Senior Collateral Optimization Specialist

Job Title: Senior Collateral Optimization Specialist

Location: UAE (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Level: Senior

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

About Us

We are seeking an experienced and analytical Senior Collateral Optimization Specialist to manage collateral efficiency, liquidity utilization, and margin requirements across financial markets and treasury operations. This role focuses on optimizing collateral allocation, monitoring margin exposures, reducing funding costs, and ensuring compliance with collateral management policies and regulatory requirements.

The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge of collateral management, securities financing, derivatives margining, liquidity risk, and financial market operations, with the ability to improve collateral utilization while maintaining appropriate risk controls.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement collateral optimization strategies to improve the utilization of available cash and securities across portfolios, counterparties, and business units.
• Monitor collateral balances, margin requirements, eligible assets, concentration limits, and collateral availability across relevant systems.
• Analyze collateral positions to identify opportunities for substitution, reallocation, mobilization, and improved funding efficiency.
• Manage collateral requirements associated with derivatives transactions, repurchase agreements, securities lending, and other secured financing activities.
• Review initial margin, variation margin, independent amounts, and other collateral obligations under applicable agreements.
• Coordinate collateral calls, settlements, substitutions, recalls, and dispute resolution with counterparties and internal stakeholders.
• Evaluate the impact of collateral decisions on liquidity, funding costs, capital utilization, and counterparty exposure.
• Support collateral allocation decisions using optimization tools, eligibility schedules, haircut methodologies, and internal risk parameters.
• Monitor collateral movements and settlement deadlines to reduce failed deliveries, funding shortfalls, and operational risk.
• Review collateral eligibility criteria, valuation haircuts, concentration limits, wrong-way risk, and other relevant risk factors.
• Work closely with treasury, trading, market risk, credit risk, operations, and technology teams to improve collateral efficiency.
• Analyze collateral requirements under bilateral and centrally cleared arrangements, including relevant clearinghouse and margin frameworks.
• Support compliance with collateral documentation and contractual requirements under agreements such as ISDA Credit Support Annexes (CSAs) and Global Master Repurchase Agreements (GMRAs), where applicable.
• Investigate margin discrepancies, valuation differences, settlement breaks, and collateral disputes, ensuring timely resolution.
• Develop reports and analytical dashboards covering collateral utilization, liquidity requirements, funding costs, and optimization opportunities.
• Support stress testing, liquidity contingency planning, and scenario analysis related to collateral availability and margin volatility.
• Maintain accurate collateral records, allocation decisions, reconciliations, and supporting documentation for audit and regulatory purposes.
• Identify opportunities to automate collateral workflows, enhance data quality, and strengthen operational controls.
• Provide technical guidance to junior team members and contribute to collateral management policy development.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Mathematics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in collateral management, treasury operations, margin management, securities financing, or financial markets.
• Strong understanding of collateral optimization, margin calculations, asset eligibility, valuation haircuts, and collateral settlement processes.
• Experience with derivatives collateralization, repo transactions, securities lending, or centrally cleared financial products.
• Familiarity with ISDA documentation, CSAs, GMRA agreements, and related collateral terms is highly desirable.
• Understanding of liquidity risk, counterparty credit risk, market risk, and funding cost management.
• Experience using collateral management platforms, treasury systems, reconciliation tools, or financial market infrastructure systems.
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements and collateral frameworks applicable to UAE financial institutions is an advantage.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to assess competing collateral allocation options.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with SQL, Python, VBA, or optimization tools is an advantage.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and a commitment to effective risk management.
• Ability to manage time-sensitive collateral activities and work independently in a remote environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Improvement in collateral utilization and allocation efficiency.
• Reduction in unnecessary funding costs and avoidable liquidity consumption.
• Accuracy and timeliness of margin calculations, collateral calls, and settlements.
• Reduction in collateral disputes, settlement failures, and reconciliation breaks.
• Compliance with collateral eligibility criteria, concentration limits, and internal risk policies.
• Timely identification and escalation of collateral shortfalls and liquidity risks.
• Effectiveness of collateral substitution and optimization strategies.
• Accuracy of collateral reporting and supporting documentation.
• Successful completion of audits, control reviews, and regulatory reporting activities.
• Contribution to workflow automation, data quality improvements, and operational efficiency.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation aligned with experience and technical expertise.
• Fully remote working arrangements.
• Opportunities to work on complex collateral, liquidity, and financial markets initiatives.
• Professional development and support for relevant treasury and risk management qualifications.
• A collaborative environment focused on analytical excellence, efficient funding, and strong risk governance.
• Opportunities to contribute to collateral technology enhancements and strategic optimization projects.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit an updated CV highlighting their experience in collateral management, margin operations, liquidity optimization, securities financing, and relevant financial systems.

Please include examples of collateral optimization initiatives, funding efficiencies achieved, margin disputes resolved, or improvements made to collateral controls and processes where appropriate.

• Email Subject Line: Application – Senior Collateral Optimization Specialist (UAE Remote)