Settlements Analyst

Role Overview

The Settlements team are responsible for supporting a multitude of Fixed Income and Cash Equity broking desks in several EMEA locations including performing a variety of Settlement Middle office tasks to ensure both timely and accurate matching of trades within a controlled environment. The team settle principal bond, equity & money market instruments (CDs, Commercial Paper, notes) trades via Euroclear or in 30+ local domestic markets utilising an agent bank network (BNY Mellon, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank etc).

The company has no trading position or portfolio & so we deem this ‘Matched Principal’ (buys & sells are matched exactly) which is also sometimes called turnaround trading. ICAP have a small stock loan business which is processed by the Settlements team and can be a manually intensive task. Also in this team we have resource that looks after corporate actions (mainly coupon & dividend payments) that arise due to the principal trading.

The main function of the team is to ensure that all trades are matched with clients so that the purchases & sales settle on time with zero cost to the company, as trade sizes are very large & carry associated risks. The team also undertake nostro & depot reconciliations for the associated accounts. Most staff work 8am to 5pm however we require some coverage from 7am and then until 8pm to cover US settlements.

The team implements a limited shift rota to cover these extended hours.

• Timely matching of trades and resolution of any exceptions same day
• Validation of front office amendments / cancellations where necessary
• Provision of first line support to brokers for any settlements queries
• Escalation any issues (where necessary) to management
• Collaboration with peripheral teams to ensure the data is correct to support the trade flow
• Daily review of cross desk trading to ensure a flat book and escalation any residual balances
• The maintaining and clearing exception queues in a timely and efficient manner
• Daily reconciliations are performed and exceptions that arise resolved
• To provide support on any relevant project, under the direction and oversight of your Manager
• To work with team manager, to fulfil the implementation of any changes necessary within the Settlements function in relation to regulatory and business requirements
• To provide support for any internal or external audits as required
• To support our Technology teams in technical developments, including UAT and post-release support

• Demonstrates excellent attention to detail, possesses high organisation skills & a proactive approach
• Demonstrates strong analytical ability and problem solving skills
• Demonstrates the ability to work effectively in a high pressure environment
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills; adapts communication style to suit audience
• Shows evidence of being comfortable working in fast paced or pressured environments
• Skilled in Microsoft applications software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

• Knowledge of financial markets
• Previous experience in a similar organisation

Professional / 4