CAREERS

JOB AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE:

Middle Office Specialist

LOCATION:

London

REPORTS TO:

Ciaran Doherty

REASON FOR HIRE:

Replacement

JOB SPECIFICATION

COMPANY/DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW

Brevan Howard Asset Management is one of the leading absolute return/hedge fund managers, overseeing assets on behalf of institutional investors from around the world, including pension funds, endowments, insurance companies, government agencies, private banks, and fund of funds.

Brevan Howard was founded in 2002 and launched its flagship global macro strategy in April 2003. The firm currently manages over $34bn and engages predominantly in discretionary directional and relative value trading in fixed income, FX markets, and equities. BH Digital, a division within Brevan Howard that manages crypto and digital asset strategies was launched in 2022.

The firm currently employs over 1,100 personnel worldwide, including over 300 investment professionals. This global presence gives Brevan Howard the ability to identify and source attractive investment opportunities, as well as investment management talent wherever they may be. Brevan Howard has won several industry awards for excellence in risk management, operational robustness, and investment performance.

The firm’s main hubs are in London, Jersey, Geneva, New York, Austin, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE:

The focus of the Middle Office Specialist within the Operations team is on ensuring the substantiation of the firm’s books and records on a T+1 basis. The core services, processes and controls are provided to clients to ensure accurate risk and P&L capture. The Middle Office team forms part of the Operations Function supporting trading activities across a diverse client base and product range.

The core services provided by the Middle Office are as follows:

T+1 Reconciliations

• Accurate reconciliation of trades and positions versus our prime and clearing brokers
• Reconciliations are in place across the breadth of asset classes we trade – Rates, Credit, Fixed Income, Listed Derivatives, FX and Equities
• Working with front office, trade support and our street counterparts to ensure any issues are resolved in a timely fashion on T+1

Life Cycle Event Management

• Futures expiry monitoring including FND and physical delivery
• Processing of dividends, coupons and other income events

Corporate Actions

• Ownership of all corporate asset processing across fixed income and equity asset classes including monitoring, elections and booking

Process Improvement and Projects

• New business initiatives: Including set up of prime broker and clearing broker relationships
• Process Improvements including technology enhancements and new vendor onboards
• Enhancing knowledge through training and maintenance of team procedures and policies

• Completing event reviews and implementation of risk mitigation improvements

The role entails working closely with internal and external stakeholders. An ability to prioritise based on risk profile is critical, as is a clear and concise communication approach. Occasionally coverage across the wider operations function may be required

PERSON SPECIFICATION

WORK EXPERIENCE/BACKGROUND

Essential

• Undergraduate degree in a numerate discipline
• A sound understanding of financial markets and in depth knowledge of at least one of the following asset classes: Rates, Credit, Fixed Income, ETDs, FX, Equities
• Understanding of hedge fund front to back processes and market infrastructure
• An excellent knowledge of operational risk and risk mitigation utilising technology, process and controls.
• Minimum 3 years’ operations experience.

Desirable

• Good problem solving capabilities, evidence of process improvement.
• Cross asset class experience: FI, FX, Credit, Rates, Equities

TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

• Self-motivated and proactive
• Ability to perform well under pressure
• Risk based prioritization
• Enthusiastic, flexible and adaptable
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team

Desirable

• Advanced excel and knowledge of VBA, SQL or other programming languages.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Strong work ethic and attention to detail
• Good communication skills
• Enthusiastic and flexible
• Excellent written and spoken business English
• High personal initiative and personal responsibility
• Ability to work effectively in a team/Front office environment
• Ability to manage work priorities and delegate appropriately
• Highly proactive and
• Hardworking and able to work independently
• Friendly, polite and personable – enjoys working with others