Front Office Support, Asset Management

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust provides innovative financial services and guidance to corporations, institutions and affluent families and individuals globally. With 130 years of financial experience and nearly 20,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

As a Northern Trust employee (Partner), you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company that is committed to strengthening the communities we serve.

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you would benefit from adjustments for any part of the employment process, please inform the recruiter to discuss your individual requirements.

We recognize the value of inclusion and diversity in culture, in thought, and in experience, which is why Forbes ranked us the top employer for Diversity in 2018. 

The Role:

This role provides dedicated “Front line” support to the Portfolio Managers and traders with a primary focus on Fixed Income. Functions will include Trade and Cash monitoring, Position monitoring, prep and follow up on counterparty management, Account set-up/maintenance and Exception resolution. Knowledge of investments, including terminology, instruments and general industry practices is ideal, especially regarding Fixed Income and FX trade settlement. Strong analytical and communication skills are essential to research and resolve queries and issues. The ideal candidate should have a strong teamwork ethic and be able to work independently, in a time sensitive environment, knowing when to escalate issues.

The key responsibilities of the role include: 

    Assist in the day to day support for Portfolio Managers
    Daily review/report checking of positions, market values and cash to validate accuracy
    Investigate any inaccuracies identified and their impact to Portfolios with a pro-active attitude
    Work closely with other NTAM partners in support of the business, communicating any issues and coordinating directly with teams such as Trade Services, Corporate Actions, Derivatives, Account Management, Product and our Custodians
    Management of the above internal relationships, with feedback supplied and reviewed monthly, driving for exemplary service and delivery for the Asset Management business
    Providing analytical data and reporting to the Fixed Income portfolio management team to assist in their management decisions and client presentations
    Work with other team members in order to address any trade discrepancies uncovered during the trade matching and settlement process and know when to escalate
    Help serve as the liaison between the Portfolio Management and outsourced teams to resolve any data or processing issues, serving as the Front Office SME
    Ensure the timely and accurate setup of new accounts on relevant systems coordinating with the New Account Opening team, including setting up of Futures accounts and FX systems, liaising with product to supply any relevant legal documentation to support the request
    Provide support on project initiatives in working group discussions; representing the Front Office Support team
    Regularly reviewing current practises, looking for ways to enhance and create robust procedures across the business
    Work as part of a larger global team with partners based in regions including London, Hong Kong, Chicago and Bangalore
    Responsible for identifying and resolving problems within established procedural guidelines 
    Be risk averse by identifying process or business risks and escalate to line manager

The successful candidate will benefit from having: 

    Experience in Investment Management – Fixed Income experience a plus
    Strong analytical skills to research data and resolve queries and issues
    A proactive and time sensitive mind-set, driving for results
    Strong MS-Excel skills essential. VBA/macro creation level
    Experience with Bloomberg and Blackrock Aladdin is beneficial but not essential
    Good process and procedure writing skills
    Ability to quickly understand and accurately execute procedures