POSITION OVERVIEW
The Settlements Analyst is responsible for Equity, Fixed Income and FX settlement monitoring. The analyst’s primary responsibility will be to maintain high service levels while improving and strengthening our operational infrastructure. The position will provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to learn about all stages of the investment process, from idea generation and trade building to implementation and trading.
The team takes a proactive approach, beginning on trade date and following through until successful market settlement. The analyst will liaise between brokers, custodians, and GMO’s Trading team to mitigate risk due to failing trades and identify and resolve any settlement issues. The team also manages the review and signing of all OTC Derivative trades executed by GMO. This position offers exposure to GMO’s various investment, operational and technology groups, and an opportunity to enhance individual analytical & technical skills.
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Monitor trade settlement of equity, fixed income, and derivative transactions
- Maintain accurate custodian and broker settlement instructions
- Demonstrate understanding of the various settlement cycles and the nuances of the global markets
- Ensure timely receipt, detailed review, signoff, and storage of all OTC derivative confirms
- Evaluate and issue claims as necessary to recover fees from brokers or custodians
- Assist on ad hoc projects and contribute to process improvement initiatives that strengthen the teams operational infrastructure
DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- The successful candidate will be required to have a minimum of one to three years of industry experience directly supporting the lifecycle of both listed securities and derivatives.
- Strong analytical skills - the Settlements Analyst must have the ability to explain and/or resolve exceptions.
- Strong work ethic and attention to detail—the day-to-day responsibilities will require focus and dedication to problem solving. Ownership is the key. Issues must be resolved in a timely manner and seen through to completion.
- General understanding of the lifecycle of a trade from implementation through settlement with a demonstrated understanding of the various settlement cycles and the nuances of global markets.
- Excellent communication skills with an ability to effectively communicate with multiple internal and external counterparts to resolve operational issues (for example, direct communication with GMO Compliance, GMO Trading, and external brokers.)
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task and prioritize between multiple deadlines.
- Working knowledge of SWIFT messaging.
- Ability to work under pressure and independently.
- Familiarity with generative AI tools (e.g., MS Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude) and prompt engineering.
- Knowledge of Aladdin, TradeNexus, and Alert is a plus.
Skills Required
- One to three years of industry experience directly supporting the lifecycle of listed securities and derivatives
- Strong analytical skills and ability to explain or resolve exceptions
- Strong work ethic and attention to detail
- Understanding of the trade lifecycle from implementation through settlement
- Understanding of settlement cycles and global market nuances
- Excellent communication skills with internal and external counterparts
- Ability to multitask and prioritize multiple deadlines
- Working knowledge of SWIFT messaging
- Ability to work under pressure and independently
- Familiarity with generative AI tools and prompt engineering
- Knowledge of Aladdin, TradeNexus, and Alert
What We Do
For more than 40 years, GMO has partnered with a broad range of sophisticated institutions, financial intermediaries, and families to provide the investment expertise they need to meet their goals and fulfill their missions. Investing on behalf of our clients is GMO’s sole focus. Across asset classes and around the world, our investment teams identify and exploit long-term opportunities and develop solutions that both anticipate and respond to client needs. GMO is comprised of a collection of investment teams with focused specialties. All are grounded in a long-term, valuation-based investment philosophy – an approach we believe provides the best risk-adjusted returns. GMO partners with an impressive roster of sophisticated clients worldwide, delivering innovative investment solutions and tailored client service. Our clients benefit from our diverse expertise, intellectual curiosity, and open culture of debate, as well as from our ability and willingness to take advantage of contrarian market opportunities. For important disclosure information please visit: https://www.gmo.com/americas/terms-and-conditions/
