Head of Operations (Digital Transfer Agency) US

ZILO • Boston, MA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Head of Operations – US holds in-jurisdiction operational accountability for ZILO’s SEC-registered transfer agent. The role owns US-hours coverage of the dealing window, turnaround performance, exception handling and escalation, and the daily operational close. It is the senior ZILO operations role in the United States and line manages the Operations Analyst – US. The role works with ZILO’s centralised UK operations hub, which performs day-to-day processing, while the US role remains accountable for operational outcomes in the jurisdiction.

ZILO is establishing a regulated digital transfer agency for tokenised funds. The service maintains the register and legal record of title for funds whose units are issued as tokens across the United States, Luxembourg, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The register is digital-native, and the processes, controls and evidence standards are being developed from first principles. These are founding roles in the service, so the successful candidate will help shape its operational practices.

The role oversees the UK hub’s delegated processing for the US line, holds operational oversight of its controls, and ensures that the processing and evidence meet ZILO’s standards and the SEC’s expectations. It owns operational readiness for launch, including cutover, parallel running and operational elements of registration and go-live. The role also holds accountability for the US master securityholder file and daily three-way reconciliation, serves as the named primary holder of the US TA Controller function, and manages operational relationships with the distributing broker-dealer and other relevant providers. The role supports governance, SEC examination readiness, fund board reporting and operational risk escalation.

Requirements

• Proven operational leadership in a US transfer agency, fund administration or investment platform environment, with direct experience of a registered transfer agent’s obligations.
• Working knowledge of the Section 17A and 17Ad rule set as applied in practice, including turnaround, recordkeeping, the control book, aged record differences and the annual control study.
• Experience owning a dealing window end to end, including cut-off enforcement, forward pricing and the operational consequences of a late or failed NAV.
• Experience with an outsourced or intra-group delivery model, holding a provider to account while remaining answerable to the regulator for outsourced work.
• Strong reconciliation discipline and sound judgement in distinguishing a timing break from a control failure.
• Confident escalation and clear written communication, including the ability to produce records that can withstand an SEC examination.
• Experience line managing operational staff and maintaining standards across a team working in more than one location.
• Eligibility to be fingerprinted and submitted for an FBI criminal history record check through an approved channeler under Rule 17f-2; this is a condition of appointment.
• Operational ownership: ability to hold the in-jurisdiction outcome while work is performed elsewhere, without duplicating or rubber-stamping the hub.
• Regulatory literacy and the judgement to translate registered transfer agent obligations to the SEC into daily practice.
• Comfort engaging with a digital-native register rather than imposing traditional patterns on it.
• High accuracy in processing, documentation and control evidence, recognising that register errors have direct investor consequences.
• Adaptability in a growth-stage environment where processes and answers may not yet exist, and willingness to help build what is missing.
• Ability to explain operational and regulatory matters plainly to colleagues, auditors, counterparties and regulators.

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to tokenised funds, digital assets or blockchain-based settlement infrastructure.
• Experience with a transfer agent operating a money market fund, including same-day and intraday dealing patterns.
• Experience with a transfer agency launch or registration, rather than only steady-state operations.
• Familiarity with broker-dealer distribution relationships and payment attestation models.
• Experience with transfer agency platforms such as Multifonds, GTAS or similar.

Responsibilities

• Hold in-jurisdiction operational accountability for the registrant’s performance of applicable transfer agent rules, including turnaround, posting and the control book, aged record differences, and records creation and retention.
• Own the US transfer agency’s operational outcomes, including dealing-window coverage, turnaround, exception clearance and escalation, and the daily operational close during US hours.
• Act as the escalation point between the UK operations hub and the US registrant, ensuring issues arising outside UK working hours are handled promptly and evidenced.
• Oversee delegated UK hub processing for the US line and assess whether it meets ZILO’s standards and the SEC’s expectations of the registrant.
• Own operational readiness for launch, including cutover, parallel running, and operational elements of registration and the go-live plan.
• Line manage the Operations Analyst – US, set objectives, review output and maintain the standard of the in-jurisdiction team.
• Review controls operated by the UK hub for the US line and the evidence they produce, without re-performing those controls.
• Maintain continuity of the US line through planned and unplanned absence, using named UK hub analyst cover and documented handovers at each end of the US day.
• Hold in-jurisdiction accountability for the integrity of the master securityholder file, including its canonical on-chain record and off-chain book-entry layer.
• Own the daily three-way reconciliation outcome for the US line and ensure timely investigation and clearance of breaks.
• Exercise the TA Controller function for the US line as named primary holder, including operational execution of token clawback and forced transfer when lawfully instructed; record and evidence any use of the standing delegation to the Head of Operations, ZILO UK operations hub.
• Manage the operational relationship with the distributing broker-dealer, including order flow, payment attestation quality and exception handling.
• Support oversight of the fund accountant, custodian, and identity and screening providers as they affect the US line, contributing to external service-provider oversight.
• Represent operational capability in due diligence, client operational reviews and fund board reporting.
• Evidence controls assigned to the US operations line and support the annual internal accounting control study, including its technology layer.
• Contribute operational records, walkthroughs and evidence for SEC examination readiness.
• Escalate operational risk events, near misses and control failures through the risk and compliance line without filtering.
• Provide operational support for the US line’s FATCA withholding and reporting obligations and support relevant Form TA-1 disclosures and amendments.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary; compensation details are available on application.
• Comprehensive US benefits package including medical cover, a 401(k) plan, paid time off and US public holidays; full details are available on application.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed