IRD Specialist

Interest Rate Derivatives – Senior Specialist We are seeking an experienced Senior Specialist to join our Global Middle Office team, supporting the Interest Rate Derivatives (IRD) desk. This role is critical in providing specialised trade support for International Rates Trading, with a focus on structured rates products and exotic derivatives.

The ideal candidate will bring deep product knowledge, strong technical skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.

This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with trading desks, operations teams, and other stakeholders to drive efficiency, build processes, and support the growth of a rapidly expanding business.

Key Responsibilities:

Product & Process Management:

• Execute on-desk trade support activities efficiently and accurately.
• Book, validate, amend, affirm, and allocate trades using platforms such as MarkitWire, Calypso, and TOMs.
• Investigate trade discrepancies, perform reconciliations (trade/position), and resolve booking issues.
• Conduct PnL investigations and broker checks; address ad hoc requests from the trading desk.
• Support new product launches, process improvements, and technology implementations through analysis, testing, and execution.
• Collaborate with internal/external stakeholders to ensure seamless trade support operations.
• Compile risk metrics for management reporting.

Risk & Control:

• Identify potential risks within trade support activities and escalate as needed.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements, compliance standards, and internal processes to mitigate risk exposure.
• Contribute to contingency planning efforts to maintain continuity during critical events.
• Document procedures and standards regularly in line with market best practices and industry regulations.

Business Performance Management:

• Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness across day-to-day activities.
• Deliver exceptional service by being responsive, accurate, consistent, and knowledgeable in all interactions.
• Build strong relationships with trading desks, operations teams, and other stakeholders globally.
• Align individual performance goals with team objectives to drive success.

Skills & Experience Required:

Technical Expertise:

• 5+ years of experience supporting rates or structured interest rate trading desks.
• Strong understanding of financial products including interest rate swaps, inflation swaps, cross-currency swaps, bonds, futures, options, FRAs, asset swaps, butterflies/spreads, and structured rates products.
• Expert-level proficiency in MarkitWire and Calypso; ability to model non-standard trades for pricing purposes.
• Knowledge of OIS compounding rate calculations for discrepancy investigations.
• Ability to calculate swap notionals given risk/tenor and hedge ratios confidently.

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills:

• Familiarity with trade pricing mechanics; able to sanity-check broker trades effectively.
• Experience with trade compressions (including risk checks) and SwapAgent processes.
• Strong understanding of PnL drivers; experience conducting EOD flash/trader blotter checks.

Technical Tools:

• Advanced data handling skills in Excel/VBA; familiarity with Python and Power BI preferred.
• Ability to build spreadsheets for large-scale data analysis (e.g., reconciliations or trade analysis).

Soft Skills:

• Excellent communication skills; able to engage effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Highly organized with attention to detail; adaptable in a dynamic environment.
• Proactive mindset with strong investigative skills; able to work independently under pressure.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates