Senior Derivatives Trader 1 recruitment

We are currently seeking a senior derivatives trader. 

The Derivatives Execution team within the Global Derivatives Hedging group of AEGON Asset Management, is located in Baltimore MD, and is responsible for the execution of all the derivatives trades for the business units of AEGON USA, and certain international business units within AEGON.  We are currently seeking a senior derivatives trader.

In this particular position, you are part of the Derivatives Execution team and you will be tasked with the daily execution of both OTC and listed derivative trades for the various derivatives programs under management. The scope of the derivatives instruments traded covers various derivative product markets of Rates, FX, Equity and Credit derivatives and includes both listed and non-listed (OTC) derivatives. More specifically, we are looking for individuals that have a strong background in trading equity derivatives.

You will be interacting heavily with our Wall Street counterparties and internal colleagues within AEGON USA. This position allows for significant growth within the organization and may lead to leadership roles within the group.

DUTIES:
• Execution of Derivative trades in various product markets according to specific   Derivative Program guidelines (Rates, Credit, FX, and Equity), but with an emphasis on AEGON’s equity derivative trades.
• Focus on economic and efficient derivative trade execution and maintaining program compliance.
• Build up strong expertise in Capital Markets dynamics, financial derivative Instruments, their valuation and trade execution aspects.
• Assist in ongoing development of execution team, focus on cross training and leading by example.
• Identify optimal income and/or risk reducing trading strategies
• Active management of counterparty exposures, counterparty performance and relationships.
• Monitoring of collateral and liquidity aspects for margining purposes – look for optimizations.
• Develop a deep understanding of the hedging and funding dynamics of our Street counterparties and their impact on pricing and execution of derivative trades.
• Deliver various levels of support to team members and internal AEGON Clients in the business units and corporate ALM function, such as analytical, pricing and reporting support.
• Assist to Negotiate CSA’s, ISDA’s, MRA’s and clearing broker agreements.
• Contribute in various front office related projects, i.e. upgrading the Derivative Systems Infrastructure.

Qualifications

Job Related Qualifications
 Excellent communication, advocacy and leadership skills with the ability to interact effectively throughout a large, complex, global financial institution;
 Experience mentoring a professional staff.
 Thorough understanding of Capital Market dynamics, financial derivatives valuation and execution aspects in various derivative product markets...with particular emphasis in equity derivatives space
 Ability to use, develop and check different quantitative financial modeling tools.

AEGON Asset Management Core Competencies:
1. Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customersand own organizations needs.  Deal with service failures and prioritize customer needs.
2. Professional Competency: Having achieved a satisfactory level of technical and professional skill or knowledge in position-related areas; keeping up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise.
3. Teamwork: Active participation as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals and creating team spirit. Able to share due credit with coworkers; display enthusiasm and promote a friendly group working environment; work closely with other departments as necessary; support group decisions and solicit opinions from coworkers.

Job Specific Competencies:
1. Problem Solving:  Finding solutions to problems by analyzing and untangling complex situations, processes and issues. Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions, including a systematic approach in solving problems through analysis of problem and evaluation of alternate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.  Use logic, mathematics, or other problem-solving tools.
2. Innovation: Recognizing chances, opportunities and/or threats, followed by taking appropriate action. Generating innovative solutions in work situations; trying different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.
3. Planning, Organization and Accountability/Attention to Detail:  Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and structuring work to utilize time, resources and talent as efficiently as possible.  Able to manage multiple projects and taking responsibility to successfully complete assignments or tasks.  Able to be alert in a high-risk environment; follow detailed procedures and ensure accuracy in documentation and data.
4. Communication: Presenting information in a transparent, structured and logical way.  Taking the needs of different people into account in order to effectively exchange two way delivery of information.  Influence others through presentation; listen well; able to write clearly and effectively present ideas and to document activities; to read and interpret difficult technical information.
5. Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures, and suggests implementing improvements and innovations.   Being flexible; able to remain open-minded and change opinions on the basis of new information; able to adapt behavior to different people and situations.  Uses different approaches in different situations.
6. Relationship Management:  Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between ones area and other areas, teams, departments, units or organizations to help achieve business goals.  Build and maintains long-term associations based on trust; help others.
7. Leadership:  Able to assume a role of authority as necessary; advocate new ideas, even when risk is involved; set an example for coworkers; delegate responsibility and empower associates to make decisions; provide constructive feedback to others.  Demonstrating the traits, inclinations, and dispositions that characterize successful leaders; exhibiting behavior styles that meet the demands of the leader role.
8. Achievement:  Setting high goals for personal and group accomplishment; using methods to monitor progress toward goals; tenaciously working to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement.  Getting the job done.

- Experienced with derivative trading, valuation and clearing platforms (Bloomberg, Murex, Principia, Tradeweb etc.)

EDUCATION/TRAINING/ENVIRONMENTAL:
- Required is a bachelors degree in mathematics, actuarial science, quantitative finance, economics or related field.
- A minimum of 6 years of derivative trading experience in various product markets (particularly Equity space)
- CFA, FRM, ASA or FSA strongly desired but not required

How To Apply

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Equal Employment Opportunity

The candidate hired for this position will be an employee of AEGON USA Realty Advisors,