Associate, Due Diligence

CLS-Group • Iselin, NJ

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate, Due Diligence role is part of CLS’s Operations department and supports the organization’s compliance and risk-management standards by conducting due diligence on clients, members, participants, business partners, and prospects. The role is suited to candidates with experience in financial services, banking, or financial market infrastructure. It involves gathering and analyzing information, completing assessments, identifying risks, and preparing recommendations and reports for senior management.

The Associate manages due diligence questionnaires and related records for CLS’s Settlement, Processing, and Data services. They coordinate with teams including Client Engagement, Product, Risk, Operations, IT, Legal, and Compliance; maintain due diligence records and procedures; administer attestations and Member Notices; and support annual volume testing communications. The role also contributes to improving due diligence practices and provides cover for other team members when needed.

Requirements

• Proven experience in client due diligence or a related field within Financial Services.
• Client-facing experience.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills and the ability to learn and understand CLS products and its role in the market.
• Ability to prioritize, multitask, and work flexibly while meeting deadlines across multiple workstreams.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness.
• Ability to build collaborative working relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Effective meeting-management skills.
• Internal and external communication and presentation skills for a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to synthesize information and present it to management.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to work in a structured manner.
• Collaborative team-player approach.
• Enthusiasm for managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to perform well under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to influence stakeholders to achieve agreed milestones.
• Ability to take ownership of issues and drive them to resolution.
• Ability to think strategically and provide and implement continuous-improvement ideas.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of banking and financial markets.
• Experience in an operations function in the Financial Services sector.
• Prior due diligence experience.
• Project experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage due diligence questionnaires received from members, participants, business partners, and prospects, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely completion.
• Maintain a repository of due diligence questions and answers covering CLS’s Settlement, Processing, and Data services.
• Collaborate with Client Engagement, Product, Risk, Operations, IT, Legal, and Compliance to complete questionnaires and update the due diligence question inventory.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for senior management.
• Maintain accurate and current client records in accordance with policies.
• Identify potential risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Develop familiarity with CLS’s product suite to support responses to due diligence questions.
• Complete incoming questionnaires covering topics such as business continuity, disaster recovery, security, and anti-money-laundering policies and procedures.
• Upload and update due diligence requests in the Ombud platform, including setting up request tags and providing clients access to inventory or references.
• Update the Due Diligence procedure annually and maintain the Due Diligence tracker.
• Provide dedicated cover for other Due Diligence team members during absences.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of due diligence practices.
• Manage annual self-attestation programs for CLS Technology, Performance and Capacity, Business Continuity, and Financial Crime Compliance divisions.
• Issue Member Notices on behalf of internal departments to CLS Settlement Membership and CLSNet Participants.
• Manage communications for the annual volume test process for the 12 highest-volume banks, supporting confirmation that each bank and its internal systems can withstand peak volumes.
• Complete incoming Central Bank Attestations accurately, check spelling and grammar, and submit them for subject matter expert review and management checks.
• Submit Central Bank Attestations for management review with sufficient lead time.
• Review the Central Bank Attestation procedure annually.
• Produce weekly Central Bank Attestation reports for management.

Benefits

• 23 US holiday days.
• 2 paid volunteer days.
• Generous parental leave policies.
• Parental transition coaching programmes and support services.
• Wellbeing and mental health support resources.
• Employee Networks, including the Women’s Forum, Black Employee Network, and Pride Network.
• Hybrid working.
• Flexible working where possible.
• Monthly company-wide Heads Down Days with no meetings.
• 401(k) match for US employees.
• Private medical insurance and dental coverage.
• Social events.
• Annual flu vaccinations.
• Discounted gym membership and a Sweat Equity program for US employees.
• Access to Discover, a learning platform with more than 1,000 courses from LinkedIn Learning.
• Frequent development sessions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed