Manager, Aladdin Transformation & Optimization - Middle Office Operations SME

Strata•New York, NY

About The Position

Strata is at an exciting stage of growth and we are hiring hands-on Aladdin SMEs with middle office and operations experience to join our business. Strata consultants work day to day with operations teams, portfolio managers, traders, and technology partners, serving as the Aladdin Middle Office Operations SME in the client environment. Strata Aladdin SMEs work to solution in implementation as well as in optimization environments, providing hands-on user support so that Aladdin continues to reflect how operations and investment teams work in practice. This is a role for someone who enjoys being close to the process: solving problems in real time, shaping practical solutions, and helping users get the most from the platform. As our Middle Office Operations SME, you will focus on the post-trade workflows of global buy-side asset managers, from trade capture and allocation through confirmation, settlement, cash, reconciliation, and the hand-off to accounting. You will bring a practitioner's view of how operations teams control risk and drive straight-through processing, and use it to shape how Aladdin is configured and used. This role is ideal for someone who understands post-trade operations end-to-end, can configure and validate Aladdin operational workflows, and can translate complex operating processes into practical system solutions.

Requirements

7+ years' experience within Asset Management or Financial Services, with a strong focus on middle office or investment operations
Hands-on experience with Aladdin configuration and operational workflows in a middle office or operations environment
Experience contributing to Aladdin implementations and/or optimization programmes across the project lifecycle
Deep knowledge of the post-trade lifecycle, including trade capture, allocation, confirmation, settlement, fails management, cash management, and reconciliation
Solid knowledge of operational processes across multiple asset classes, including equities, fixed income, and derivatives
Working knowledge of settlement infrastructure, custodian and prime broker relationships, and corporate actions processing
Strong understanding of operational risk and controls, including exception management, break resolution, and escalation
Proven ability to work directly with operations teams, portfolio managers, and traders to translate operating requirements into Aladdin system solutions
Demonstrated experience providing operations user support, including issue triage, root cause analysis, and resolution
Experience supporting UAT and end-user enablement in an operations or trading technology context
Ability to communicate effectively with both operations professionals and technology teams, bridging the gap between business need and technical delivery
Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills
Experience working within platform constraints to deliver practical solutions
Comfortable operating independently within structured delivery environments
Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, mathematics, information systems, or a related field

Nice To Haves

Experience with OTC derivatives and collateral and margin workflows
Knowledge of SWIFT messaging, trade matching and affirmation utilities, and custodian and fund administrator connectivity
Familiarity with IBOR and ABOR concepts, NAV support, and the hand-off between operations and fund accounting
Knowledge of data governance and reconciliation frameworks within an asset management context
Familiarity with investment risk frameworks, performance attribution, and related Aladdin data domains
Experience with data analysis tools such as SQL or Python applied to operational or investment datasets
Experience with process automation, workflow tooling, or operational transformation programmes
Experience with incident, problem, and change management practices (e.g., ITIL)
MBA, CFA, CAIA, or other relevant professional certification

Responsibilities

Provide SME guidance across the post-trade lifecycle, including trade capture, allocation, confirmation and affirmation, settlement instruction, settlement and fails management, cash management, and reconciliation across multiple asset classes
Advise on the interface between front office and middle office, ensuring clean hand-offs and clear ownership of exceptions
Facilitate workshops and working sessions with operations, front office, accounting, and technology partners to define requirements and drive alignment
Collaborate with data and technology teams to support operational data flows, platform integrations, and downstream connectivity to custodians, prime brokers, fund administrators, and other counterparties
Partner with operations teams and portfolio managers to design, refine, and validate post-trade workflows that reflect real operating practices
Configure and optimize Aladdin operational workflows, including trade matching and confirmation, standing settlement instructions, cash and position reconciliation, break management, and corporate action processing
Configure and tune exception queues, rules, and alerts to maximize straight-through processing and reduce manual intervention
Perform gap analysis between current-state operational processes and Aladdin capabilities, identifying configuration changes or process adjustments needed to close gaps
Gather and document business requirements across trade operations, settlements, cash, reconciliation, and accounting hand-off
Configure workflows and validate the end-to-end post-trade lifecycle in implementation programmes, including data migration and parallel running
Assess and validate the impact of Aladdin releases and configuration changes on operational workflows, supporting regression and user acceptance testing
Support go-live and post-implementation stabilization, then transition into ongoing optimization
Act as the first point of expertise for operations users, triaging, diagnosing, and resolving issues across the post-trade lifecycle, including unmatched trades, failed settlements, reconciliation breaks, and cash discrepancies
Investigate root causes of recurring breaks and deliver durable fixes rather than workarounds
Provide hands-on support and end-user enablement, including training, guidance, and documentation
Escalate and coordinate with technology, data, custodian, broker, and vendor teams where issues require deeper intervention
Improve governance, controls, and documentation for critical middle office processes and Aladdin configuration standards
Define and track operational metrics such as match rates, settlement fail rates, break ageing, and STP rates to demonstrate improvement
Contribute to Strata best practices, delivery standards, and a shared knowledge base
Mentor junior team members and promote knowledge sharing across Strata