Junior Derivatives Trader

Sanlam; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 250 000 - 350 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services group is seeking to fill a role that involves executing and managing bond forward transactions to enhance liquidity and funding. The ideal candidate will have a finance-related bachelor's degree and up to 2 years of experience in trading or financial markets. Responsibilities include trade execution, risk monitoring, and preparing market analysis. Join a team committed to innovation and growth in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Opportunities for growth and development

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of experience in trading, treasury, or financial markets (internship experience acceptable).

Responsibilities

• Assist in executing and managing bond forward transactions.
• Ensure accurate trade capture, risk monitoring, and compliance.
• Prepare daily market commentary and general market analysis.

Skills

Understanding of financial markets

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, or related field

Job description

Overview

Sanlam Financial Markets (SFM) is the business unit in Sanlam Group responsible for managing shareholder credit, market, and liquidity risks, developing balance-sheet enabled products, and developing solutions to optimize Sanlam’s balance sheets to generate shareholder value. SFM works closely with the Balance Sheet Management function of Sanlam to assist the Balance Sheet Management Function in its pursuit of optimising returns on the Sanlam balance sheet.

Role Purpose

Assist in executing and managing bond forward transactions to support liquidity, funding, and collateral optimization. Ensure accurate trade capture, risk monitoring, and compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements. Work alongside a team of derivative traders managing interest rate, FX, and equity risks on the balance sheet, providing market analysis and commentary where required. Actively looking to improve and diversify sources of funding and liquidity available in the markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Trade Execution:
  • Support senior traders in executing repo and reverse repo transactions (bond forwards) in government bonds and other eligible securities.
  • Monitor market conditions and assist in pricing repo (bond forward) trades.
• Collateral Management:
  • Ensure proper allocation and optimization of collateral for repo transactions (initial margin and variation margin).
  • Work closely with the collateral team to track movements and maintain accurate records.
• Risk & Compliance:
  • Assist in monitoring risk exposures within allocated limits.
  • Monitor counterparty exposure and adhere to credit limits.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal risk policies.
• Operational Support:
  • Capture trades accurately in trading systems.
  • Liaise with settlements and back-office teams to resolve discrepancies.
• Market Analysis:
  • Assist in preparing daily market commentary and general market analysis.
  • Track liquidity trends and funding costs.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, or related field.
• 0–2 years of experience in trading, treasury, or financial markets (internship experience acceptable).

Core Competencies

• Cultivates Innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful.
• Client focus – Building strong client relationships and delivering client-centric solutions.
• Drives results – Consistently seizing opportunities and achieving results even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively and inclusively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Being Resilient – Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.

Behavioral Competencies

• Business Insight – Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals.
• Organisational Savvy – Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organizational dynamics.
• Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high quantity and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Plans and aligns – Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our commitment to transformation