Company Overview
[$COMPANY_OVERVIEW]
Role Overview
[$COMPANY_NAME] is seeking a Senior Foreign Exchange (FX) Clerk to lead day-to-day FX operations and settlements for high-volume, multi-currency flow. In this senior operations role you will own end-to-end trade lifecycle processes — from trade capture through confirmation, settlement, reconciliation and exception management — while driving STP, operational resilience, and risk mitigation. You will work cross-functionally with Treasury, Sales, Trading, Middle Office, Risk & Compliance, and Technology to operationalize product changes and automation initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end FX trade lifecycle: trade capture, confirmation (SWIFT MT3xx/MT2xx/ISO20022), matching, netting, settlement (bank/CLS/RTGS), and timely reconciliation against back-office records.
- Manage and resolve settlement exceptions, breaks and intraday fails; investigate root cause using trade blotters, SWIFT logs, FIX messages and settlement reports, and coordinate fixes with counterparties and clearing banks.
- Lead daily operations for spot, forwards, NDFs, swaps, and exotic FX ticket flows; ensure P&L feed integrity and timely trade enrichment for downstream systems.
- Maintain operational controls: pre- and post-trade checks, payment instruction validation, sanction screening handoffs, and adherence to cut-off times and settlement cycles (T+0/T+1/T+2 where applicable).
- Drive STP and automation initiatives: partner with engineering and process automation teams to implement straight-through processing improvements (RPA, Python scripts, API integrations) and reduce manual touchpoints by measurable KPIs.
- Design, document and own Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), runbooks, and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) related to FX operations and contingency processes.
- Provide subject matter expertise for change control: participate in testing and UAT for trade capture, middle-office systems, and payment engine releases; validate reconciliations, message formats (FIX, SWIFT, ISO20022) and parity across environments.
- Monitor operational risk and regulatory compliance: prepare required reporting for internal audit, regulatory exams, trade surveillance, and assist with periodic controls testing.
- Coach and mentor junior clerks and contractors; lead shift/handover processes and continuous improvement workshops to raise team capability and resilience.
- Own KPIs and SLAs for the desk: settlement success rate, exception backlog, time-to-resolution, STP rate, and operational cost-per-ticket; present metrics to stakeholders and propose remediation plans.
Required and Preferred Qualifications
Required:
- 6+ years of FX operations, treasury operations, or middle/back-office experience at a bank, broker-dealer, or electronic FX venue with progressive responsibility.
- Deep knowledge of FX products (spot, forwards, swaps, NDFs, options) and settlement mechanisms (bank transfer, CLS, netting).
- Hands-on experience with SWIFT messaging (MT103/202/300/320/330 series), ISO20022 basics, FIX lifecycle messages, and trade matching tools.
- Proven track record managing intraday settlement and exception workflows, with strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis ability.
- Proficiency with Excel (advanced formulas, pivot tables, VBA/macros) and experience querying trade and settlement databases using SQL.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; experience authoring SOPs and incident reports.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and mentor junior staff.
Preferred:
- Experience with CLS, CHIPS, Fedwire, TARGET2, SWIFT gpi, and correspondent banking operations.
- Familiarity with treasury and risk systems (e.g., Murex, Calypso, 360T, Bloomberg, Refinitiv Eikon) and message-based integrations.
- Practical scripting or automation experience (Python, PowerShell, UiPath/RPA) to prototype reconciliation and reporting automations.
- Relevant certifications such as ACI Dealing Certificate, Certificate in Treasury Operations, or FRM/CAIA exposure.
- Prior exposure to regulatory reporting requirements (EMIR, Dodd-Frank, MIFID II transaction reporting) or sanctions screening workflows.
Technical Skills and Relevant Technologies
- SWIFT MT and ISO20022 message formats; FIX protocol message flows and trade lifecycle conventions.
- Settlement platforms and banking rails: CLS, RTGS, CHIPS, TARGET2, Fedwire.
- Trade capture / treasury systems: Murex, Calypso, 360T, or equivalent; front-office blotters and middle-office ticketing systems.
- Data tools: SQL (Postgres, Oracle), Excel (VBA/macros), Bloomberg/Refinitiv Eikon, and ETL familiarity.
- Automation & integrations: REST APIs, Python scripting, RPA tools (UiPath/Automation Anywhere), message queuing and transformation (XML/JSON).
Soft Skills and Cultural Fit
- Analytical rigor: ability to decompose complex breaks and propose durable fixes, supported by data and reproducible test cases.
- Risk-first mindset: proactive identification of control gaps and clear escalation to stakeholders and risk owners.
- Leadership presence: experience running operational shifts, incident calls, and post-incident reviews while maintaining composure under pressure.
- Collaborative communicator: effective at translating technical issues to non-technical stakeholders and aligning cross-functional teams.
- Continuous improvement orientation: curious, metrics-driven, and committed to automation and process simplification.
Benefits and Perks
Salary range: [$SALARY_RANGE]
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans and flexible spending accounts.
- Retirement plan with company match, performance bonus program, and equity or long-term incentive plans where applicable.
- Professional development budget, paid certification support, and internal career mobility tracks into treasury, risk or technology roles.
- Generous paid time off, parental leave, and wellbeing benefits including mental health services.
- Hybrid working model with dedicated collaboration days, on-site amenities and commuter benefits in [$COMPANY_LOCATION].
Equal Opportunity Statement
[$COMPANY_NAME] is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or other protected characteristics under applicable law.
Location
This is a hybrid position based in [$COMPANY_LOCATION]. A successful candidate will be expected to work from the office at least three days per week to support cross-functional coordination, training and on-shift coverage.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your resume and a concise cover letter outlining your FX operations experience and key accomplishments. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.