Company Overview
[$COMPANY_OVERVIEW]
Role Overview
[$COMPANY_NAME] is hiring a Senior Foreign Exchange Clerk to own middle- and back-office FX trade lifecycle operations across spot, forward, swaps, non-deliverable forwards (NDFs), and OTC derivatives. You will design and maintain robust trade capture, settlement, and reconciliations processes; resolve intraday and post-trade breaks; and drive process and automation improvements that reduce operational risk and lower T+ settlement exceptions. This senior individual contributor role requires deep practical experience with FX platforms, counterparty workflows, regulatory reporting, and proven ability to lead cross-functional remediation projects with front office, treasury, legal, and technology teams.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end FX trade lifecycle: trade capture, confirmation, matching, settlement instruction generation, settlement monitoring, and exception management for spot, forward, swap and NDF products.
- Lead intraday surveillance and break resolution: investigate trade mismatches using SWIFT messages (MT300/300/300+ variants), FIX logs, and platform audit trails; coordinate fixes with counterparties and custodians to ensure timely settlement.
- Manage settlement operations for multi-currency flows including CLS, nostro/vostro reconciliations, nostro funding, liquidity sweeps, and FX cash management.
- Drive operational risk reduction initiatives: implement enhanced reconciliations, root cause analysis, post-trade controls, and process automation (RPA, Python scripts, or Excel macros) to eliminate repeat breaks and reduce manual intervention.
- Partner with Technology and Product to define requirements, test and deploy trade capture and reconciliation system enhancements (e.g., Murex, Calypso, Wallstreet Suite, Misys, or proprietary platforms).
- Coordinate with Compliance, KYC/AML, and Legal on counterparty onboarding requirements, sanctions screening, regulatory reporting (EMIR, Dodd-Frank, SFTR where applicable), and audit responses.
- Maintain and improve operational documentation including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), playbooks for trade exceptions, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for process changes.
- Mentor junior operations staff: lead shift handovers, conduct quality reviews, and own training on trade lifecycle tools, SWIFT messaging, and exception handling methodologies.
- Produce operational metrics and dashboards: daily P&L reconciliations, settlement fail rates, exception aging, and process KPIs using SQL, Tableau/Power BI, or equivalent BI tools.
Required and Preferred Qualifications
Required:
- 5+ years of hands-on FX operations, treasury operations, or middle-office experience covering spot, forwards, swaps and NDFs in a bank, broker-dealer, or corporate treasury environment.
- Proven expertise with SWIFT messaging standards (MT300/202/900 series), FIX protocol familiarity, and experience working with CLS settlement flows.
- Strong understanding of nostro/vostro accounting, settlement instruction lifecycle, confirmations (ISDA/FX confirmations), and custody interactions.
- Practical skills with reconciliation tools and query languages: SQL, advanced Excel (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, pivot tables, VBA/macros) and exposure to Python or R for automation.
- Experience managing operational risk, root cause analysis, and implementing remediation projects; familiarity with industry regulations (EMIR, Dodd-Frank, SFTR, local FX reporting requirements).
- Excellent stakeholder management with front office, technology, compliance, and counterparty operations; clear written and verbal communication.
Preferred:
- Experience with enterprise platforms such as Murex, Calypso, Broadridge, or proprietary trading and settlement systems.
- Familiarity with messaging gateways, message enrichment, and middleware (SWIFT Alliance, SAA, MQ systems).
- Track record of delivering automation (RPA, Python, Airflow) to reduce manual processing and exception volumes.
- Certifications such as CISI, ACAMS, Certificate in Treasury Fundamentals or other industry credentials.
Technical Skills and Relevant Technologies
- SWIFT MT messaging (MT300, MT202, MTn99 family) and FIX protocol
- CLS settlement operations and nostro/vostro accounting
- Trade capture systems: Murex, Calypso, Wallstreet Suite, Broadridge, or equivalent
- Reconciliation and middle-office tools; Excel advanced functions, VBA macros
- SQL for data extraction and reconciliation; Python for scripting/automation
- BI and dashboarding: Tableau, Power BI, Looker (or equivalent)
- Ticketing and workflow systems: JIRA, ServiceNow, or internal OMS/EMS
Soft Skills and Cultural Fit
- Proven leadership in operations: running post-trade remediation projects, writing SOPs, and leading incident post-mortems.
- Bias for operational excellence: meticulous attention to detail, ownership of outcomes, and measurable track record reducing exceptions and settlement fails.
- Strong communicator who can translate technical/system issues into business impact for senior stakeholders and external counterparties.
- Collaborative mindset with experience mentoring junior staff and improving team capability.
- Adaptable under pressure: experience resolving high-severity operational incidents during settlement windows and market stress.
Benefits and Perks
Salary Range: [$SALARY_RANGE]
We offer a competitive total rewards package including:
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits
- 401(k) or local equivalent with employer match / pension contributions
- Paid time off, parental leave, and paid volunteer days
- Annual learning & development stipend and certification reimbursement
- Commuter allowance and flexible working arrangements
- Performance bonus and long-term incentive opportunities where applicable
Equal Opportunity Statement
[$COMPANY_NAME] is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those who may not meet every listed requirement but bring relevant skills, aptitude, and a growth mindset.
Location
This is a hybrid role based in [$COMPANY_LOCATION]. A successful candidate will be expected to work from the office at least three days per week for cross-functional collaboration, settlement window coverage, and training; flexible remote days are available.
How to Apply
We encourage applicants to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting your FX operations experience, key achievements in reducing settlement exceptions, and availability. Candidates selected for interviews will be asked to provide examples of process improvements or automation you have led.