Front Office Support Specialist

Job Type: Location Type: On-site

 

About Daiwa Capital Markets America Inc.:

Incorporated in 1964, Daiwa Capital Markets America Inc. (“DCMA”) is a New York-based registered securities broker-dealer, a futures commission merchant, a primary dealer of U.S. Treasury securities, and a member of the New York Stock Exchange and other major U.S. exchanges. Our main focus is on the sales and trading of Japanese, Asian, and U.S. equities, fixed income instruments, financial futures, and investment banking for institutional customers. DCMA’s ultimate parent company is Daiwa Securities Group Inc., one of the largest brokerage and financial services groups in Japan.

Position Overview: As a Front Office Support Specialist, you will deliver premium end-to-end white glove support for our three key front office departments: Fixed Income, Equities, and Investment Banking. This role requires the expertise to manage front-office and market data applications, as well as resolve desktop issues rapidly and efficiently. Your focus will be to ensure seamless operations for our critical front-office employees by providing top-tier technical assistance and solutions.

Core Responsibilities:

• Deliver expert front-office technical support and tailored solutions to address complex trading floor issues, ensuring exceptional user satisfaction and minimal disruptions.
• Morning vendor and in-house Front office facing application check-outs (on rotational basis).
• Analyze, diagnose, and document challenges specific to front-office trading and sales environments, proactively implementing solutions to optimize ongoing operations.
• Assist with front-office hardware and software configuration and deployment to ensure seamless integration with existing trading systems and adherence to industry standards.
• Implement and enforce front-office-centric IT policies, offering strategic guidance to uphold system security, data integrity, and compliance specific to trading activities.
• Troubleshoot and resolve front-office application and system issues with a focus on minimizing trading disruptions, escalating complex issues when necessary to ensure rapid resolution.
• Conduct pilot testing of new trading software releases in the front-office environment, ensuring optimal performance before full-scale deployment.
• Oversee the rollout, upgrades, and release management of front-office software in Windows environments, ensuring minimal impact on trading activities.
• Champion innovation through participation in front-office-focused projects, driving enhancements that directly benefit trading and sales processes.
• Provide robust support and training for market data systems, ensuring that front-office teams leverage these tools for maximum trading efficiency and effectiveness.
• Respond swiftly to trading floor issues and outages, minimizing downtime to maintain an uninterrupted trading environment.
• Coordinate with vendors to manage and optimize the installation of communication lines and critical trading infrastructure, ensuring seamless operational support.
• Monitor vendor trading data, ensuring precision and reliability to align with critical front-office business requirements.
• Manage and optimize desktop software installations and support for traders and sales representatives, enhancing functionality for trade execution.
• Interact with vendors to efficiently manage user credentials, including updates and regular reviews, to support dynamic trading operations, and prevent audit findings.
• Oversee the management and optimization of software subscriptions and entitlements (Bloomberg, Tradeweb, etc.), ensuring cost-effective solutions for the trading floor.
• Administer and maintain key front-office platforms, ensuring high performance and user satisfaction specific to trading requirements.
• Execute Market Data Server patching and actively participate in disaster recovery and business continuity planning to safeguard front-office operations.
• Lead as the primary administrator for FED/TAAPS software and connectivity, ensuring robust and reliable performance for critical front-office applications.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in front office support and/or market data support roles.
• Demonstrated expertise in market data system management and support with superior troubleshooting skills.
• Outstanding communication skills for effective interaction with users and vendors.
• Ability to manage technological enhancements and provide strategic solutions in a dynamic work environment.
• Experience in desktop software management and vendor coordination (experience with Bloomberg and similar vendor systems preferred).

Company Culture and Benefits:

Daiwa Capital Markets America Inc. has a vibrant company culture made up of a diverse team of professionals. We seek to foster an atmosphere in which our employees understand, respect, and inspire each other. We will continue to build a culture that encourages everyone at DCMA to take pride in their work. How we work – individually, with each other, and with our communities – is just as important as what we do and shapes who we are as an organization.

Our people are our most important asset, and as a result, we offer a competitive and robust total rewards package which includes, but is not limited to:

• Competitive Benefits Package (Medical, Dental and Vision)
• Ancillary Insurance (Basic Life Insurance, AD&D Insurance, and Short & Long-term Disability)
• Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts (FSA and HSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
• Parental Leave
• Family building benefits
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off and holidays
• Professional development, educational assistance and training programs
• Community Engagement Programs

DCMA has a hybrid work program in place, with opportunities for remote work depending on the nature of the role and needs of your department. This was implemented to provide operational efficiency while simultaneously giving employees flexibility. At a minimum, employees are expected to work in the office three days per week.

DCMA provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We are committed to providing a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. DCMA prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, military or veteran status, or other attributes protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.