Middle Office Operations Associate

Tidal-Financial-Group; Oakbrook Terrace (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tidal Financial Group is seeking an Associate, Middle Office Operations to support daily trade lifecycle activities including settlement, reconciliation, and cash management for diverse fund types across custodians.

You will apply strong knowledge of equity, derivatives, and fixed income, and leverage Excel, VBA, Python, and LLMs to automate workflows. Hybrid work in the Chicago area is available.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of equity, derivative, and fixed income products.
• Proficient in Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Development skills in Excel, VBA, Python, and LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude).
• Experience in middle or back office or fund services preferred.
• Attention to detail and ability to solve problems independently.

Responsibilities

• Monitor trading workflows and identify automation opportunities to reduce risk and errors.
• Ensure trades are recorded accurately in systems and resolve discrepancies with internal and external contacts.
• Collaborate with traders, PMs, and back-office teams to align trading strategies and processes.
• Develop and maintain middle office procedures and documentation; conduct regular compliance reviews.
• Support launch operations, compliance reviews, and fund accounting audit requirements.
• Prepare data for KPI reporting and performance analysis.
• Mitigate operational risk by streamlining manual workflows for accuracy and timeliness.
• Handle daily middle office functions including reconciliation, settlements, and data management.

Skills

Excel

VBA

Python

LLMs

Education

Bachelor’s degree or related field

Tools

Bloomberg AIM

OMS

Job description

The Tidal Financial Group is a leading ETF investment technology platform dedicated to creating, operating, and growing ETFs. We combine expertise and innovative partnership approaches to offer comprehensive, value-generating ETF solutions.

Our platform offers best-in-class strategic guidance, product planning, trust and fund services, legal support, operations support, marketing and research, and sales and distribution services.

About the role

The Associate, Middle Office Operations, will play a critical role in supporting daily operational processes across the trade lifecycle, including trade settlement, reconciliation, and cash management for diverse fund types across multiple custodians. This individual will be expected to bring a strong understanding of equity, derivative, and fixed income products, ensuring accurate and efficient trade execution and post-trade operations. This individual must have a very strong understanding of using tools, including Excel, VBA, Python, to optimize and automate workflows. The candidate should be experienced with using LLMs as part of their daily workflow. The role demands a professional with close attention to detail and independent problem solving. Bloomberg AIM experience is a plus. Strong preference if located in the vicinity of Tidal trading hubs in New York, Omaha, Chicago, Milwaukee, or West Palm Beach and open to a hybrid work environment.

What you'll do

• Monitor trading workflows and look for ways to utilize automation to enhance operational efficiency to minimize risk and errors.
• Ensure all trades are accurately recorded in relevant systems and that all discrepancies are promptly addressed, working professionally with internal and external contacts.
• Collaborate with traders, portfolio managers, and back-office teams to ensure alignment in trading strategies and processes.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of middle office and trading team procedures and documentation, conducting scheduled reviews for compliance and accuracy.
• Provide support for launch operations, compliance review, and fund accounting audit requirements.
• Assist with data compilation used for team KPI reporting.
• Work on mitigating operational risk by improving manual workflows to improve accuracy and timeliness.
• Handle daily middle office functions including reconciliation, trade settlements, trade support, and data management.

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience in middle or back office or fund services, with a solid working knowledge in derivatives, fixed income products, and securities clearing.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or experience in a related field is preferred.
• Industry Knowledge: Solid understanding of derivative trading, fixed income products, cash management, and clearing processes. Proficient in Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Technical skills: Development skills including Excel, VBA, Python, and LLMs - primarily ChatGPT and Claude.
• Attention to Detail: High degree of accuracy and thoroughness in managing trading operations and handling large volumes of financial data in an environment where high-quality deliverables are expected at a fast pace.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to quickly and independently identify issues, analyze data, and implement effective solutions.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Leadership: Proven ability to work in a collaborative team environment while driving process improvements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with trading platforms, order management systems (OMS), and post-trade processing. Bloomberg / Bloomberg AIM a huge plus.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements related to trading activities.
• Experience working in a high-paced, deadline-driven environment delivering professional results.

The pay range for this role is:

85,000 - 110,000 USD per year (Chicago Office)