Trade Operation Associate

Trade Operation Associate – London

A Japanese financial institution is recruiting a Trade Operation Associate in London. In this role, you will be responsible for pre‑trade and post‑trade processing, settlements, trade reconciliation, and liaison with custodians, counter parties, and prime brokers, as well as supporting audits, regulatory filings, and operational projects.

This is an excellent opportunity for a junior settlement professional to take the next step in their career, gaining greater responsibility and ownership across all trade settlement activities.

The ideal candidate should have 2+ years’ experience in middle/back office within a securities broker or asset management environment, but candidates with sales administration or accounting experience who can demonstrate strong transferable skills and the right mindset are welcome.

• Job type:
  Hybrid
• Visa support:
  May consider switching sponsorship for suitable candidates
• Contract:
  
  6‑month contract – strong possibility to be permanent depending on performance
• Working hours:
  
  Morning shift work is required on a rotation (Summer time from 7am, Winter time from 6am). Can work from home and come to office later on for the morning shift days
• Salary: 35K to 45K level – other salary range could be negotiable
• Start: ASAP
• Location:
  
  London city

• Manage both pre‑ and post‑trade processing for Equities and MTN.
• Work closely with custodians to resolve and extend settlement‑related queries.
• Liaise with counter parties and prime brokers regarding unconfirmed or unsettled trades, escalating issues as necessary to ensure timely settlement.
• Complete daily reconciliations and end‑of‑day checklist.
• Cross‑train and support team members.
• Escalate urgent issues to the Group Head of Trade Operations.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Front Office, Risk, Compliance, Accounting and overseas offices.
• Assist with audits, regulatory filings, and operational due diligence processes.
• Manage the account opening process for securities with clients and their prime brokers.
• Maintain operational manuals to audit standard.
• Provide cover for other team members during holidays or rotations.
• Support ad hoc projects, e.g. system migrations/upgrades, SWIFT CSP attestation.

• 2+ years’ experience in middle/back office within a securities broker or asset management environment, but strong administrative skillset holders in sales operation or accounting are also welcome.
• Strong understanding of the trade life cycle, settlement processes and reconciliation (cash and positions).
• Knowledge of market regulations and settlement procedures.
• Exceptional attention to detail, reliability and ownership of deliverables.
• Comfortable managing relationships with multiple counter parties.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work accurately under pressure.
• Working knowledge of SWIFT, CTM and Alert.
• Basic knowledge of Japanese (written, reading and spoken) would be beneficial.