Operations Director

Charterhouse Hong Kong; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Charterhouse Hong Kong seeks a seasoned Operations Director to lead post-trade processes and controls across global markets. The role spans settlement, cash management, data governance, reconciliation, and regulatory reporting, with governance across multiple markets.

You will build a high-performing team, drive continuous improvement, and partner with Front Office, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Technology and external market infrastructure providers to raise standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive post-trade operations and settlements experience.
• Deep knowledge of regulatory reporting and risk controls.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management in a regulated environment.
• Mandarin and English fluency required.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end post-trade operations across settlements, cash management, data governance, reconciliation, tax, and regulatory reporting.
• Drive change initiatives, automation, and platform integration to improve efficiency.
• Build and mentor a high-performing operations team across multiple markets.
• Maintain strong controls, audit readiness, and regulatory reporting accuracy.
• Partner with Front Office, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Technology, and external providers.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Operational risk

Process improvement

Regulatory reporting

Communication

Mandarin

English

Education

Finance/Business/Economics degree

Tools

Regulatory reporting systems

Post-trade platforms

Job description

A Global Markets and Securities client is looking for a seasoned Operations Director to lead post-trade processes, controls, and operational change. The role spans settlement and clearing, cash management, static data, reconciliation, tax and regulatory reporting, syndicate support, and new product onboarding across Hong Kong, China, the US, Singapore, Japan, and other offshore markets.

This is a senior leadership role and the main bridge between Operations and stakeholders in Front Office, Business, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Technology, and external market infrastructure providers. You will own service delivery, operational resilience, control effectiveness, platform readiness, and continuous improvement, while building a high-performing team and raising standards across the function.

Key Responsibilities & Requirements

Lead end-to-end operations across settlement and clearing, cash management, static data, reconciliation, tax and regulatory reporting, and client servicing for Global Markets, institutional, private wealth, and retail businesses.

Support daily operations across OTC derivatives, structured and vanilla products, futures and options, cash securities, virtual assets, and primary market deals such as IPOs, placements, and debt.

Ensure timely securities and cash settlement across domestic, cross-border, and overseas markets, working with brokers, custodians, exchanges, clearing houses, and ICSDs such as Euroclear and Clearstream.

Manage pre-settlement matching, confirmations, exceptions, breaks, and same-day issues to keep settlement efficient, reduce fails, and maintain strong counterpart relationships.

Keep controls strong across the trade lifecycle, close gaps, and ensure processes, policies, and procedures stay aligned with internal governance, regulatory requirements, audit readiness, and reporting obligations.

Serve as the escalation point for complex operational issues, client-impacting incidents, and cross-functional breaks, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication with senior stakeholders.

Drive change initiatives to automate, simplify, and improve workflows, including system implementation, platform integration, operating model redesign, and process optimization, while assessing and integrating new products and market changes into BAU.

Monitor service delivery through KPIs, management information, incident tracking, and control reporting, using data to spot trends and support decision-making.

Build and develop the operations team while partnering with Business, Technology, Product, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and external vendors to deliver scalable, market-aligned solutions.

Possess at least 12 years in operations, middle office, or post-trade roles within banking, securities, or financial markets institutions, with a degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Economics, or a related field, strong leadership experience in a regulated environment, deep knowledge of post-trade lifecycle processes, strong understanding of regulatory and operational risk requirements, a proven track record in leading change and automation, strong communication and stakeholder management skills, and native or near-native Mandarin and English.