Job description
My client , a global alternative investment firm , is looking for a high calibre Application Trade Support Director to join their successful IT team.
Job Responsibilities
- Act as the primary Front Office technology partner for Portfolio Managers and Traders across multiple asset classes
- Provide senior‑level ownership of Trading Platforms (OMS/EMS/PMS), ensuring stability, performance, and usability in live trading environments
- Serve as the escalation point for complex production issues impacting trading activity, coordinating resolution with Technology, Operations, and vendors
- Support new strategy launches, fund onboarding, and asset class expansion from a trading systems perspective
- Lead end‑to‑end onboarding and configuration of:
- Portfolio Managers, strategies, and books
- Brokers, execution venues, clearers, and market connectivity
- Trading platform features and enhancements
- Own production readiness, UAT oversight, and go‑live sign‑off for Front Office trading changes
- Partner closely with Technology and Operations to improve trading workflows, automation, and controls
Trade Application Vendor Management
- Own senior relationships with OMS/EMS and trading application vendors
- Drive vendor governance including:
- Issue escalation and incident management
- Release planning, testing, and deployment coordination
- Functional gaps, defect remediation, and enhancement prioritisation
- Influence vendor roadmaps to align with Front Office trading requirements and business growth
- Manage vendor performance, service levels, and platform risk across critical trading systems
Controls & Governance
- Provide senior oversight of trading system configuration, including:
- Books, accounts, and broker setups
- Exchange and venue connectivity
- Reference, static, and eligibility data
- Ensure configurations comply with internal controls, audit requirements, and regulatory expectations
- Partner with Risk and Compliance on reviews, issues, and remediation related to trading systems
Job Requirements
- 10+ years of experience supporting Front Office Trading platforms within a buy‑side environment (Asset Management, Hedge Fund, or Proprietary Trading)
- Strong hands‑on experience with OMS/EMS/PMS in multi‑asset trading environments
- Solid understanding of the full trade lifecycle for Equities, Bonds, Rates, and FX
- Proven experience working directly with Portfolio Managers and Trading Desks in time‑critical situations
- Demonstrated experience managing third‑party trading application vendors
- Strong knowledge of broker connectivity, execution venues, and clearing workflows
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to operate at Director level with Front Office users
- Calm, detail‑oriented, and decisive under pressure
