Client Onboarding Operations Associate

Morgan Stanley • New York, NY

1d • $65,000 - $103,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Client Onboarding Operations Associate supports onboarding for new and organic account openings across the IED and FID divisions, OTC Clearing, and Listed Derivatives products, excluding PB. The Client Onboarding team represents client interests to internal partners such as Credit Risk, Counterparty Risk, Documentation, and Legal, and serves as a central point of contact outside of Sales coverage to surface, escalate, and resolve client issues promptly.

The role oversees the end-to-end onboarding process, from document collection through account initiation, ensuring operational setups and reporting are complete before client launch. It coordinates with business units, Legal, Credit, Risk, other Operations teams, and clients to prioritize activities, resolve bottlenecks, and limit business or client impact. The associate serves as a primary contact for fund launches and onboarding inquiries, manages complex client conversations, and ensures accurate client setup.

The position requires expertise in entity structures, regulatory requirements, jurisdictions, and internal process flows, along with awareness of market conventions and regulatory frameworks such as Dodd-Frank, EMIR, and MiFID II. It also involves understanding client reference data, account setup platforms, trading systems, derivatives products, and post-trade processes. The associate works with internal Morgan Stanley stakeholders on process improvement and technology initiatives that reduce risk and improve the client experience.

This is described as a Director-level position within Client Service & Relationship Management in the Operations division. The role is hybrid, with an expectation of working in the office an average of three days per week. Expected base pay is $65,000–$103,000 per year at commencement; actual base pay is determined individually. Total compensation may also include commission, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other incentive packages, and sponsored benefit programs.

Requirements

• Technical understanding of the transaction life cycle in one or more asset classes: Equity and FI Cash, Rates, Credit and Equity OTC Derivatives, OTC Clearing, Listed Derivatives, FX, or Commodities.
• Very strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work with Sales and Trading, all levels of client organizations, and Morgan Stanley infrastructure teams.
• Client-facing experience and ability to manage expectations effectively.
• Proven experience communicating and interacting with external institutional clients.
• Exceptional problem-solving and organizational skills.
• Strong listening and verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Ability to independently navigate the Morgan Stanley organization.
• Ability to work in a quickly changing environment and remain composed under pressure.
• Conceptual understanding of pre- and post-execution onboarding processes across products, including Legal, Credit, Documentation, NMR, and Compliance.
• Ability to work as part of a team and adapt to changing team needs.
• College or university degree, or equivalent, with a business focus and relevant or proven experience.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment, with an expectation of attending the office an average of three days per week.
• At least 3–5 years of relevant experience would generally be expected.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the end-to-end onboarding process, from document collection to account initiation, and ensure operational setups and reporting are completed before client launch.
• Coordinate with Business Units, Legal, Credit, Risk, other Operations teams, and clients to prioritize onboarding activities, resolve bottlenecks, and escalate issues.
• Serve as the primary contact for fund launches and onboarding inquiries; manage complex conversations, engage appropriate stakeholders, ensure accurate client setup, and resolve issues.
• Apply knowledge of entity structures, regulatory requirements, jurisdictions, and internal process flows.
• Maintain awareness of market conventions and regulatory frameworks, including Dodd-Frank, EMIR, and MiFID II.
• Understand client reference data, account setup platforms, trading systems, derivatives products, and post-trade processes.
• Collaborate with internal Morgan Stanley stakeholders to improve processes and implement technology solutions that reduce risk and enhance client experience.
• Participate in transformation initiatives, share best practices, and promote scalable solutions across teams.

Benefits

• Morgan Stanley-sponsored employee benefit programs are mentioned, but specific benefits are not listed.
• The total compensation package may include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, and other short- and long-term incentive packages.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director