Director of Trade Management Operations

Company Name: tastytradeRole: Director of Trade Management OperationsLocation: Chicago, IL - Hybrid (3 days/week in office)Licensing: FINRA Series 3, 4, 7, 24, and 63 licenses (or equivalents) We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Trade Management Operations to lead and transform our back-office function across our Broker-Dealer and non-clearing Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) businesses. This role carries broad ownership of post-trade operations — including trade settlement, clearing, custody, corporate actions, and reconciliation — while spearheading a firm-wide initiative to automate and modernize key back-office processes. The ideal candidate is an operational leader with deep capital markets expertise, a hands-on management > Recruit, build, and develop a high-performing back-office team spanning reconciliation, settlement, clearing, and custody operations  Define team structure, roles, and responsibilities; establish clear performance standards and career development pathways  Provide day-to-day management, coaching, and mentorship to staff at all levels  Partner with HR on headcount planning, hiring, and workforce development as the business grows  Serve as the primary escalation point for operational breaks, settlement failures, and counterparty disputes Back Office Operations  Oversee all post-trade operations across asset classes including equities, options, exchange-traded derivatives, and FX  Manage trade confirmation, settlement, and fail management across custodians, prime brokers, and clearing firms  Coordinate give-up processing and submission workflows between executing brokers and the firm's designated clearing FCM, ensuring accurate and timely allocation of futures and options trades  Supervise corporate actions processing, including voluntary and mandatory events, elections, and entitlement reconciliation  Oversee margin and collateral tracking in coordination with the clearing FCM, Prime Brokerage, and Treasury  Ensure all back-office functions adhere to strict settlement deadlines and operational SLAs Reconciliation  Own end-to-end reconciliation across all business lines, including trade, position, cash, and asset reconciliation  Oversee daily reconciliation of internal books and records against prime broker, custodian, and clearing FCM statements  Manage position and cash reconciliation across exchange-traded products, ensuring alignment between the firm's records and clearing FCM-reported balances  Ensure compliance with broker-dealer customer protection obligations under SEC Rule 15c3-3 and applicable FINRA rules Drive root cause analysis on recurring breaks and implement sustainable corrective actions to reduce break volumes over time Automation & Process Transformation  Lead a strategic initiative to automate back office and reconciliation workflows, reducing manual processing and operational risk across the function  Evaluate, select, and implement technology solutions including reconciliation platforms (e.g., AutoRek GMI, Broadridge) and back-office processing systems  Define the target operating model for a scalable, automated back office and drive execution of the transformation roadmap  Partner with Technology and Data teams to design automated break detection, exception management, and reporting workflows  Establish KPIs and management dashboards tracking settlement efficiency, break aging, fail rates, and STP rates, with regular reporting to senior leadership  Champion data quality and standardization initiatives to improve straight-through processing across the trade lifecycle Risk, Controls & Compliance  Maintain a strong control environment consistent with SEC, FINRA, CFTC, and NFA requirements applicable to a non-clearing FCM  Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and desktop guides for all back-office functions  Partner with Internal Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management on control assessments, regulatory examinations, and audit responses  Mo...