Head of Client Services

smartTrade Technologies is a software publisher specializing in the trading and finance sector. Its clients primarily include investment banks, stock exchanges, brokers, and pension funds. smartTrade enables real-time computerized management of financial flows among these different stakeholders. kACE is a leading product brand within smartTrade Technologies, providing cutting-edge FX derivatives pricing and analytic solutions to over 350 client sites worldwide. The brand is recognized as the market leader in delivering innovative FX derivative workflow solutions within the financial services sector.

Joining smartTrade means becoming a part of an innovative and international company with offices in Aix-en-Provence, London, Geneva, New York, Toronto, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. Skill development and career progression are top priorities at smartTrade, offering employees numerous opportunities for learning, advancement, and mobility. Sports and their values of teamwork, performance, and dynamism are integral to the company’s culture.

The Client Services team is responsible for offering exceptional technical support and consultative guidance to clients using our suite of advanced products. We work in close collaboration with Account Management, Sales, and Product teams, ensuring a seamless service experience that meets both technical and business needs.

The Head of Client Services role will report to the Global Head of Client Services and will have regional responsibility for the delivery of world-class first and second-line technical support, expert consultation, and programme delivery for regional and larger global clients both as an individual contributor and through the management of a team of two Product specialists. In addition, they will also work closely with their regional counterparts to triage and provide escalation to incoming queries that are with our first line support team.

This operational leadership role will require strategic oversight, team management, and coaching, as well as building cross-functional relationships with our product, account management, and technical teams to align on customer needs and deliver an exceptional client experience.

As an individual contributor, you will troubleshoot complex client issues, ensure prompt and effective resolution, and escalate to wider teams when needed. This role requires a strong combination of client-facing communication and technical proficiency, directly impacting client satisfaction and the continuous evolution of kACE’s products. Due to the nature of the role, travel within the EMEA region may be needed.

Core Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership:
  • Manage a high performing regional support team of two product support specialists
  • Coach and develop team members to enhance team capabilities
  • Define and implement ways of working and resourcing to deliver quick, effective response to all client queries within agreed SLAs
  • Manage regional caseloads daily to provide consistent service
  • Act as the primary escalation point for regional queries and coordinate high priority or complicated cases.
• Client Support:
  • Address client queries regarding functionality and assist with troubleshooting and resolution
  • Provide expert technical support to clients, resolving product-related issues, and capturing underlying business impacts to feed back into kACE product development.
  • Work directly with clients and internal teams to ensure smooth installation and onboarding processes for new clients
  • Support client’s use of software functionality, technical set up and system configuration as well as liaising between clients and trading partners with respect to connectivity queries.
  • Accurately document client interactions and ensure that all assistance provided is clearly recorded in our systems.
  • Produce client facing documentation including technical and installation guides
• Project Management:
  • As part of a project team, assist to coordinate the delivery, installation, and implementation of software for clients.
  • Act as client facing project manager for small and mid-sized projects
  • Co-ordinate with internal teams, business analysts, product, development to provide client facing communication of bespoke product development and timelines
  • Lead client calls both project and technical ensuring the correct audience and outcomes
• Collaboration with Cross Functional Teams:
  • Liaise between Account Management, Sales, and Product Teams to ensure seamless communication of client needs and requirements.
  • Support team in cross functional communication, clear blockers and provide guidance.
  • Support business analysts interpret/clarify requirements as necessary to facilitate the successful development and delivery of the bespoke project
  • Assist in the Business, workflow and conformance testing of bespoke solutions tailored for specific client requirements.
• Product Enhancement:
  • Understand and document the business rationale behind client product enhancement requests.
  • Work with internal teams to prioritize and address these enhancements.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Three to five years client-facing experience: Previous experience in account management, client support, project management or technical consulting, ideally within the financial services or technology solutions sectors.
• Leadership skills and experience managing teams either as a direct line manager or ad hoc/project based leader
• Strong Analytical Skills with a logical approach to problem-solving and troubleshooting.
• Excellent Client Communication: Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and business stakeholders and confidently engage with active market participants.
• Organizational & Prioritization Skills: Proven ability to manage both internal and external client needs, ensuring that deadlines and expectations are consistently met.
• Deep Understanding of Clients: Ability to quickly grasp a client’s business, their products, and their unique challenges to provide tailored solutions.
• Team-Oriented: Strong collaborator with the ability to communicate across departments and work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Self-Motivated: High level of initiative and independence, with the ability to work autonomously and proactively drive tasks to completion.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• University Degree in a relevant field: Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Business, or Science.
• FX Options & Derivatives Knowledge: An understanding of the FX Options market and FX derivative trading strategies.
• Technical Writing Skills: Ability to create clear, methodical instructions and documentation for external clients, enabling them to understand and utilize the product effectively.
• Technical Systems Knowledge: Appreciation of front-office systems, architecture, and platforms used in financial services.
• Technical Proficiency: Experience with XML, FIX protocol, and SQL is highly advantageous.
• Understanding of Financial Mathematics or Statistics: A background in financial mathematics or statistics is a plus for tackling complex, quantitative product issues.