Position: Senior Associate - Trade Operations

Job Overview: The Senior Trade Operations Associate is a key member of the Trading & Operations team responsible for managing the full post-trade lifecycle across multiple asset classes and custodial relationships. This individual ensures accurate and timely trade capture, confirmation, and settlement, while maintaining strong operational controls and proactively identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency through process automation.

The role requires deep knowledge of Charles River (CRIMS), custodial workflows, and prime brokerage settlement processes, along with a strong understanding of DTCC's confirmation/affirmation protocols. The position also plays a leadership role in driving operational readiness for T+1 settlement and other evolving industry initiatives.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Trade Lifecycle Management

Manage daily trade operations across equities, fixed income, and options—from trade capture to final settlement.
Ensure trades are entered correctly in Charles River, validated against compliance rules, and properly routed.
Oversee allocations, confirmations, and affirmations in coordination with custodians and brokers.

Custodian & Prime Broker Coordination

Act as the main point of contact for our custodians (Pershing, Fidelity, Schwab, Goldman Sachs).
Coordinate prime brokerage and trade-away settlements, ensuring all trades are booked and reconciled accurately.
Proactively investigate and resolve any failed trades, mismatched instructions, or settlement issues.

DTCC and Industry Process Oversight

Manage the DTCC confirmation and affirmation process to make sure trades are affirmed and settled on schedule.
Monitor exceptions and resolve trade discrepancies before settlement deadlines.
Stay current on industry changes, such as T+1 settlement and other post-trade updates.

Process Improvement & Automation

Identify areas where automation can streamline workflows or reduce manual touchpoints.
Partner with technology and trading teams to implement smarter settlement and reconciliation tools.
Keep our SOPs up to date to ensure consistency and clarity across processes.

Reconciliation & Risk Control

Perform daily reconciliations of trades, cash, and positions between internal systems and custodians.
Maintain the accuracy of trade blotters and custodial records.
Resolve discrepancies quickly and document resolutions for audit and compliance purposes.

Team Collaboration

Work closely with the trading desk, portfolio management, compliance, and finance to ensure seamless trade flow.
Share your expertise during new custodian setups or system integrations.
Mentor junior team members and help strengthen overall operational knowledge across the team.

Qualifications

Mandatory Qualifications

Minimum of 5 - 7 years in trade operations within an RIA, asset manager, hedge fund, or broker-dealer.
Hands-on experience with Charles River (CRIMS) and custodian platforms (Pershing, Fidelity, Schwab, Goldman Sachs).
Deep understanding of trade settlement, clearing, and custody operations, including DTCC and Omgeo workflows.
Strong working knowledge of equities, fixed income, and options trade lifecycles.
Proven ability to troubleshoot settlement issues and reduce breaks through process improvements.
Comfortable working with data and systems—advanced Excel skills and familiarity with automation tools are a plus.
A proactive mindset, strong attention to detail, and the ability to stay calm under tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading or supporting T+1 settlement readiness or other industry initiatives.
Familiarity with SWIFT messaging, FIX trade flows, or other electronic trading protocols.
Prior experience managing vendor relationships or system integrations.
FINRA licenses (Series 7 or 99) are preferred but not required.

Performance Metrics

Settlement accuracy and timeliness.
Reduction in settlement breaks and operational exceptions.
Successful implementation of process improvements and automation.
Quality of internal documentation and SOPs.
Effective collaboration across teams and external partners.