Trade Operations Associate

About the role

The Trade Operations Associate provides trade desk support and settlements oversight, with a focus on operational functions and support for separately managed accounts (SMAs). This role covers primary working hours from early morning through early afternoon, with occasional shift rotation to support late-afternoon or early-evening coverage and cross-training needs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Creating new accounts within applicable systems, with emphasis on SMA setup.
• Maintaining account information within applicable systems, with emphasis on SMA account updates and ongoing operational support.
• Setting up new brokers and maintaining Standard Settlement Instructions (SSIs) to support accurate trade processing and settlement.
• Reviewing and resolving unmatched and failed trades.
• Providing daily trade optimizer and order management system support, including beginning-of-day checks, reconciliation, account setup, new security setup, and order creation.
• Monitoring trade matching, SWIFT messaging, and settlement activity to support timely and accurate trade processing.
• Communicating trade details and coordinating with third-party service providers, brokers, custodians, and trade desk personnel on trade notification, settlement resolution, and operational inquiries.
• Supporting end-of-day functions, including exporting trade and security files from proprietary systems, posting trades to SMA portals, sending trade files to counterparties, and generating end-of-day trade summaries.
• Creating scheduled and ad hoc reports to support trade operations, settlement oversight, and related departmental needs.
• Occasionally participating in shift rotation to support late-afternoon or early-evening coverage and cross-training needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field (or equivalent relevant experience), with experience or working knowledge of trade operations, settlements, reconciliations, SMAs, or related investment operations functions.
• Familiarity with securities markets, trade lifecycle activities, broker/custodian interactions, and standard settlement processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications and the ability to learn investment operations systems; experience with Bloomberg, DTCC, InvestorTools Perform, IMTC, or similar systems is preferred. Experience using AI tools to streamline operational workflows is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify discrepancies, investigate issues, and escalate exceptions appropriately.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in an organized, reliable manner, working independently while also collaborating effectively as part of a team.
• Clear, professional communication skills with internal teams, brokers, custodians, and third-party service providers.
• Flexible, adaptable, and service-oriented, with a commitment to timely, accurate, and efficient trade operations, including occasional shift rotation and overtime as needed.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.