Desk Assistant - Sales

Citi; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave (plus bank hols)

Discretional bonus

Private medical & life insurance

Employee assistance program

Pension plan

Parental leave

Employee discounts

Learning resources

Job summary

Citi Belfast is offering a full-time role with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days at home per week). You will support the middle office for structured notes and cross-asset OTC derivatives, ensuring accurate trade lifecycle management and timely processing.

The ideal candidate has strong Excel VBA skills, experience with Python/SQL for automation, and a proven ability to collaborate with Sales, Trading, and Operations in a fast-paced trading environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in a sales support or middle office role within a global investment bank or financial institution.
• Knowledge of cross-asset structured products and OTC derivatives.
• Strong Excel proficiency (VBA/macros); Python/SQL for automation is a strong differentiator.
• Experience with trade lifecycle management, confirmations, settlements, and inventory monitoring.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate with Sales, Trading, Product Control, Middle Office, and Operations.

Responsibilities

• Execute and control end-of-day primary order volumes for structured notes and cross-asset OTC derivatives with pre-hedge validation and issuance-date reviews.
• Oversee daily setup, validation, and activation of secondary market contributions with the trading desk.
• Manage secondary order booking flow and resolve trade fails and settlement exceptions with inventory and fee checks.
• Investigate daily sanity failures and data integrity controls across front-to-back platforms and booking systems.
• Conduct confirmation reviews against internal records and remediate discrepancies with Sales, Trading, Product Control and Operations.
• Drive oversight of fee payments and lead automation of manual workflows to improve efficiency and reduce risk.

Skills

Excel VBA

Python/SQL

Trade lifecycle

Attention to detail

Job description

By joining Citi Belfast, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:

Time Type: Full time

Primary Responsibilities of the Role

• Execute and control end-of-day primary order volumes for structured notes and cross-asset OTC derivatives, performing rigorous control checks including pre-hedge validation and proximity to issuance date reviews.
• Oversee the daily setup, validation, and activation of secondary market contributions in close coordination with the trading desk, ensuring accuracy and timeliness across all product types.
• Manage secondary order booking flow, actively monitoring and resolving trade fails and settlement exceptions through detailed checks on inventory levels and associated fee structures.
• Investigate and resolve daily sanity failures and data integrity control check exceptions, ensuring consistency and accuracy across front-to-back platforms and booking systems.
• Conduct diligent confirmation reviews against internal booking records, identifying and remediating discrepancies in partnership with Sales, Trading, Product Control, and Operations.
• Drive oversight of fee payment processes and lead continuous improvement initiatives, including the automation of manual workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce risk.

What We Need from You

• Ideally experience in a sales support, trade assistant, or structured products middle office role within a global investment bank or financial institution.
• Demonstrable knowledge of cross-asset structured products and OTC derivatives, including familiarity with equity-linked notes, autocallables, interest rate derivatives, and the mechanics of primary and secondary market transactions.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency (VBA/macros); experience with Python or SQL for workflow automation, data analysis, or process improvement is a strong differentiator.
• Strong working knowledge of trade lifecycle management, including confirmation workflows, settlement processes, exception handling, and inventory monitoring within a front-to-back environment.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to operate with precision under pressure in a fast-paced, time-sensitive trading floor environment, managing multiple competing priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to build effective working relationships with Sales, Trading, Product Control, Middle Office, and Operations stakeholders at all levels.

What Citi Can Offer You

• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• A discretional annual performance related bonus
• Private Medical Care & Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pension Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
• Access to an array of learning and development resources

Alongside these benefits Citi is committed to ensuring our workplace is where everyone feels comfortable coming to work as their whole self, every day.

This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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