Institutional Business Development - Manager/Director
Operations · London · Full-time · On-site
Annual base salary: £165,000 – £190,000 GBP
Build and manage institutional relationships with exchanges, brokers, and liquidity providers.
Role description
Westren Capital is a London-based proprietary trading firm specialising in digital asset markets. Our institutional business development function builds and manages relationships with exchanges, prime brokers, liquidity providers, and other institutional counterparties that the firm's trading activity depends on.
This role is about substance over networking theatre. Relationships here exist to solve real problems - better execution terms, deeper liquidity access, faster onboarding, fewer operational headaches - not to fill a contacts list.
Responsibilities
Identify, build, and manage relationships with exchanges, brokers, custodians, and other institutional counterparties relevant to the firm's trading activity
Negotiate commercial terms, fee structures, and access arrangements that materially improve the firm's execution and infrastructure
Act as the primary point of contact for key institutional relationships, including during periods of operational or market stress
Work closely with trading, risk, and operations to understand what the firm actually needs from a counterparty relationship, not just what looks good on paper
Track market developments, new venues, and emerging counterparties relevant to the firm's strategy
Represent the firm externally the way we actually operate: direct, substantive, allergic to fluff
Requirements
Requirements:
Demonstrated experience in institutional business development, relationship management, or a related commercial role within trading, exchanges, or financial infrastructure
Strong understanding of market structure, execution, and the operational needs of a proprietary trading firm
Track record of negotiating and closing commercial agreements that delivered measurable value, not just goodwill
Excellent communication skills, both externally with counterparties and internally with trading and operations teams
Prior exposure to digital asset markets, exchanges, or crypto infrastructure is a strong advantage
Self-motivated, comfortable owning relationships end-to-end, from first contact to ongoing management