Associate - Trading Documentation & Advisory
Validus Risk Management is seeking an experienced Trading Documentation & Advisory professional to join its Global Capital Markets Advisory team.
This is a client-facing, commercially focused role for an individual with prior experience in global markets documentation, ideally gained within an investment bank, wealth manager or institutional financial services firm. You will work at the centre of clients’ trading relationships, advising on and negotiating the documentation that underpins derivative activity across global markets.
The role offers meaningful front-office exposure, responsibility for client outcomes, and the opportunity to act as a trusted adviser to sophisticated institutional clients. You will engage directly with banking counterparties, internal trading and operations teams, and external legal counsel to structure, negotiate, and execute ISDA, CSA and related agreements.
This position is well suited to a high-calibre Associate or Senior Associate who has built strong technical foundations in trading documentation and is now seeking greater ownership, visibility, and career acceleration within a fast-growing, specialist advisory platform.
Role Overview
The Global Capital Markets Advisory team specialises in the ISDA framework and associated trading documentation that governs all client trading activity at Validus. The team plays a central role in enabling clients’ hedging and trading strategies by ensuring robust, commercially optimised, and operationally workable documentation across global counterparties.
You will be responsible for managing documentation workstreams end to end — from client engagement and structuring through negotiation, execution, and ongoing advisory support while partnering closely with senior stakeholders across Validus and its global banking network.
Requirements
Client & Counterparty Advisory
- Act as a primary point of contact for clients on trading documentation matters, building trusted, long-term relationships.
- Engage directly with investment banks and counterparties to negotiate documentation and resolve commercial and structural issues.
- Advise clients on the commercial and operational implications of ISDA and CSA terms, including credit support mechanics and termination provisions.
- Support clients with ongoing documentation-related queries as trading relationships evolve.
Documentation & Negotiation
- Lead and negotiate the commercial terms of ISDA Master Agreements, CSAs and related documentation.
- Review, structure and coordinate documentation strategy in partnership with internal and external legal counsel.
- Analyse and advise on Additional Termination Events, credit provisions and collateral mechanics.
- Manage documentation timelines, execution processes and stakeholder coordination.
Credit Analysis & Modelling
- Collect, interpret and analyse client financial statements.
- Perform financial covenant analysis and modelling under ISDA and CSA frameworks.
- Support internal credit assessments and documentation structuring decisions.
Regulatory & Market Framework
- Maintain strong working knowledge of relevant regulatory regimes and market developments, including EMIR, MiFID II and Dodd-Frank.
- Advise clients on regulatory considerations impacting trading documentation and counterparty relationships.
Project & Platform Contribution
- Support ISDA onboarding and RFP processes, including benchmarking of credit terms, CSA parameters and commercial outcomes.
- Contribute to broader documentation, onboarding and advisory initiatives as the platform scales.
- Partner closely with trading, operations, risk and technology teams to ensure documentation aligns with execution and lifecycle processes.
Experience & Qualifications
- Proven experience in global markets documentation, ideally gained within:
- An investment bank
- A wealth or asset manager
- A capital markets advisory or institutional financial services firm
- Hands-on experience negotiating or managing ISDA and CSA documentation.
- Strong understanding of derivatives markets and the documentation that supports FX, rates and other OTC products.
- Comfort operating in a client-facing, deadline-driven environment.
Skills & Attributes
- Strong analytical and numerical capability, with the ability to interpret financial statements and covenant structures.
- Clear, confident communicator able to engage effectively with clients, counterparties and senior stakeholders.
- Commercial mindset with an appreciation for balancing legal, credit, operational and trading considerations.
- Highly organised, detail-oriented and resilient under pressure.
Education & Professional Qualifications
- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Finance, Economics, Law or a related discipline.
- Professional qualifications such as CFA, FRM or CAIA would be a desirable asset
About the Capital Markets Function at Validus
The Capital Markets function at Validus was established to deliver a fully integrated front-to-back capital markets solution for private capital managers, institutional investors and corporate clients.
Our platform encompasses:
- Establishment of trading infrastructure, including ISDAs and trading lines
- Execution of derivative transactions as agent for clients
- Coordination of global hedging activity
- Best execution across FX, interest rates, commodities and futures
- Management of a global banking panel of over 50 counterparties
- Ongoing optimisation of hedging strategies and supporting documentation
ISDA Advisory & Onboarding
Validus leads ISDA and counterparty onboarding processes on behalf of clients, including:
- Running RFPs across global banking counterparties
- Benchmarking pricing, ISDA credit terms and CSA parameters
- Leading commercial negotiations to achieve optimal credit outcomes
- Coordinating legal counsel, KYC, onboarding and execution workstreams
- Acting as the central liaison across all stakeholders to ensure efficient and timely completion
Benefits
- Validus assesses market data to ensure a competitive compensation package for our employees. The base salary for this position is expected to be between $110,000 and $125,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base salary if hired will be determined on an individualised basis, including as to experience and market location, and is only part of the Validus total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include, generous bonus, and Company-sponsored benefit programs.
- Performance bonus linked to agreed success criteria - paid semi annually
- 20 days’ holiday (increasing to 25 with tenure) plus bank holidays
- Private health insurance (including dental, optical and mental health)
- Travel insurance
- Learning & development allowance and support for professional qualifications
- No AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants
- #AP1