We have partnered with our client in their search for a Senior Digital Asset Technology Risk Engineer.
About the Role
As this financial services client expands its institutional digital asset capabilities, we are seeking a highly technical Senior Digital Asset Technology Risk Engineer to join the Digital Asset Oversight team within Technology Risk Management.
This role is deeply hands-on and technically immersive. You will work directly with engineering teams to review code, analyze cloud-native architectures, assess blockchain integrations, and evaluate distributed systems supporting institutional digital asset platforms. While positioned within Technology Risk Management, this is not a policy-only or checklist-driven role - it requires active engagement with system design and technical implementation details.
The ideal candidate combines strong software and cloud architecture fluency with digital asset custody experience and the ability to clearly communicate technical risk to senior stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
Hands-On Technical Risk Assessment
- Review application code, APIs, and infrastructure configurations supporting institutional digital asset platforms.
- Analyze architecture diagrams and technical specifications across blockchain integrations, custody workflows, and transaction systems.
- Identify design gaps, security vulnerabilities, and operational risks in distributed, cloud-native environments.
- Conduct threat modeling and technical risk assessments throughout the product development lifecycle.
Cloud & Distributed Systems Evaluation
- Assess Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environments for secure configuration, identity management, encryption, logging, and resilience.
- Evaluate Kafka-based event streaming architectures for data integrity, fault tolerance, and secure message handling.
- Review key management and HSM integrations within digital asset custody environments.
Institutional Digital Asset Risk Analysis
- Assess risks related to institutional custody models, including wallet segregation, key generation processes, transaction authorization flows, and recovery mechanisms.
- Evaluate smart contract integrations and tokenization frameworks from a security and operational risk perspective.
- Analyze blockchain node infrastructure and third-party integrations for security and resiliency considerations.
Engineering Partnership
- Partner directly with development teams to provide practical, technically grounded risk feedback.
- Participate in design reviews and sprint-level discussions to ensure risks are addressed early in development.
- Recommend risk-informed technical solutions aligned with enterprise standards and regulatory expectations.
Executive Communication
- Translate technical findings into concise, leadership-ready summaries.
- Develop clear documentation and reporting that enables senior stakeholders to understand digital asset technology risks.
- Contribute to governance forums by articulating key technical tradeoffs and residual risks.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Security, or related technical field.
- 8+ years of experience in software engineering, cloud security, cybersecurity, or technology risk within financial services or institutional digital asset environments.
- Direct experience with institutional (not retail) digital asset platforms, including custody or blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
- Strong hands-on experience with:
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Kafka or distributed event streaming systems
- Experience reviewing or contributing to codebases in modern development environments.
- Deep understanding of blockchain security fundamentals, key management, and digital asset transaction lifecycles.
- Ability to communicate complex technical risk clearly to non-technical leadership.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with institutional crypto custody platforms.
- Familiarity with HSMs and enterprise key management systems.
- Experience conducting secure design reviews within cloud-native architectures.
- Knowledge of smart contract risk considerations and audit principles.
- Experience operating within regulated financial environments (SEC, OCC, FINRA, NYDFS).
- Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, or Google Cloud Security certifications.
Title: Senior Digital Asset Technology Risk Engineer
Location: Southlake, Austin, Omaha, Chicago, or Orlando
Client Industry: Financial Services
Compensation: $85-$95/hour
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About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
