Job Title
Global Markets Operations Associate – 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Department
Settlements-BG-UK
Overview of Department
Purpose of Role
You will help ensure post-trade investment activity is completed accurately, within market deadlines and in line with established procedures and controls.
A key focus of the role will be FX Operations, and we are particularly interested in candidates with practical FX experience and a good understanding of the FX trade lifecycle. This may include trade processing, settlement, cash movements, standing settlement instructions and the investigation and resolution of FX-related exceptions.
Alongside FX, you will support activity across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, giving you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge across Global Markets Operations. You will work closely with Trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and colleagues across the firm, while contributing to strong controls, effective client service and continuous improvement.
Due to the nature of the role, the team currently operates a shift pattern that allows for occasional flexibility in start times, with the earliest start being 7am. Further details will be discussed during the interview or can be provided in advance upon request.
This position has been deemed a Certified role within the FCA's Senior Managers and Certification Regime. As a result, occupants' details will be displayed on the FCA Register and both initial and annual fitness and propriety assessments must be completed.
Responsibilities
- Support FX activity through the trade lifecycle, including trade processing, settlement, cash movements, settlement instructions and the resolution of exceptions.
- Support the end-to-end post-trade lifecycle across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions.
- Monitor settlement activity, market deadlines and operational events, identifying and resolving breaks, exceptions and potential risks.
- Manage Corporate Actions activity, including reviewing event information, processing elections and entitlements and investigating related cash, stock or reconciliation issues.
- Work closely with Trading teams, investment teams, custodians, brokers and counterparties to investigate issues and support investment activity.
- Support client and counterparty onboarding, portfolio transitions and other investment initiatives.
- Follow established procedures and controls, ensuring risks, incidents and errors are identified, escalated and reported appropriately.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and efficiency through automation, technology and better ways of working, while sharing knowledge across the wider team.
What success looks like:
- Accurate FX delivery: Manage FX activity accurately and within market and currency deadlines, with a sound understanding of the FX lifecycle, settlement requirements, cash movements, standing settlement instructions and associated controls.
- Reliable post-trade delivery: Complete wider Global Markets Operations activity accurately and on time across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, understanding key dependencies across the trade lifecycle.
- Sound judgement and escalation: Investigate operational exceptions thoroughly, understand the potential risk and impact, and take appropriate action or escalate where required.
- Clear communication and collaboration: Provide timely, practical information to trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and internal stakeholders so that issues are understood and resolved effectively.
- Continuous improvement and team contribution: Build broader operational knowledge, share expertise with colleagues and identify opportunities to strengthen processes, controls and efficiency through automation and technology.
Your knowledge and experience:
- Practical experience of FX operations, with a good understanding of the FX lifecycle, settlement requirements and associated operational risks and controls.
- Experience investigating and resolving FX exceptions, settlement issues and cash-related queries, working confidently with Trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and internal stakeholders to resolve issues effectively.
- An understanding of the importance of accurate settlement instructions, market and currency cut-off times, funding requirements and timely escalation within an FX environment.
- Experience working with vendor platforms and internal systems to process, monitor and control operational activity.
- Exposure to other relevant transaction types and activities, including Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives (OTC and/or exchange-traded), Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions.
- Awareness of operational risk and controls, with the ability to identify issues, escalate appropriately and ensure incidents are logged and reported.
- Experience supporting client activity such as onboarding, transitions and investment initiatives, with a strong service mindset.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise competing requirements, manage market deadlines and maintain accuracy in a high-volume environment.
- A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and contribute ideas around process improvement, automation and best practice.
- A willingness to develop knowledge across the wider Global Markets Operations function and undertake cross-training across different asset classes and processes.
Qualifications:
- Investment Operations Certificate (IOC) preferred.
The Type of Candidate We're Looking For:
We are particularly interested in candidates who can bring strong FX operational knowledge to the team. You may currently work within FX Operations, Settlements, Middle Office or another post-trade environment where you have gained hands-on experience of the FX lifecycle.
You should be comfortable working to market and currency deadlines, managing exceptions and resolving issues with internal and external stakeholders. An understanding of the operational risks associated with FX settlement, cash movements and settlement instructions would be particularly valuable.
While FX knowledge is an important focus of this position, this is a Global Markets Operations role rather than an FX-only role. The successful candidate will be expected to build their knowledge across the wider department, including Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, and contribute to a flexible and cross-trained team.
We are looking for someone who can bring useful experience into the team while also being open to learning, sharing knowledge and developing across the wider Global Markets Operations function.
Critical Skills:
Closing Date
October 13, 2026
Should you choose to use AI tools to support your application, we ask that you do this thoughtfully. We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives.
At Baillie Gifford, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.
If you are currently working at Baillie Gifford as an employee or contractor please apply to this job from the firm's Workday internal career site.
