Senior Associate, Middle Office, Settlements

Job Description

Summary:

London Operations is responsible for the European Agency and Private Debt deal closing functions as well as all Settlements activity in the European Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. The Settlement functions cover a broad scope of asset classes including but not limited to Loans, Bonds and FX Derivatives. Both sides of the business involve the successful closing of all primary and secondary par and distressed loans within the Ares European Private Debt funds, Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. They work closely with Counterparties, Trustees, Custodians, Agent Banks and Clients to ensure prompt settlement of all trades.  They also run an active Agency Portfolio and work closely with the Front Office as well as all other Middle and Back Office departments and outsourced providers on a regular day to day basis as well as on ad-hoc projects.

Primary Functions & Essential Responsibilities:

• Managing a portfolio of Loan trade settlements across various lines of business, aiming to settle trades in accordance with LMA standards
• Reviewing and understanding LMA par/distressed standard documentation such as Trade confirmations, Transfer certificates, Proceeds Letters, Participation agreements, Multilateral agreements and Pricing letters
• Contribute to oversight of outsourced back-office function responsible for Settlements
• Coordinate and actively monitor Bond/FX settlements with trade counterparties and Custodians via settlement platforms escalating any Failing or Unmatched trades
• Work closely with both local and offshore teams to ensure timely and accurate settlements across all asset classes
• Coordinate settlement processes with Fund Administrators, Brokers, and Custodians to ensure timely and accurate transaction reconciliation and consistent record-keeping
• Ensure Failing trades in scope of CSDR are kept to a minimum and review static data to ensure timely settlement
• Providing ad hoc desk support, including identifying and escalating issues to the trading desk, in house legal and compliance teams as well as management when necessary
• Participate in special projects such as technology advancements and process improvements.
• Proactively investigate, resolve, and prevent settlement-related cash and par breaks with custodian banks and third-party administrators
• Cross-training within the team on other Liquid Credit support functions, including Regulatory Reporting (e.g., EMIR, MiFID II)
• Identifying tasks suitable for transition to the Ares India office

Education/Certification:

• A degree is welcomed but not essential—equivalent experience and technical capability will be considered

Required Knowledge:

• Solid understanding of bank loans is required
• Familiarity with settlement processes across Euroclear, DTC, and Clearstream for bonds is highly desirable
• Experience with Advent-Geneva and Everest (Black Mountain) platforms is advantageous
• Strong knowledge of LMA standard terms and Clearpar is essential

Experience Required:

• Minimum 2–5 years of experience in LMA loan settlement
• Exposure to CLOs, CDOs, hedge funds, or private equity is advantageous
• Solid understanding of basic accounting principles
• Experience collaborating with offshore teams is a plus

Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organisational and time management abilities, with a proven capacity to prioritise effectively
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative and team-oriented mindset
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently
• Proficiency in Power BI, Tableau, and/or Python (including Copilot features) is advantageous

Reporting Relationships

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.