Smarkets

Chief Risk Officer

Chicago · Exec

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 35 days ago

CybersecurityLoad TestingLeadership

About the role

This is a senior leadership role sitting within our CFTC-regulated business unit, with responsibility for the enterprise risk management function across our Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO).
You will be the most senior risk voice in the business, owning the identification, assessment, and mitigation of every risk facing the entity.

Own the end-to-end enterprise risk management programme for Smarkets Board of Trade (DCM): policies, controls, monitoring, stress testing and reporting, ready for go-live.
Establish and maintain risk assessment processes across market volatility and trading disruptions, technology failures and cyber threats, vendor and third-party dependencies, and compliance and internal control weaknesses.
Own Core Principle 20 (System Safeguards): embed system safeguards testing, cyber resilience, business continuity and recovery planning into day-to-day operations.
Oversee or conduct stress testing and backtesting relevant to market and technology risk, and maintain the risk register with clear escalation of significant events to the CEO and regulatory authorities.
Develop risk mitigation strategies and monitor risk indicators across all business units, including those operating across jurisdictions (for example, engineering in the UK).

Experience with system safeguards testing, cybersecurity risk, and business continuity and disaster recovery planning in a regulated trading environment.

Senior risk leader with 7+ years of senior experience in risk management, ideally within derivatives markets, exchanges, clearinghouses, or other financial infrastructure providers.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a proven track record working in a small scale fast-paced creative work environment.
Deep understanding of the CFTC's risk and system safeguards expectations, including Core Principle 20 (System Safeguards), stress testing, and operational resilience requirements.
Strong background identifying and analysing technology risk, counterparty exposures, and internal control weaknesses, and translating them into a defensible, audit-ready risk framework.
Proficiency with established risk assessment frameworks (COSO ERM, ISO 31000) and control testing, applied across financial, operational, and systemic risk.
CFA or FRM certification is desirable.
Experience partnering with the CEO and board on risk strategy, board-level governance, and risk reporting, including engagement with regulators at an institutional level.

We offer a competitive salary package and benefits, along with a dynamic and collaborative work environment.

We offer a competitive salary package and benefits, along with a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
We have designed our benefits offering around Health, Wealth, Lifestyle and Development.

This listing is sourced directly from Smarkets's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.