Institutional Equity Trader: Strategy & Execution

Northern Trust; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k and pension

Health and welfare benefits

Paid time off

Bonus program

Job summary

Northern Trust in Chicago, IL is seeking a Trader, Brokerage to execute institutional equity trades across the Americas in a hybrid work setup. You’ll collaborate with portfolio managers and sales traders to ensure best execution while managing risk and compliance.

Require a Bachelor’s degree, 3+ years of institutional equity trading, FINRA 7/57/63 licenses; CFA or MBA preferred. Strong knowledge of market structure and analytics to evaluate trade outcomes and improve processes is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of institutional equity trading, sales trading, or related buy side or sell side market experience.
• CFA, MBA, or other advanced credentials are preferred. Experience with trading data, analytics, and execution technology is also preferred.
• FINRA Series 7, 57, and 63 licenses required.
• Strong understanding of equity market structure, liquidity dynamics, execution venues, and algorithmic trading strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage order flow and make sound execution decisions in fast changing markets.
• Proven commitment to best execution, risk management, and operational discipline.
• Strong communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to interact effectively with institutional clients and internal stakeholders.
• Experience utilizing execution analytics and transaction cost analysis to evaluate trading outcomes and support decision making.

Responsibilities

• Execute institutional equity orders across market conditions while adhering to client instructions and best execution standards.
• Determine appropriate execution strategies, broker selection, and algorithm usage based on liquidity, market conditions, and trading objectives.
• Partner with portfolio managers, investment teams, and regional trading desks to ensure seamless trade flow and clear communication throughout the trading lifecycle.
• Monitor execution quality, identify risks, market developments, and operational issues, and elevate concerns as appropriate.
• Operate within established trading limits, entitlements, and control frameworks while maintaining compliance with firm policies and regulatory requirements.
• Support audit, compliance, and regulatory reviews through accurate documentation of trading decisions, execution rationale, and outcomes.
• Utilize pre trade and post-trade transaction cost analysis, along with other execution analytics, to inform trading decisions and evaluate execution performance.
• Improve trading workflows, controls, processes, and technology that support execution quality and operational effectiveness.
• Maintain productive relationships with brokers, counterparties, and internal stakeholders to support execution and market intelligence gathering.
• Communicate execution strategies, market insights, and trading outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Communication

Relationship management

Education

Bachelor's degree

CFA or MBA

Tools

Execution analytics tools

Trading platforms

Job description

Northern Trust in Chicago, IL is seeking a Trader, Brokerage to execute institutional equity trades across the Americas in a hybrid work setup. You’ll collaborate with portfolio managers and sales traders to ensure best execution while managing risk and compliance.

Require a Bachelor’s degree, 3+ years of institutional equity trading, FINRA 7/57/63 licenses; CFA or MBA preferred. Strong knowledge of market structure and analytics to evaluate trade outcomes and improve processes is essential.