Senior Business Analyst / Derivatives Lifecycle SME

Location: Houston, TX 77046, Hybrid (4 days per week in office)
Pay Rate: Starting at $85.00 (DOE)
Duration: Approximately 6-month engagement
Interview Process: Two rounds

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Business Analyst / Derivatives Lifecycle SME to support a high-performing middle-office team focused on derivatives operations and trade support. This role requires a hands-on professional with extensive experience across investments, securities, and derivative products who can quickly contribute with minimal ramp-up time.

The ideal candidate is an independent, self-directed individual who brings ideas, drives process improvements, and serves as a trusted subject matter expert across complex derivative products. This position is heavily focused on trade support, middle-office operations, and derivative lifecycle management, rather than traditional requirements gathering.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert for derivative products, including OTC swaps, options, futures, and other complex securities.
• Provide day-to-day support for trade lifecycle events, ensuring accurate processing and resolution of operational issues.
• Support middle-office functions including trade validation, settlements, reconciliations, collateral and margin activities, and exception management.
• Partner with business, operations, technology, trading, and external vendors to support operational initiatives and process improvements.
• Act as an escalation point for trade breaks, lifecycle events, collateral disputes, valuation inquiries, and operational exceptions.
• Identify process inefficiencies and recommend scalable solutions to improve operational effectiveness.
• Participate in testing activities, system implementations, platform enhancements, and transformation initiatives.
• Support growing derivatives volumes while maintaining strong operational controls and risk management practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure business objectives are effectively supported through operational and technology solutions.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in investments, securities, and derivatives operations.
• Strong expertise in:
  • Derivatives
  • Securities
  • OTC Swaps
  • Options
  • Futures
• Demonstrated experience supporting the full trade lifecycle within a middle-office or trade support environment.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Proven track record of bringing forward ideas, identifying issues, and driving process improvements.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Trade Support
  • Trade Lifecycle Management
  • Collateral Management
  • Margin Processes
  • Settlements and Reconciliations
  • Operational Risk Controls
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working across business, operations, and technology teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with OTC Swaps/Bilateral Swaps.
• Experience supporting Quantitative Investment Strategy (QIS) Swaps.
• Experience with Aladdin.
• Experience with Charles River Development (CRD).
• Familiarity with asset management and vendor-supported derivative platforms.
• Experience with collateral platforms such as Acadia.
• Background supporting operational transformation, outsourcing, or platform migration initiatives.
• Project management experience combined with strong derivatives expertise.

Preferred Systems & Platforms

• Aladdin
• Charles River Development (CRD)
• Acadia
• OTC Derivatives Platforms
• Asset Management Vendor Platforms
• FCM Platforms
• SSB Alpha
• Microsoft Office Suite

Success Profile

The ideal candidate will:

• Be a highly independent contributor who requires minimal training.
• Possess strong derivatives and securities knowledge.
• Demonstrate deep expertise in middle-office and trade support functions.
• Have the confidence to challenge existing processes and recommend improvements.
• Work effectively across operations, technology, and business teams.
• Quickly become a trusted resource for complex derivative lifecycle events and operational issues.