Head of Derivative Services & Oversight

About Us

Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions. We aim to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We serve a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.

Established in 1804, we have around 5,500 people across 36 global locations. Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies.

The base

We moved into our new HQ in the City of London in 2018. We’re close to our clients, in the heart of the UK’s financial centre and we have everything we need to work flexibly.

The team

The Derivative Services & Oversight Team is responsible for ensuring the effective management, monitoring, and control of derivative operations within the firm. This includes working with our resource partners, ensuring compliance with internal policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements, and supporting the smooth execution of derivative transactions across all asset classes. The team acts as the first line of defence for operational risk management in derivatives, providing assurance to senior management and investment teams that processes are efficient, accurate, and well-controlled.

The team will be responsible for daily delivery of defined operational processes and the oversight of operations performed by external resource teams. All team members will be expected to be multi-skilled and be able to cover across the responsibilities to provide operational resiliency and coverage.

What you'll do

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership of the Derivative Services & Oversight team with accountability for operational performance and delivery of the team and resource partners.

• Responsible for overall management and development of staff within the team.

• Managing team members performance; conducting 1:1s, appraisals and enforcing group policies.

• Setting the business goals and the vision for the teams in line with wider Company and Module goals.

• Ensure the functions are meeting the needs of our business partners and internal clients.

• Oversee daily operational activities performed by resource partners, including trade capture, confirmation, settlement, and collateral management.

• Handle escalations of unresolved issues.

• Monitor lifecycle event processing (e.g., resets, expiries, credit events, corporate actions) to ensure accuracy and timeliness.

• Processing bespoke and complex trades and events.

• Agreeing new confirmation templates with Investment and Legal.

• Validate valuation, margin, and collateral processes, ensuring consistency with internal and regulatory requirements.

• Review exception reports and escalate issues in a timely manner.

• Ensure robust operational controls exist to mitigate risks associated with derivative trading.

• Perform periodic control testing and risk assessments across derivative operations.

• Monitor KPIs and service-level agreements (SLAs) with outsourced providers.

• Participate in incident management, root-cause analysis, and remediation tracking.

• Ensure all errors are reported in a timely manner and recorded in the appropriate systems.

• Oversee OTC reconciliations to ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Contribute to continuous process improvement and automation initiatives.
  
   

The knowledge, experience and qualifications you need

• Strong understanding of derivative products (OTC and exchange-traded), including swaps, options, forwards, Repo and futures.

• Knowledge of end-to-end derivative trade lifecycle and operational processes.

• Familiarity with collateral management, margining, and valuation methodologies.

• Awareness of key regulations impacting derivatives (e.g., EMIR, Dodd-Frank, MiFID II).

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to investigate and resolve complex operational issues.

• Risk-aware mindset with experience in control frameworks and operational risk management.

• Ability to interpret data, reconcile discrepancies, and identify process gaps.

• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with ability to influence service providers and internal teams.

• Clear written and verbal communication skills for reporting, issue escalation, and stakeholder engagement.

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and accuracy.

• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple deliverables.

• Proficiency with operational systems (e.g., MarkitWire, DTCC, TriResolve, collateral platforms) 

• Has a good understanding of either Aladdin Recs, Deco or other key modules that are used to manage Derivatives.

We Recognise Potential, Whoever You Are

Our purpose is to deliver excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We believe diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture help us make better decisions and achieve better outcomes for our clients. That's why inclusion is a strategic priority for us, and we are an equal opportunities employer. You are welcome here, regardless of your age, disability, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other protected characteristic.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for all roles and provide reasonable accommodations to support applicants and employees, including those with neurodiversity, disability, or physical and mental health needs. For more information, please visit our FAQs.