Director - Application Trade Support

My client , a global alternative investment firm , is looking for a high calibre Application Trade Support Director to join their successful IT team.

• Act as the primary Front Office technology partner for Portfolio Managers and Traders across multiple asset classes
• Provide senior‑level ownership of Trading Platforms (OMS/EMS/PMS), ensuring stability, performance, and usability in live trading environments
• Serve as the escalation point for complex production issues impacting trading activity, coordinating resolution with Technology, Operations, and vendors
• Support new strategy launches, fund onboarding, and asset class expansion from a trading systems perspective
• Lead end‑to‑end onboarding and configuration of:
  • Portfolio Managers, strategies, and books
  • Brokers, execution venues, clearers, and market connectivity
  • Trading platform features and enhancements
• Own production readiness, UAT oversight, and go‑live sign‑off for Front Office trading changes
• Partner closely with Technology and Operations to improve trading workflows, automation, and controls

Trade Application Vendor Management

• Own senior relationships with OMS/EMS and trading application vendors
• Drive vendor governance including:
  • Issue escalation and incident management
  • Release planning, testing, and deployment coordination
  • Functional gaps, defect remediation, and enhancement prioritisation
• Influence vendor roadmaps to align with Front Office trading requirements and business growth
• Manage vendor performance, service levels, and platform risk across critical trading systems

Controls & Governance

• Provide senior oversight of trading system configuration, including:
  • Books, accounts, and broker setups
  • Exchange and venue connectivity
  • Reference, static, and eligibility data
• Ensure configurations comply with internal controls, audit requirements, and regulatory expectations
• Partner with Risk and Compliance on reviews, issues, and remediation related to trading systems

• 10+ years of experience supporting Front Office Trading platforms within a buy‑side environment (Asset Management, Hedge Fund, or Proprietary Trading)
• Strong hands‑on experience with OMS/EMS/PMS in multi‑asset trading environments
• Solid understanding of the full trade lifecycle for Equities, Bonds, Rates, and FX
• Proven experience working directly with Portfolio Managers and Trading Desks in time‑critical situations
• Demonstrated experience managing third‑party trading application vendors
• Strong knowledge of broker connectivity, execution venues, and clearing workflows
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to operate at Director level with Front Office users
• Calm, detail‑oriented, and decisive under pressure