentation and operational runbooks #### Data Monitoring & Quality Assurance - Establish and oversee automated monitoring for data reliability (staleness, gaps, anomalies) - Ensure regular soundness checks (statistical validation, cross-source reconciliation) - Define alerting thresholds and escalation procedures - Produce periodic health reports for stakeholders; track vendor SLA adherence #### License & Compliance Management - Maintain a complete registry of data license agreements, terms, and obligations - Ensure all reporting requirements are met (usage reports, redistribution disclosures, audit responses) - Guarantee internal usage remains within contractual scope - Manage vendor audits and information requests - Flag renewals and renegotiation windows with minimum 90 days advance notice #### Team Leadership - Hire, mentor, and develop the two other DSG team members - Set team priorities and delivery cadence - Foster a documentation-first, cross-trained culture to mitigate single-point-of-failure risk #### Cross-Functional Collaboration This role works closely with: - **Financial Logic** — Pricing methodology alignment, calculation logic inputs, model validation - **Product Innovation** — New product requirements driving data needs, feature collaboration - **Risk** — Risk model data inputs, quality requirements for risk calculations, stress testing data - **Big Data Team** — Data archival, storage infrastructure, historical backfills - **Legal / Compliance** — Contract review, regulatory guidance, license interpretation - **Finance** — Budget management, cost tracking, vendor payments - **Technology / Infra** — Network connectivity, security review, environment provisioning #### Requirements #### Must Have - 8+ years in data strategy, data sourcing, or data partnerships within trading, exchanges, or financial services - Demonstrated experience identifying and acquiring unique or alternative data sources that provide competitive advantage - Proven track record negotiating commercial data agreements — pricing, licensing terms, redistribution rights, SLAs - Deep understanding of market data ecosystems (exchanges, vendors, alternative data providers, aggregators) - Strong understanding of index pricing or benchmark methodologies and the data inputs that drive them - Technical literacy — comfortable discussing APIs, data pipelines, connectivity architecture, and data quality frameworks - Experience building or managing small, high-performing teams - Excellent stakeholder management across commercial, technical, and senior leadership functions #### Nice to Have - Experience at a proprietary trading firm, quantitative fund, or exchange in a data sourcing/strategy capacity - Direct experience with cryptocurrency or derivatives market data (order books, trade feeds, reference data, on-chain data) - Background in alternative data identification, evaluation, and commercialization - Hands-on experience with data engineering tools (Python, SQL, streaming platforms) - Familiarity with data licensing models specific to financial markets (exchange fees, redistribution tiers, non-display usage, derived data policies) - Network of relationships across the market data vendor landscape ## **Why Join Us** At Bybit, we are committed to fostering a supportive and enriching work environment. Our benefits include: - Study Growth Fund: We support your professional development and continuous learning. - Internal Events: Participate in regular team-building activities, workshops, and events designed to promote collaboration and innovation. - Global Collaboration: Be part of a diverse, international team, working alongside colleagues from around the world. - Career Advancement: Access opportunities for growth and advancement within a rapidly expanding global company. - Internal Mobility: Grow with us- Your long-term development is important to us. We offer internal job opportunities to help build your career path.