A US-anchored, multi-billion-dollar holding company with interests across financial services, insurance, principal investing, and technology is building out its APAC platform from a new Singapore hub. We are hiring a Chief Operating Officer to be the foundational operations, regulatory, and finance leader on the ground — reporting into the Singapore-based hiring principal with a direct line into the US leadership team.
The Firm
The firm is a privately held multinational holding company anchored in the US, with interests spanning asset management, insurance, principal balance-sheet investing, and emerging technology partnerships. The group operates and invests in businesses across financial services and adjacent sectors, backed by patient permanent capital and a strategic sovereign-wealth partnership. The APAC platform is at a genuine day-zero stage — Singapore has been chosen as the regional hub, with Japan and Australia expected to follow.
The Role
This is a foundational hire. You will step in as the first non-investment principal on the ground and take direct operational ownership of the APAC build. You will drive the in-flight MAS Fund Management Company licence application to completion, restructure the existing Singapore HoldCo and OpCo, architect the platform's treasury and revenue-booking framework so that Asia-generated revenues are captured out of Singapore, and coordinate the network of external counsel, tax advisors, fund administrators, and prime-brokerage counterparts. Over time you will support the launch of new Singapore VCC or MAS-licensed vehicles, distribution of existing US-managed fund products to Asian institutional and family-office LPs, and the future setup of legal entities in Japan and Australia.
Key Responsibilities
- Take ownership of the MAS Fund Management Company licence application currently in flight, and manage subsequent SFC, ASIC, and other regional licensing workstreams.
- Re-architect the Singapore HoldCo / OpCo structure with external counsel and tax advisors, ensuring the platform is set up for scalable growth and efficient revenue booking.
- Design and implement the platform's treasury and finance framework, including cash management, entity accounting, and cross-border revenue-booking logic.
- Manage vendor relationships across external counsel, tax advisors, fund administrators, prime-brokerage counterparts, and technology providers.
- Support operational scaffolding for principal balance-sheet deployment into APAC direct-lending, private credit, and other private-market opportunities.
- Support operational scaffolding for the distribution of existing US-managed fund products to Asian institutional and family-office LPs.
- Build out the Asia operations organisation underneath the COO — compliance, finance, ops, legal, and technology headcount — as the platform scales.
- Represent the Asia platform to US principals with credibility, and quarterback between US stakeholders and Asia-based external counterparts.
Requirements
- Personal experience building a fund, a platform, or a regional entity from scratch on the buy-side or from a sell-side prime brokerage / fund-administration base.
- Direct APAC financial-services regulatory experience — MAS Fund Management Company licence is the priority; equivalent SFC (Hong Kong) or ASIC (Australia) experience is welcome.
- Treasury, finance, and revenue-booking architecture experience for a regional asset-management or investment platform.
- A demonstrable GSD (get shit done) temperament and a working network across Singapore counsel, MAS, KPMG-style tax advisors, prime brokers, and fund administrators.
- Excellent English communication and executive presence in front of US-based principals.
- Willingness and legal ability to be based full-time in Singapore. Some regional travel flexibility is available for the right candidate.
What's on Offer
- A market-competitive base salary and discretionary bonus, with the opportunity for long-term-incentive participation in the Asia platform build (subject to confirmation).
- A foundational hire on the APAC build of a US-anchored, multi-billion-dollar holding company backed by patient permanent capital and a sovereign-wealth anchor.
- Direct sight-line to US principals and the ability to shape the platform's regional structure, licensing footprint, and vendor stack from day one.
- Multi-vertical exposure in a single seat: principal credit deployment, fund distribution, MAS-licensed fund launches, and future Japan / Australia entity expansion.
- Strategic AI positioning at the parent level — the platform is a public collaborator with two leading AI vendors on enterprise applications for financial services.
- Entrepreneurial culture: lean, athletes / Swiss-army-knife style, no bureaucracy, no title politics.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a brief note to Rhythy Yeung at Darmax Global ([Confidential Information]). Applications are treated in strict confidence; you will not be presented to the client without your prior consent. Successful applicants can expect a first-round conversation with Darmax followed by a structured interview process with the client
