Derivatives Legal/Onboarding Specialist

Derivatives Legal/Onboarding Specialist

Boston, MA

The Manager/Analyst will assist the Director of Onboarding Solutions with the implementation of the Global Derivatives Services target operating model as well as be accountable for the execution of best practices in onboarding and relationship management in support of the organization's exchange-traded, over-the-counter (OTC) and centrally-cleared derivative requirements. All activities are to be coordinated amongst Global Derivatives Services, Operations, Asset Management, Front Office, Legal, Compliance and Brokers. The candidate must be pro-active, assertive and highly professional. The candidate will have a combination of derivatives industry experience, derivatives legal documentation knowledge, onboarding experience, relationship management skills, and practical business insight.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead initiative to establish standards for derivatives legal documentation including but not limited to ISDAs, CSAs, MSFTAs, Clearing Agreements and Account Control Agreements.
• Assessment of current state of derivatives legal documentation
• Identify SMEs, key contributors and approvers for derivative legal documentation standards
• Interview the SMEs to identity the key negotiable terms and desired standards for the derivatives legal agreements
• After standards have been agreed, perform a gap analysis of standards versus current state
• Support the legal team in closing any documentation deficiencies identified
• Establish governance process for ongoing application of standards
• Identify additional legal documentation that may be required to support future business growth and/or regulatory changes
• Engage with the onboarding of new accounts and/or new broker relationships that require new or updated legal agreements
• Identity methods to track any triggers included in the legal documentation
• Ensure proper storage and inventory of all legal agreements
• Contribute to requirements and selection of a document management system, and lead the implementation of a document management system
• Contribute to the successful management of broker relationships
• Continuously evaluate, identify and recommend practices and controls that will increase efficiency and mitigate financial and operational risks

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies/Education:

• Relevant undergraduate education or advanced degree - Business Administration, Finance, Economics, etc. required
• Minimum 5 years of relevant industry experience with at least 3 years of hands-on experience in derivative products
• Solid understanding of derivative instruments including futures and options, interest rate, credit and cross currency swaps and foreign exchange transactions
• In depth knowledge of International Swap & Derivatives Association (ISDA) documentation and CSAs
• Familiarity with Dodd-Frank centrally cleared swap requirements and ability to navigate new regulatory requirements and changes as they apply to derivative products
• Familiarity with MS Office suite, derivative system software and third party market-data providers
• Solid organizational skills and a high degree of professionalism combined with the ability to readily adapt to rapidly changing environments and deal with competing priorities
• Team player with demonstrated experience building and maintaining good working relationships both internally and externally
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to think through problems, assess a variety of factors and recommend solutions
• Insurance Company and Asset Manager industry experience an asset
• Familiarity with various fund structures: mutual funds, pooled funds, private funds, UCITS, institutional accounts and insurance general accounts