FIX Network Operations Manager, EMEA, Charles River Development, Vice President in London

Charles River Development provides an end-to-end solution to automate front and middle office investment management functions across asset classes on a single platform. Delivered via Software as a Service, the solution improves data quality and investment professional productivity, controls risk and lowers technology costs. Charles River Development serves more than 350 investment firms in over 40 countries in the institutional asset and fund management, private wealth, alternative investments, insurance, banking, and pension markets.

Charles River IMS provides a comprehensive Order and Execution Management System (OEMS) seamlessly integrated with data, FIX connectivity, and trade analytics. Extensive trade decision support capabilities help traders find liquidity, execute trades across all asset classes and currencies, and helps ensure trades are compliant.

The Charles River Network supports electronic trading via the FIX messaging protocol to over 600 global liquidity venues including brokers, multi‑broker trading venues, crossing networks, broker algorithms, program desks, dark pools, smart order routers, ECNs, and ATSs. Full integration between the Charles River Network and Charles River IMS ensures fast and reliable direct access between Charles River clients, brokers, and trading venues.

Charles River’s FIX Administration team provides global, 24/7 support which helps simplify network operation and eliminates the need for FIX network management by the client. Charles River’s continuous testing and certification of brokers and trading venues on Charles River Network ensures seamless connectivity and the highest level of reliability.

Background

Charles River Development requires a manager to lead the EMEA FIX Team (Network Operations). The EMEA FIX Team is responsible for implementing and supporting electronic trading of multiple asset classes for buy‑side clients across the Charles River Network (CRN).

Responsibilities

• Client Satisfaction: Ensuring the service delivers against Service Definitions and Client expectation, works to de‑escalate any issues, and finds workable, timely solutions to client issues.
• Ensuring availability of the Charles River FIX Network to clients.
• Onboarding clients to the Charles River FIX Network.
• Maintaining Business‑as‑Usual connectivity and service levels.
• Managing the onboarding and support teams.
• Mentoring the team and managing staff development and performance.
• Acting as a point of reference/SME for CRD Network Service internally and externally.
• Management reporting and metrics.
• Major incident management.
• Working with clients, internal Charles River Development colleagues, and third‑party partners and vendors to provide problem troubleshooting, support, and resolution.
• Liaising with vendors and third‑party.
• Adhering to ISO policies, standards, and procedures as defined by Charles River.
• Actively participating in continuous process improvement of CRN operational support procedures.
• Collaborating with the Global FIX team to ensure service consistency and effectiveness.
• Strategy and thought leadership around the FIX Service offering and electronic trading.

Essential Requirements

• Team management experience.
• Service Management experience.
• Deep experience of the FIX protocol (4.2, 4.4, 5.0) in implementation and support.
• Deep experience of the Front Office Order and trading workflow.
• Demonstrable experience supporting complex applications in a mission‑critical environment.
• Demonstrable experience providing telephone‑based technical support.
• Proven ability to partner with various internal departments to deliver effective customer service.
• Ability and willingness to participate in periodic out‑of‑hours support.
• Experience supporting application processes installed and running on Microsoft Windows servers.
• Demonstrable technical aptitude.
• Strong understanding of Wide Area Networks (WAN) and Local Area Networks (LAN).
• Experience investigating errors in real‑time application logs.
• Demonstrable experience with critical production system process monitoring, scheduling and automation in an enterprise environment.
• Experience providing technical support for applications running in a distributed, multi‑tier, database‑centric architecture – e.g. Microsoft SQL Server, ability to query databases.
• Demonstrable ability to communicate complex technical and functional problems to non‑technical audiences (e.g. explaining FIX workflows to Portfolio Managers and Traders).

Desirable Requirements

• Familiarity with buy‑side portfolio management systems or exposure to sell‑side / vendor OMS/EMS platforms.
• Experience working in a distributed team structure.
• Exposure to XML‑based application component configuration.
• Appreciation and understanding of a structured ITIL incident, problem and request environment.
• Prior experience working closely with client services and sales structures.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow (SNOW) support workflows.
• Familiarity with Salesforce CRM system.

Qualifications

• Degree level education or alternative third level technical qualification.
• 10+ years of working experience following tertiary education/graduation.
• Strong customer service and technical troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A strong interest in institutional financial services.
• Willingness to learn about and provide support on a variety of applications and interfaces in the Charles River Development application suite.