SFTR Lead Business Analyst
About this job
We’re partnering with a leading global hedge fund to enhance and optimise its Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR) reporting framework. The firm already has a mature SFTR reporting process and supporting infrastructure in place. It is now seeking an experienced SFTR specialist to take end-to-end ownership of the obligation while managing the associated change portfolio. The successful candidate will act as the firm’s principal subject-matter expert for SFTR, ensuring the continued accuracy, completeness and timeliness of its reporting and maintaining clear traceability from the regulation through to its operational and technical implementation. This is a hands-on role combining regulatory interpretation and BAU oversight with business analysis, data investigation, testing and continuous improvement. It is based full-time in the firm’s London office. Key Responsibilities • Take end-to-end ownership of the firm’s SFTR reporting obligation, covering repo, securities lending and margin lending activities • Maintain a detailed understanding of the regulation and its implementation, including individual reporting fields, eligibility logic, data sourcing, enrichment rules and vendor mappings • Act as the firm’s primary point of contact for all matters relating to the current SFTR implementation and future regulatory or industry changes • Conduct horizon scanning and assess the potential impact of regulatory developments on the firm’s reporting framework, processes and controls • Maintain clear, auditable traceability from the underlying regulation through to business requirements, data mappings, controls and technical implementation • Oversee daily BAU reporting metrics, proactively identifying exceptions, breaks and emerging risks • Ensure that aged exceptions remain within the firm’s risk appetite, escalating promptly where exposures or control failures fall outside agreed tolerances • Advise Regulatory Operations on questions and issues arising through BAU reporting, working closely with Operations, Compliance, Technology and Front Office stakeholders • Coordinate complete, accurate and timely responses to regulatory enquiries in partnership with Compliance • Respond to SFTR-related questions from counterparties, trade repositories and other internal and external stakeholders • Assess new products and business activities to determine their SFTR impact, coordinating any required analysis, implementation and testing • Lead SFTR reporting change from initial analysis through to implementation, including requirements gathering, Jira documentation, test-case creation, testing, UAT and post-production validation • Analyse data flows, field mappings and enrichment processes to identify data-quality issues, control gaps and opportunities for improvement • Perform hands-on data investigation and root-cause analysis, partnering with Technology and Operations to define and implement sustainable resolutions • Validate SFTR data sourcing, transformation and lifecycle-event logic against the applicable reporting requirements and technical standards • Identify and deliver improvements based on BAU metrics, Compliance input, assurance findings and regulatory feedback • Engage with trade repositories, including DTCC, UnaVista and REG-IS, and liaise with regulators where required • Contribute to the development of the firm’s target-state SFTR roadmap, with a focus on control maturity, automation and exception reduction Requirements • Extensive practical knowledge of SFTR and direct experience supporting or owning an SFTR reporting obligation within a hedge fund, investment bank, trading firm or comparable capital-markets environment • Detailed understanding of SFTR reporting fields, eligibility rules, data mappings, lifecycle events and reconciliation requirements • Previous experience acting as an SFTR subject-matter expert, obligation owner, Lead Business Analyst or Change Manager • Strong understanding of repo, securities lending and margin lending products and their associated transaction lifecycles and data models • Proven experience overseeing BAU regulatory-reporting metrics, exceptions and risks within defined operational and regulatory tolerances • Experience responding to regulatory, compliance, assurance, counterparty or trade-repository enquiries • Strong business-analysis and change-delivery capabilities, including requirements documentation, Jira management, test-case creation, UAT and post-production validation • Hands-on data-analysis experience, including SQL querying, exception investigation and control testing • Familiarity with trade repositories and relevant reporting standards and formats, including ISO 20022 XML, UTI, LEI and ISIN • Experience assessing the regulatory-reporting impact of new products or business activities • Demonstrable experience delivering sustainable process and control improvements within Regulatory Operations • Excellent stakeholder-management and communication skills, with the confidence to engage senior stakeholders, counterparties, trade repositories and regulators • A strong sense of ownership, accountability and attention to detail, with the ability to operate as the firm’s principal SFTR specialist • London-based and prepared to work five days per week in the office Benefits Length: Initial 12-month contract