Associate, Client Onboarding

At Validus, the ability to trade is determined before the first order is ever placed. The Client Onboarding & Trading Enablement team sits at the front of the capital markets lifecycle, owning the controls, data and readiness that determine whether clients can trade quickly, safely and at scale. This function is treated as a strategic control point, not a processing queue.

We are seeking an experienced Associate with a background in client onboarding, KYC/AML and static data within institutional markets, who understands that poor pre-trade setup creates downstream risk, cost and inefficiency.

This role is designed for professionals who want clear ownership, measurable impact and closer alignment with trading and markets, without sacrificing control discipline. You will own the end-to-end pre-trade enablement of clients and counterparties and will be measured on outcomes that matter: time-to-trade, STP readiness and data quality.

Client & Counterparty Onboarding

- Own and drive the end-to-end onboarding workflow for clients and trading counterparties.

- Coordinate across KYC/AML, tax, credit, legal, operations and counterparties, maintaining momentum and accountability.

- Manage onboarding timelines, SLAs and readiness milestones, with a focus on accelerating time-to-trade.

- Serve as a senior point of coordination and escalation during onboarding.

KYC / AML Liaison

- Act as the primary interface with internal and external KYC/AML teams.

- Translate regulatory and documentation requirements into practical trading enablement outcomes.

- Identify bottlenecks early and actively manage remediation to avoid trading delays.

Static & Reference Data Ownership

- Own client static and reference data across all trading, risk and operational systems.

- Maintain and govern:

- Legal entity hierarchies

- LEIs

- Settlement instructions (SSIs)

- Tax classifications

- Enforce golden-source data principles, change control and auditability.

- Ensure data quality directly supports STP, controls and downstream processing.

Product & Market Enablement

- Ensure clients are correctly enabled to trade approved products and markets.

- Confirm alignment between documentation, credit approvals and system configuration.

- Maintain standing instructions for:

- Confirmations

- Reporting

- Collateral and settlement flows

- Support market access, trading limits and eligibility controls.

Pre-Trade Controls & STP Readiness

- Implement and maintain pre-trade controls that prevent operational and regulatory issues before execution.

- Ensure clients and products are STP-ready at go-live, not corrected post-trade.

- Partner with trading and post-trade teams to improve STP rates and operational resilience.

Experience & Qualifications

- Demonstrated experience in client onboarding or static/reference data within capital markets.

- Strong working knowledge of KYC/AML processes and regulatory expectations.

- Understanding of how onboarding and data quality impact trading, settlement and reporting.

Skills & Attributes

- Strong ownership mindset with excellent organisational skills.

- Analytical, detail-oriented and control-focused.

- Clear, confident communicator under pressure.

- Pragmatic, solution-oriented and commercially aware.

Education & Professional Qualifications

- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Finance, Economics, Law or a related discipline.

- Professional qualifications such as CFA, FRM or CAIA would be a desirable asset

- Validus assesses market data to ensure a competitive compensation package for our employees. The base salary for this position is expected to be between $100,000 and $120,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base salary if hired will be determined on an individualised basis, including as to experience and market location, and is only part of the Validus total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include, generous bonus, and Company-sponsored benefit programs.

- Performance bonus linked to agreed success criteria - paid semi annually

- 20 days’ holiday (increasing to 25 with tenure) plus bank holidays

- Private health insurance (including dental, optical and mental health)

- Travel insurance

- Learning & development allowance and support for professional qualifications

- No AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants

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