Senior Manager, Aladdin Transformation & Optimization - Front Office SME (Equities)

Strata is at an exciting stage of growth and we are hiring hands-on Aladdin SMEs with front office experience to join our business. Strata consultants work day to day with portfolio managers, traders, and operations teams, serving as the Aladdin Front Office SME in the client environment.
Strata Aladdin SMEs work to solution in implementation as well as in optimization environments, providing hands-on user support so that Aladdin continues to reflect how investment teams operate in practice. This is a role for someone who enjoys being close to the desk: solving problems in real time, shaping practical solutions, and helping users get the most from the platform.
As our Equities SME, you will focus on the equity trading and portfolio management workflows of global buy-side asset managers, from order creation and execution through allocation, compliance, and settlement. You will bring a practitioner's view of how equity desks actually work and use it to shape how Aladdin is configured and used.
This role is ideal for someone who understands front office investment workflows end-to-end, can configure and validate Aladdin trading environments, and can translate complex investment processes into practical system solutions.

WORKPLACE VALUES
You will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values:

• Growth mindset
• Resilience
• Humility
• Positivity
• Creativity
• Openness

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Subject matter expertise

• Provide SME guidance across the equity trade lifecycle, including order generation, routing and execution, allocation, pre- and post-trade compliance, and settlement
• Advise on workflows across cash equities, ETFs, ADRs/GDRs, and equity derivatives, adapting to the needs of long-only, quantitative, and long/short strategies
• Facilitate workshops and working sessions with portfolio managers, traders, operations, and technology partners to define requirements and drive alignment
• Collaborate with data and technology teams to support front office data flows, platform integrations, and downstream connectivity within the Aladdin ecosystem, including broker, venue, and EMS connectivity

Configuration and enhancement

• Partner with portfolio managers and traders to design, refine, and validate equity workflows that reflect real operating practices, including rebalancing, model-driven order generation, basket and program trading, and block and aggregated orders
• Configure and optimize Aladdin OMS and trading workflows for equities, including order staging, broker and algo routing, FIX connectivity, allocation rules, and commission management
• Configure and validate equity-specific controls such as short sale locates and borrow, restricted and watch lists, and trade restrictions
• Perform gap analysis between current-state equity processes and Aladdin capabilities, identifying configuration changes or process adjustments needed to close gaps
• Gather and document business requirements across portfolio management, order management, trade execution, compliance, and investment data
• Configure OMS workflows and validate the end-to-end equity trade lifecycle in implementation programmes
• Assess and validate the impact of Aladdin releases and configuration changes on equity front office workflows, supporting regression and user acceptance testing
• Support go-live and post-implementation stabilization, then transition into ongoing optimization

Problem solving and user support

• Act as the first point of expertise for equity traders and portfolio managers, triaging, diagnosing, and resolving issues across the trade lifecycle, including rejected or stuck orders, allocation breaks, and execution and fill discrepancies
• Investigate root causes of recurring issues and deliver durable fixes rather than workarounds
• Provide on-the-desk support and end-user enablement, including training, guidance, and documentation
• Escalate and coordinate with technology, data, broker, and vendor teams where issues require deeper intervention

Governance and knowledge sharing

• Improve governance, controls, and documentation for critical equity front office processes and Aladdin configuration standards
• Contribute to Strata best practices, delivery standards, and a shared knowledge base
• Mentor junior team members and promote knowledge sharing across Strata

KEY BEHAVIOURS

• Strategic alignment: Understand the strategic drivers for your work area and align activities to wider organisational priorities
• Ownership and decision-making: Understand your level of responsibility, display confidence when making difficult decisions even if they prove unpopular, and present strong recommendations in a timely manner
• Communication: Communicate in a straightforward, honest, and engaging manner, choosing styles that maximise understanding. Ensure communication has a clear purpose, takes individual needs into account, and checks understanding. Show positivity and enthusiasm, and deliver important messages respectfully with consideration for the diversity of stakeholder interests
• Collaboration: Encourage joined-up teamwork within your team and across other groups. Build professional relationships with a range of stakeholders, share information, resources, and support, and invest time in developing and respecting one another
• Delivery: Deliver high-quality outcomes that meet client needs, identifying risks and resolving issues efficiently

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years' experience within Asset Management or Financial Services, with a strong focus on equities
• Hands-on experience with Aladdin configuration and trading workflows in a front office environment, ideally supporting equity desks
• Experience contributing to Aladdin implementations and/or optimization programmes across the project lifecycle
• Strong understanding of front office investment management concepts, including portfolio construction, order management, trade execution, and pre- and post-trade compliance
• Deep knowledge of the equity trade lifecycle, including order types, algorithmic and DMA execution, block trading, allocations, corporate actions, and settlement
• Working knowledge of equity market structure, venues, and regional settlement conventions
• Proven ability to work directly with portfolio managers and traders to translate investment requirements into Aladdin system solutions
• Demonstrated experience providing front office user support, including issue triage, root cause analysis, and resolution
• Experience supporting UAT and end-user enablement in a front office or trading technology context
• Ability to communicate effectively with both investment professionals and technology teams, bridging the gap between business need and technical delivery
• Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills
• Experience working within platform constraints to deliver practical solutions
• Comfortable operating independently within structured delivery environments
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, mathematics, information systems, or a related field

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with equity derivatives (swaps, options, futures) and the related trading and compliance workflows
• Knowledge of FIX protocol and broker, venue, and EMS connectivity
• Familiarity with best execution, transaction cost analysis, and commission management (including CSAs and research payments)
• Knowledge of pre- and post-trade compliance for equities, such as concentration, ownership, and short-selling limits