MSIM- Pricing & Valuation - Operations Associates

Morgan Stanley•Boston, MA

About The Position

The pricing and valuation oversight team is responsible for overseeing the pricing operations for the Morgan Stanley Investment Management complex. We support MSIM's various valuation committees including preparation and review of pricing activity and risk reports, testing of fair value methodologies, coordination of fair value determinations and documentation, and meeting facilitation. A successful candidate for this role should have a strong background in operational control and process development. The professionals on this team manage a variety of global valuation functions and controls within the department.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (Finance, Mathematics, or Accounting preferred) and 2-5 years of experience in security valuation preferred.
A strong understanding of the institutional investment management industry and valuation knowledge across all equity, fixed income, derivative, fund, and currency investment instruments
Knowledge of global pricing and valuation regulatory environment and industry trends
Familiarity with various pricing vendors and valuation procedures
Experience working with BlackRock's Aladdin platform strongly preferred
Experience working on a team with a broad scope of process responsibilities
Demonstrated success working in a high volume, high intensity environment and an ability to get closure on issues promptly
Proven record of collaborating with a diverse group of colleagues across geographic and functional boundaries
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Knowledge of programming and database development preferred
Professional maturity, self-confidence, decisiveness, and good business judgment
Ability to work independently

Nice To Haves

Ability to work 12-9PM or 2-10PM shift

Responsibilities

Monitor daily risk indicators, pricing exceptions, and valuation anomalies, ensuring timely resolution
Ensuring comprehensive compliance with the firm's valuation policy
Monitoring and oversight of activities performed by the firm's Pricing Team at third party service providers
Maintenance of all administrative records regarding valuation decisions
Production of Valuation Committee and Fund Board valuation reporting
Overseeing valuation vendors and data providers
Providing excellent service to clients related to valuation activities
Perform daily reviews of securities valuation, including, but not limited to: secondary price source reviews, daily price change tolerance reviews, unchanged price reviews, trade price review.
Responds to pricing inquiries from third party agents and determines preliminary pricing decisions relating to these inquiries.
Assist in testing analysis of ongoing projects related to pricing within the Operations department.
Monitor, review, escalate and close pricing exceptions in Aladdin with high level of accuracy for all asset types.
Work closely with various internal teams to resolve issues quickly and accurately.
Monitor and ensure delivery on daily process and periodic reporting requirements.
Interact with various third party service providers, such as pricing vendors, middle office service providers, fund administrators and accountants to ensure adherence to standards and the provision of outstanding support of IM business.
Monitor, research, and respond to inquiries from IM clients with respect to areas of responsibility.
Assist in the continued development and testing of proprietary technology platforms supporting valuation control, analysis, and reporting.
Ability to adapt to updated timelines and due dates when needed.
Ensure compliance with Firm and Operations-wide risk and control policies.
Continually review and improve processes to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.