Associate Trade Operations

Position: Associate – Trade Operations

Practice: Wealth Management

Job Title: Associate

Reporting To: Team Lead – Trade Operations

Experience: 2-3 years

About the role:

The Associate - Trade Operations manages the post-trade lifecycle for multiple asset classes and custodial relationships. Key responsibilities include accurate trade capture, compliance validation, allocation, confirmation, affirmation, reconciliation, and timely settlement with custodians and prime brokers. The associate also monitors and resolves routine exceptions, maintains standard operating procedures, supports operational controls, and contributes to process automation, T+1 settlement compliance, and operational readiness for evolving industry requirements.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Trade lifecycle management: Oversee daily trade operations for equities, fixed income, and options, ensuring accurate entry in Charles River Investment Management Solution (CRIMS), validation, routing, allocation, confirmation, affirmation, and settlement.
• Custodian and prime broker coordination: Liaise with Pershing, Fidelity, Schwab, and Goldman Sachs on brokerage and trade-away settlements. Ensure accurate booking and reconciliation, investigate failed trades and mismatched instructions, and escalate complex issues as needed.
• Settlement and exception management: Oversee Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Omgeo workflows, monitor exceptions, resolve discrepancies before settlement deadlines, and support compliance with T+1 settlement requirements and other evolving industry initiatives.
• Reconciliation and risk control: Reconcile trades, cash, and positions daily between internal systems and custodians. Maintain accurate trade blotters and custodial records, resolve discrepancies, and document outcomes for audit and compliance.
• Process improvement and automation: Identify opportunities to enhance controls, automate workflows, and reduce manual processes. Assist trading and technology teams to implement settlement and reconciliation tools and maintain up-to-date Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Cross-functional collaboration: Collaborate with other business and technology teams to ensure seamless trade flow. Support custodian onboarding, system integrations, and knowledge sharing within the Trade Operations team.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have 2 to 3 years of hands-on trade operations experience with a U.S.-based registered investment adviser (RIA), asset manager, hedge fund, broker-dealer, or investment management organization.
• Experience with CRIMS and one or more custodian or prime brokerage platforms, including Pershing, Fidelity, Schwab, or Goldman Sachs.
• A working understanding of trade settlement, clearing, and custody operations, including DTCC and Omgeo workflows, is essential.
• Working knowledge of equities, fixed income, and options trade lifecycles is required.
• Candidates must demonstrate the ability to investigate settlement issues, resolve routine trade breaks, escalate complex exceptions, and contribute to process improvements. Strong attention to detail, a proactive approach, and the ability to perform effectively under tight deadlines are required.
• A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 or Series 99 license is preferred but not mandatory.