Trading Assistant (New York)
18 hours ago
New York
Trading Assistant — Long/Short Equity Hedge Fund Role summary Support the head trader by managing middle‑office trade support and acting as a hands‑on backup trader for a long/short investment desk. This role combines trade lifecycle ownership, settlements and confirmations, P/L oversight, and execution responsibilities. The right candidate is flexible, team‑oriented, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced trading environment without ego. Core responsibilities • Trade support — Confirm, allocate, and reconcile trade blotters; resolve trade breaks with brokers, counterparties, and internal trading staff., • Settlements & funding — Monitor settlement cycles, initiate and track settlement funding/wires, and manage failed/late settlements., • P/L and position control — Produce daily P/L and position reports, investigate variances, and maintain accurate trading books., • Confirmations & documentation — Manage trade confirmations, trade capture accuracy, and retention of trade documentation., • Execution assistance — Execute orders when requested by the head trader and manage order flow across venues and brokers., • Book balancing — Maintain and reconcile trading books; ensure internal systems reflect live positions and cash., • Systems & process — Use OMS/EMS and middle‑office systems to capture trades, run reconciliations, and extract reporting; propose process improvements., • Ad hoc support — Provide real‑time desk support during market events, assist with month‑end and quarter‑end tasks, and cover for the head trader as needed. Required experience & skills • 2–4 years of buy‑side or sell‑side operations, trade support, or assistant trading experience., • Strong understanding of the full trade lifecycle for equities and common derivatives used on a long/short desk., • Proven experience with settlements, confirmations, and failed trade resolution., • Demonstrated ability to produce and analyze daily P/L and position reports., • High proficiency in Excel; familiarity with one or more OMS/EMS platforms and middle‑office reconciliation tools., • Excellent communication skills and the ability to work directly with traders, brokers, prime brokers, and operations teams., • Calm under pressure, highly organized, and willing to take direction and execute tasks without ego. Preferred qualifications • Prior experience on a long/short equity desk or in a hedge fund middle office., • Familiarity with prime brokerage workflows and margin/financing mechanics., • Basic scripting or data‑automation skills (VBA, Python, SQL) to streamline reporting., • Relevant industry licenses or willingness to obtain them. What success looks like • Accurate, timely P/L and position reporting with rapid resolution of discrepancies., • Smooth, error‑free settlement and confirmation processes with minimal failed trades., • Reliable execution support that enables the head trader to focus on strategy., • Proactive identification and implementation of process improvements that reduce operational risk.