Senior Credit Derivatives Specialist

Job Title: Senior Credit Derivatives Specialist

Location: UAE (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Level: Senior

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

About Us

We are seeking an experienced and analytically strong Senior Credit Derivatives Specialist to support the structuring, valuation, execution, and lifecycle management of credit derivative products. This role focuses on credit risk transfer instruments, portfolio analysis, pricing, trade processing, and risk monitoring while ensuring compliance with internal controls, contractual requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.

The ideal candidate will have in-depth knowledge of credit derivatives, credit markets, financial modeling, and counterparty risk, together with the ability to collaborate effectively across trading, risk management, product control, legal, and operations teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and support credit derivatives activities, including credit default swaps (CDS), index CDS, credit-linked notes, total return swaps, and other credit-linked instruments.
• Analyze credit derivative structures, underlying reference entities, credit events, contractual terms, and settlement mechanisms.
• Support trade execution, transaction booking, confirmation, valuation, and lifecycle event processing.
• Review credit spreads, default probabilities, recovery assumptions, hazard rates, and other market inputs used in credit derivative pricing.
• Perform or review valuations using appropriate pricing methodologies, including credit curve analysis, discounted cash flow models, and relevant quantitative techniques.
• Monitor credit exposures, mark-to-market movements, counterparty risks, and portfolio sensitivities to changes in credit spreads.
• Analyze credit events, restructuring scenarios, defaults, succession events, and settlement implications in accordance with applicable contractual definitions.
• Coordinate with trading desks, quantitative analysts, market risk, credit risk, legal, finance, and operations teams to resolve complex transaction issues.
• Review trade confirmations and contractual documentation, including relevant ISDA agreements and credit derivative definitions.
• Support credit risk transfer strategies, portfolio hedging, and analysis of single-name and index credit exposures.
• Investigate valuation discrepancies, trade breaks, settlement issues, and lifecycle processing exceptions.
• Monitor market developments, credit rating changes, spread movements, and macroeconomic conditions affecting credit derivative portfolios.
• Ensure transactions comply with internal policies, trading limits, documentation standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Prepare reports covering credit derivative positions, valuation movements, risk exposures, portfolio performance, and operational issues.
• Maintain accurate transaction records, valuation support, credit event documentation, and audit trails.
• Support internal and external audits, regulatory reviews, and model governance activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve credit derivative analytics, trade processing, reporting, and operational controls.
• Provide technical guidance to junior colleagues and contribute to knowledge sharing across credit markets teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Accounting, Financial Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in credit derivatives, credit trading support, structured credit, quantitative finance, or financial markets operations.
• Strong understanding of credit default swaps, index credit derivatives, credit-linked notes, and related credit risk transfer instruments.
• Knowledge of credit derivative pricing, credit curves, default probabilities, recovery rates, credit spreads, and valuation methodologies.
• Experience with derivatives trade lifecycle management, valuation reconciliation, confirmation processes, or portfolio risk monitoring.
• Understanding of counterparty credit risk, market risk, collateral arrangements, and credit exposure measurement.
• Familiarity with ISDA documentation, credit event determination, and relevant settlement procedures.
• Knowledge of applicable financial market regulations and UAE financial services requirements is an advantage.
• Professional qualifications such as CFA, FRM, CQF, or equivalent financial markets credentials are desirable.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with Python, SQL, VBA, or quantitative analytics tools is an advantage.
• Strong analytical, numerical, and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to interpret complex financial information and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality, and professional judgment.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work independently in a remote environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Accuracy and timeliness of credit derivative trade processing and lifecycle management.
• Quality and consistency of valuation analysis and credit risk reporting.
• Timely resolution of trade breaks, valuation discrepancies, and settlement exceptions.
• Effectiveness of credit exposure monitoring and risk escalation.
• Compliance with contractual requirements, internal policies, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Accuracy of credit event assessments and related documentation.
• Timeliness and completeness of portfolio reporting and reconciliations.
• Reduction in recurring operational errors and control deficiencies.
• Effectiveness of process improvements and analytical enhancements.
• Quality of audit documentation and support for governance reviews.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation aligned with experience and technical expertise.
• Fully remote working arrangements.
• Opportunities to work with complex credit derivatives and financial risk instruments.
• Professional development and support for relevant industry qualifications.
• A collaborative environment focused on analytical excellence, risk management, and operational integrity.
• Opportunities to contribute to credit risk analytics, process optimization, and strategic financial markets initiatives.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit an updated CV highlighting their experience in credit derivatives, credit risk analysis, derivatives valuation, trade lifecycle management, and relevant financial systems.

Please include examples of credit derivative transactions supported, valuation or reconciliation issues resolved, risk analysis performed, or process improvements implemented where appropriate.

• Email Subject Line: Application – Senior Credit Derivatives Specialist (UAE Remote)