Your new company

A top-tier securities brokerage firm is looking for a Director (Head of Settlement Operations) to join their operations department.

Your new role

• Lead and manage the team of 15+ headcounts across settlement, IPO operations, payments, and corporate actions, supporting post-trade processes, controls, and operational change initiatives across Global Markets and Securities businesses in Hong Kong and APAC markets.

• Oversee end-to-end operations across settlement and clearing, cash management, static data, reconciliation, tax and regulatory reporting, syndicate support, new product onboarding, and client servicing

• Manage daily operational support for Global Markets, institutional, private wealth, and retail businesses across multiple asset classes including OTC derivatives, structured and vanilla products, futures and options, cash equities, virtual assets, and primary market transactions such as IPOs, placements, and debt issuance

• Ensure timely and accurate securities and cash settlement across domestic, cross-border, and international markets through close coordination with brokers, prime brokers, custodians, global custodians, exchanges, clearing houses, and ICSDs such as Euroclear and Clearstream

• Supervise pre-settlement processes including trade matching, confirmations, exception handling, break resolution, and same-day issue remediation to improve settlement efficiency and minimize failures

• Maintain a strong control environment across the trade lifecycle by identifying process gaps and risks, and implementing mitigating controls to reduce operational and key person risk

• Ensure all processes, policies, and procedures comply with internal governance standards and regulatory requirements, including regular reviews, audit readiness, and regulatory reporting obligations

• Lead strategic initiatives to enhance operations through automation, system implementation, platform integration, and operating model optimization

• Oversee the operational readiness of new products, business initiatives, and market changes, ensuring proper controls, procedures, capacity planning, and training are in place

• Monitor service delivery using KPIs, management reporting, and incident tracking, leveraging data insights to improve performance and support decision-making

What you'll need to succeed

• Degree holder in Finance, Business, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline

• Minimum 15 years of relevant experience in settlement, middle office, or post-trade functions within banking, securities, or financial markets institutions

• Proven leadership experience managing teams in a regulated financial services environment, with the ability to lead across complex operations and diverse stakeholder groups

• Strong knowledge of post-trade lifecycle processes across securities, derivatives, and structured products, including settlement, reconciliation, cash management, controls, and interaction with market infrastructure

• Solid understanding of products, regulatory requirements, audit standards, operational risk management, and control governance within financial markets operations

• Demonstrated track record in driving change initiatives, including automation, operating model enhancements, and successful delivery of operational readiness for new business and platform transformations

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior management, business leaders, control functions, and external counterparties

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call Hailey Tai now @ 22307491. Alternatively, you can also send Hailey an updated CV to hailey.tai@hays.com.hk

If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.