Financial/Trade Operations Associate

Selby Jennings; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global trading firm in Chicago is looking for a Financial Operations Associate to enhance their P&L reconciliation processes. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in a related field and a minimum of 5 years' experience in trade operations or reconciliation. This role emphasizes collaboration, process improvement, and requires strong analytical and communication skills. Offering a full-time commitment, this position seeks individuals motivated to drive financial operations forward.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in trade operations, reconciliation, and/or accounting preferred.
• Deep asset class knowledge including lifecycle events for securities like Equities, Futures, and Options.
• Controls-oriented mindset focusing on reducing firm risk.

Responsibilities

• Review and reconcile firm P&L and its components daily and monthly.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies in reconciliations.
• Liaise with external parties as necessary for operations.

Skills

Trade operations

Reconciliation

Accounting

Project management

Business analysis

Data analysis

Communication skills

Critical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, or Finance

Job description

Base pay range

$100,000.00/yr - $150,000.00/yr

Finance Tax and Accounting Recruitment Consultant

About Our Client

Our client is a leading global trading and research firm committed to world‑class innovation. They bring together exceptional talent in mathematics, physics, and computer science to push scientific boundaries and apply cutting‑edge research to financial markets. Their culture thrives on creativity, intellectual honesty, and fearless innovation, fostering collaboration and mutual respect to unlock individual potential. Beyond delivering superior risk‑adjusted returns, they design and deploy transformative technologies, invest in start‑ups across industries, and partner with top research organizations and universities to solve complex challenges.

The Opportunity

Our client is seeking a Financial Operations Associate to join their newly formed Financial Operations team in Chicago. This group is focused on building out the P&L and reconciliation function, and this role will play a major part in developing systems and processes while collaborating across Treasury, Clearing, Finance, Tax, and the trading community. The ideal candidate will also identify tangible opportunities to improve business operations. This position reports directly to the Head of Financial Operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and reconcile firm P&L and its subcomponents on a daily and monthly basis.
• Investigate and resolve breaks stemming from daily and monthly reconciliations.
• Serve as a key voice for business requirements and prioritization related to P&L buildout.
• Liaise with external parties (brokers, custodians, CCPs) as needed.
• Proactively identify process improvement opportunities and partner with technology teams to implement solutions.
• Assist in the continued development of back‑office infrastructure and identify value‑add opportunities to leverage it further.
• Collaborate across multiple stakeholders, including other back‑office teams and technology.
• Assist in creating written processes and procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What Our Client Is Looking For

• At least 5 years of experience in trade operations, reconciliation, and/or accounting preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• Deep asset class knowledge, including lifecycle events for at least one of the following: Equities, Treasuries, Futures, FX, Options, and/or Swaps.
• Strong project management and business analysis experience within financial operations or accounting.
• Demonstrated experience working with technology to improve processes.
• Controls‑oriented mindset with a focus on reducing firm risk.
• Comfort reviewing large sets of data with limited direction.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) for internal and external global contacts.
• Strong organizational and critical thinking skills.

Seniority level

• Entry level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Other

Industries

• Capital Markets