Senior Manager - Trading and Trade Management in Leeds

Location: Hybrid - 3 days a week in Leeds

Salary: £70,000 - £90,000

Who we are: interactive investor is an award-winning investment platform that puts its customers in control of their financial future. We’ve been helping investors for nearly 30 years. We’re now the UK’s number one flat-fee investment platform, with assets under administration approaching £75 billion and over 500,000 customers.

Purpose of the Role: The role is responsible for the oversight, design and continual improvement of ii’s Trading and Trade Management functions. This includes ensuring robust execution processes, strong post-trade controls and compliant Settlements and Trade Surveillance operations.

Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight across Trading, Settlements and Trade Surveillance through the relevant team managers.
• Set direction, priorities and performance expectations for each function, ensuring alignment with ii’s wider strategy and risk appetite.
• Responsibility for Global Trading and Trading Oversight departments FTE management in line with agreed budget.
• Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external third-party providers, especially market counterparties.
• Approval of higher risk transactions and decisions.
• Exercise due skill, care and diligence, observe proper standards of market conduct and deal with the regulator in an open and cooperative way.
• Drive continuous improvement in execution quality, settlement performance, operational resilience and post-trade controls.
• Own and maintain ii’s Best Execution Policy, ensuring processes across Trading, Settlements and Surveillance reflect regulatory expectations and best practice.
• Ensure that all trade lifecycle activities operate in line with PRIN, SYSC, MAR, CASS and internal risk and compliance policies.
• Oversee implementation of strong 1st line controls, ensuring procedures are followed, risks are escalated promptly, and remedial actions are tracked.
• Contribute proactively to governance forums by providing insight, constructive challenge and thematic oversight from across the three functional areas.
• Maintain awareness of Business Continuity responsibilities for the complete Trading & Trade Management function.
• Provide senior oversight of daily trading activity, settlement performance, post-trade risks, failed trades and surveillance outcomes.
• Ensure all areas maintain accurate processes, operational discipline and strong control environments supported by effective monitoring.
• Review and challenge key team and process performance indicators and ensure appropriate actions are taken.
• Ensure that the end-to-end trade lifecycle delivers consistent good customer outcomes.
• Lead and develop the managers responsible for Trading, Settlements and Trade Surveillance.
• Build capability across the function through coaching, development, objective setting and ongoing performance management.
• Ensure all colleagues meet Training & Competence requirements and maintain the technical knowledge required to perform their roles effectively.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and strong operational standards.
• Act as the senior point of expertise for execution, settlement operations and trade surveillance across ii.
• Work collaboratively with Compliance, Risk, IT, CASS, Operational areas and external partners to improve processes and resolve issues.
• Monitor industry, regulatory and market developments and assess their impact on ii’s trading and post-trade operations.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• CISI Level 3 (or equivalent) qualified, with strong knowledge of trading, market operations and post-trade processes.
• Proven background in stockbroking, investment banking or trading operations, with experience overseeing execution, settlements and/or surveillance functions.
• Strong understanding of FCA regulatory requirements relevant to trading and post-trade operations.
• Robust knowledge of market conduct risk, trade surveillance principles and best-practice control frameworks.
• Familiarity with settlement mechanics, operational risk, market infrastructure and key industry participants.
• Strong people management/leadership skills with a track record of leading and developing high performing operational teams.
• Ability to provide strategic and operational leadership of key business function.
• Management of complex processes within a regulated environment.
• Ability to identify, analyse and make use of the right management information.
• Excellent problem solving capability with ability to make decisions calmly and effectively under pressure.
• Capable of influencing at all organisational levels, including exec level.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Demonstrable ability to use effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage cost budgets.
• Deep knowledge and understanding of relevant regulatory, compliance and control requirements.

Benefits:

• Group Personal Pension Plan– 8% employer contribution and 4% employee contribution.
• Life Assurance and Group Income Protection.
• Private Medical Insurance– Provided by Bupa.
• 25 Days Annual Leave.