Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Trade Surveillance Associate
💰 $70,000 - $110,000
FinanceComplianceTradingRisk Management
🎯 Role Definition
The Trade Surveillance Associate is responsible for monitoring trading activity across multiple markets and platforms to detect potential misconduct, market abuse, and regulatory violations. This role involves analyzing trade data, escalating issues, supporting investigations, and collaborating with compliance and trading teams to maintain market integrity and regulatory adherence.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Compliance Analyst
- Operations Analyst
- Junior Trade Surveillance Analyst
Advancement To:
- Senior Trade Surveillance Analyst
- Trade Compliance Manager
- Head of Trade Surveillance
Lateral Moves:
- Risk Analyst
- Regulatory Compliance Specialist
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Monitor trading activity across equities, fixed income, derivatives, and other asset classes for unusual or suspicious patterns.
- Analyze trade and order data to identify potential market abuse, insider trading, or violations of regulatory rules.
- Conduct pre- and post-trade surveillance to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
- Review alerts generated by automated surveillance systems and determine the appropriate course of action.
- Escalate findings and draft reports for compliance, legal, or regulatory teams.
- Collaborate with traders, compliance officers, and risk teams to resolve flagged issues and provide guidance.
- Maintain knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards governing trading activity.
- Support investigations into suspicious trades, including gathering evidence, documenting findings, and presenting recommendations.
- Assist in the development, testing, and refinement of surveillance tools and systems.
- Track and document surveillance workflows to ensure proper audit trails and regulatory readiness.
- Participate in regulatory examinations, audits, and internal control reviews.
- Prepare detailed reports for senior management and regulatory bodies on surveillance activities and outcomes.
- Ensure accurate recordkeeping of trade activity, alerts, and investigation results.
- Provide training and guidance to junior surveillance staff on monitoring processes and regulatory requirements.
- Conduct ad-hoc analyses to support compliance initiatives or management requests.
- Identify and recommend enhancements to surveillance methodologies and monitoring systems.
- Stay current with market trends, new trading strategies, and emerging compliance risks.
- Collaborate with technology teams to optimize data extraction, analytics, and alerting capabilities.
- Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
- Support cross-border surveillance efforts in alignment with global regulatory frameworks.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis related to trading patterns.
- Contribute to the organization’s compliance strategy and trade monitoring roadmap.
- Collaborate with business units to translate regulatory requirements into actionable surveillance processes.
- Participate in system upgrades, workflow automation, and surveillance project initiatives.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Trade surveillance and monitoring techniques
- Regulatory compliance knowledge (SEC, FINRA, CFTC, MiFID II)
- Trade data analysis and pattern recognition
- Trade surveillance software (Actimize, NICE, Smarsh, Bloomberg Trade Surveillance)
- Reporting and documentation skills
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Data querying and analysis (SQL, Excel, Python)
- Audit and investigation support
- Workflow and alert management
- Market structure and trading strategy knowledge
Soft Skills
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving
- Attention to detail and accuracy
- Communication and presentation skills
- Collaboration and cross-functional teamwork
- Ethical judgment and integrity
- Time management and prioritization
- Adaptability to fast-paced environments
- Critical thinking and decision-making
- Professionalism and confidentiality
- Training and mentoring abilities
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or related field
Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Finance, Economics, or Financial Engineering
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Finance or Economics
- Business Administration
- Risk Management or Compliance
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
1–4 years in trade surveillance, compliance, or financial operations
Preferred:
Experience monitoring trading activity, conducting investigations, using surveillance platforms, and supporting regulatory compliance initiatives