Commodities Product Control – Analyst – Tier 1 Investment Bank recruitment

The Commodities Product Control team are responsible for reporting and analysing PL and Balance Sheet, as well as supporting the Front Office in the business of trading Commodities based financial products.

Key interactions:

Key interactions are with the desk head and traders within the Commodities business, the wider Product Control Group including the Central Product Control team, Middle Office Team as well as Operations and Technology.

These interactions will cover the range of daily, weekly and monthly reporting communications as well as project work and ad hoc queries.

Specific Tasks:

1. PL Reporting - includes reporting of Flash PL Actual PL, Variance analysis and clean PL for back-testing. The group is responsible for reporting PL on a daily basis. This involves all key controls and reconciliations.
2. PL explanation - validate the system generated PL with position-based and risk attribution and commentaries. Responsible for the investigation and resolution of any unexplained PL
3. Dealing with ad hoc queries with the trading desk relating to PL explains, variances, trade booking and valuation issues
4. Provisions calculation and analysis; price testing; commentaries and management reporting.
5. Data Integrity and balance sheet verification. Carry out validation tasks to ensure the integrity revenue related balance sheet accounts, focusing on
o System reconciliations - ensuring trading positions and prices in front office system are reconciled to the accounting and settlement sub-ledgers
o Awareness and consideration of controls that would impact these accounts
6. Process Improvements. Commodities Product Control is constantly seeking to innovate and rationalise existing processes. All team members are expected to contribute to this process.

Person Requirements

Required:

*Degree (ideally mathematical / quant focused)
*Qualified accountant - ACCA / ACA / CIMA / CPA or equivalent
*Solid experience of working in a Product Control and / or Middle Office environment
*Strong mathematical and analytical ability
*The individual needs to be assertive and able to work with the traders closely
*The candidate will also be expected to understand the business from a non-accountancy point of view
*Good knowledge and understanding of financial markets - with experience of options and exotics products
*Experience of working against tight short-term deadlines in a dynamic, pressurised environment

Preferred:

*Numerate Degree/Masters Degree
*Middle Office or Product Control Derivatives Experience
*Involved in a change programme
*Excellent Excel skills
*Use of Excel macros and Access to build reporting and analysis tools
*Use of SQL / DB queries and ability to code in VBA would be advantageous

Business Skills:

*High attention to detail
*Analytical problem solver
*Ability to analyse and present financial information
*Ability to meet regular, tight daily deadlines
*Strong numeric ability
*Ability to review problems from different view points, devising and implementing practical solutions
*An understanding of the control environment

Interpersonal Skills:

*Excellent communicator at all levels
*Robust, and able to deal with demanding clients
*Excellent interpersonal skills
*Strong influencing skills
*Diligent and enthusiastic
*Strong team player