Front Office: Options Trading Risk Controller

Utc; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Insurance

Competitive base salary

Job summary

UTC is seeking a Front Office: Options Trading Risk Controller to join the UK trading desk. This role oversees the daily operation and risk control of the firm's automated options trading system, ensuring orders are reviewed and approved within tight time windows.

The successful candidate will monitor Greeks exposure, implement hedging, and respond to market anomalies while maintaining strict SOP compliance and shift readiness across night and early morning hours.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above; quantitative majors preferred.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience in options trading or risk control.

Responsibilities

• Monitor real-time trading system operation and risk indicators.
• Convert callout signals into options strategy orders after review.
• Monitor Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega and hedge dynamically.
• Respond to abnormal events per SOP and risk controls.
• Track expiry and decide on roll, liquidation, exercise, or abandonment.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

2+ years experience

FRM or CFA

Options pricing

Greeks & hedging

Risk management

Night shifts

English/Chinese reading

Excel for Greeks

Education

Bachelor's degree

Quantitative field preferred

Tools

OptionVue

Thinkorswim

Bloomberg Terminal

Job description

Front Office: Options Trading Risk Controller

Location United Kingdom

Team Options Trading Risk Controller

Employment Full-Time

Job Summary

This position is part of UTC’s Trading Desk and is responsible for the daily operation and maintenance as well as risk control of the fund's independently developed intelligent trading system. The trading system adopts a human-machine integrated operating model: most trading decisions and order executions are completed automatically by the system, while a small number of high-value trading signals are generated as callouts by the system, which can only be executed upon review and confirmation by the options trading risk controller.

As the final safety barrier between the trading system and the market, the risk controller must complete signal verification, order approval or rejection, and respond to abnormal events within a strict time window.

Key Responsibilities

• Trading System Operation Monitoring: Monitor the real-time operation status of the trading system, order execution, Greeks risk exposure of options portfolio positions and account risk indicators during shifts.
• Callout Signal Conversion and Review: After the system issues directional trading signals (Callouts), convert the signals into corresponding options strategy orders (such as long call/put, spread combinations, straddle/strangle, etc.) according to the current market volatility environment, maturity structure and risk budget, and submit for execution after review and confirmation.
• Options Portfolio Risk Management: Monitor the Delta, Gamma, Theta and Vega exposure of outstanding options positions, and conduct dynamic hedging and position adjustment within the framework of system risk control parameters.
• Abnormal Incident Response: When the system triggers risk control warnings (such as sharp changes in implied volatility, drastic reversals of underlying assets, insufficient margin, etc.), conduct emergency disposal in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures.
• Expiration Date Management: Track options positions approaching maturity, decide to roll over, liquidate, exercise or abandon according to risk control strategies, to prevent unexpected positions caused by accidental exercise.
• Logging and Reporting: Record all operational events, options strategy construction bases and Greeks changes during shifts, and prepare daily trading reports and risk analysis reports as required.
• Shift Handover: Complete shift handover in accordance with standard procedures, focusing on key information such as options expiration calendar, current Greeks exposure, and volatility surface changes.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or above; quantitative majors such as financial engineering, mathematical finance, mathematics, statistics and physics are preferred.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience in options trading or options risk control (both exchange-traded and OTC options are acceptable).
• Candidates with certificates of FRM or CFA are preferred.
• Solid understanding of options pricing theories (Black-Scholes, binomial tree, etc.), the meaning of Greeks and dynamic hedging principles.
• Familiar with the construction, risk-return characteristics and applicable scenarios of common options strategies (vertical spread, butterfly spread, calendar spread, iron condor, etc.).
• Have basic analysis ability for volatility surface, and able to identify abnormalities in volatility skew and term structure.
• Have sound risk awareness and strict discipline execution ability; able to operate in strict accordance with preset SOPs and risk control rules.
• Able to adapt to shift work, and capable of maintaining high concentration during night and early morning shifts.
• Good English/Chinese reading skills (the system interface, options chain data and some instructions are in English/Chinese).
• Proficient in Windows operating system and common office software; able to use Excel for Greeks calculation and risk scenario analysis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous work experience at quantitative trading firms, market-making companies, securities brokerage derivatives departments or options proprietary trading departments.
• Experience in using professional options analysis tools (such as OptionVue, Thinkorswim, Bloomberg Terminal).
• Proficient in programming languages such as Python/VBA/R, and able to conduct options strategy backtesting and batch Greeks calculation.
• Experience in cross-variety trading (commodity options, stock index options, foreign exchange options).
• Practical experience in handling options portfolio risks under extreme market conditions (such as tail risk events, volatility shocks).
• Holding financial professional certifications such as CFA or FRM.

Working Conditions & Notes

• The trading desk operates on a 5×24 shift schedule, including night shifts and holiday shifts to cover the trading hours of global financial markets.
• Required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and strictly comply with the confidentiality requirements for the trading system and trading strategies.
• A 2-4 week systematic operation training and assessment will be provided after onboarding; only candidates who pass the assessment will be officially qualified for the position.
• Competitive compensation and benefits will be provided, including base salary, performance bonus, social welfare, and supplementary commercial insurance.

Interview Process

• Initial Screening Interview (Online/Phone): Assess the candidate's professional background and overall fit for the role.
• Practical Assessment: Complete job-related tasks in a simulated working environment to evaluate practical skills and execution.
• Final Interview: Meet with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and relevant department leaders.