Precious Metals Settlements SME

Commodities Settlements SME – Precious Metals

Location:

London

Role Overview:

The Commodities Settlements SME will be responsible for the timely and accurate settlement of physical and financial precious metals transactions, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. The role requires strong operational control, attention to detail, and knowledge of the full trade lifecycle. The successful candidate will liaise closely with front office traders, clients, custodians, counterparties, and internal support functions to ensure efficient settlement and resolution of trade discrepancies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure timely and accurate settlement of physical and paper-based precious metals trades.
• Manage allocations, deliveries, and confirmations across various instruments including spot, forwards, options, and swaps.
• Process and reconcile trades in internal systems; monitor fails and breaks proactively.
• Liaise with clearing houses, vaults, custodians, and counterparties to confirm delivery logistics and resolve settlement issues.
• Work closely with traders, risk, finance, and legal teams to support trade lifecycle events and escalations.
• Maintain detailed records of settlements, metal movement instructions, and associated documentation.
• Monitor and manage collateral/margin requirements related to physical positions.
• Perform daily reconciliations between front office and back office systems.
• Ensure all activity is in compliance with internal controls, regulatory standards, and industry best practices.
• Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities.

Key Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience (3+ years) in a commodities operations or settlements role, ideally with a focus on precious metals.
• Strong understanding of trade lifecycle, settlement processes, and market conventions in physical commodities.
• Familiarity with global exchanges (e.g., LME, CME), clearing houses, and industry platforms (e.g., TRAX, ICE Link, LMEshield).
• Experience with physical delivery processes, vaulting, and inventory management is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to manage external and internal stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel; experience with commodities trading systems – Orbis
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced trading environment.