Rodeo
Get started

Baillie Gifford

Global Markets Operations Associate – 18 Month Fixed Term Contract

City of Edinburgh
Posted about 20 hours ago
Sign up to applySee more jobs like this
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever

How your CV stacks up

1Upload CV
2Analyse CV
3Improve CV

Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role

?%

Job Title

Global Markets Operations Associate – 18 Month Fixed Term Contract

Department

Settlements-BG-UK

Overview of Department

Purpose of Role

You will help ensure post-trade investment activity is completed accurately, within market deadlines and in line with established procedures and controls.

A key focus of the role will be FX Operations, and we are particularly interested in candidates with practical FX experience and a good understanding of the FX trade lifecycle. This may include trade processing, settlement, cash movements, standing settlement instructions and the investigation and resolution of FX-related exceptions.

Alongside FX, you will support activity across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, giving you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge across Global Markets Operations. You will work closely with Trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and colleagues across the firm, while contributing to strong controls, effective client service and continuous improvement.

Due to the nature of the role, the team currently operates a shift pattern that allows for occasional flexibility in start times, with the earliest start being 7am. Further details will be discussed during the interview or can be provided in advance upon request.

This position has been deemed a Certified role within the FCA's Senior Managers and Certification Regime. As a result, occupants' details will be displayed on the FCA Register and both initial and annual fitness and propriety assessments must be completed.

Responsibilities

  • Support FX activity through the trade lifecycle, including trade processing, settlement, cash movements, settlement instructions and the resolution of exceptions.
  • Support the end-to-end post-trade lifecycle across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions.
  • Monitor settlement activity, market deadlines and operational events, identifying and resolving breaks, exceptions and potential risks.
  • Manage Corporate Actions activity, including reviewing event information, processing elections and entitlements and investigating related cash, stock or reconciliation issues.
  • Work closely with Trading teams, investment teams, custodians, brokers and counterparties to investigate issues and support investment activity.
  • Support client and counterparty onboarding, portfolio transitions and other investment initiatives.
  • Follow established procedures and controls, ensuring risks, incidents and errors are identified, escalated and reported appropriately.
  • Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and efficiency through automation, technology and better ways of working, while sharing knowledge across the wider team.

Reasons to use Rodeo

I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?

Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.

Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.

Start with a chat, not a search bar

Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.

P

Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme

PwC·London, UK
£35,000/yr

Why you're a good match

Strong

Your economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.

See breakdown
Save jobNot relevant
View details

It searches the market for you

Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.

Why you're a good match

You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.

See breakdown
Strong

Experience fit

Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.

See breakdown
Strong

Only hits

No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.

What success looks like:

  • Accurate FX delivery: Manage FX activity accurately and within market and currency deadlines, with a sound understanding of the FX lifecycle, settlement requirements, cash movements, standing settlement instructions and associated controls.
  • Reliable post-trade delivery: Complete wider Global Markets Operations activity accurately and on time across Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, understanding key dependencies across the trade lifecycle.
  • Sound judgement and escalation: Investigate operational exceptions thoroughly, understand the potential risk and impact, and take appropriate action or escalate where required.
  • Clear communication and collaboration: Provide timely, practical information to trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and internal stakeholders so that issues are understood and resolved effectively.
  • Continuous improvement and team contribution: Build broader operational knowledge, share expertise with colleagues and identify opportunities to strengthen processes, controls and efficiency through automation and technology.

Your knowledge and experience:

  • Practical experience of FX operations, with a good understanding of the FX lifecycle, settlement requirements and associated operational risks and controls.
  • Experience investigating and resolving FX exceptions, settlement issues and cash-related queries, working confidently with Trading teams, custodians, brokers, counterparties and internal stakeholders to resolve issues effectively.
  • An understanding of the importance of accurate settlement instructions, market and currency cut-off times, funding requirements and timely escalation within an FX environment.
  • Experience working with vendor platforms and internal systems to process, monitor and control operational activity.
  • Exposure to other relevant transaction types and activities, including Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives (OTC and/or exchange-traded), Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions.
  • Awareness of operational risk and controls, with the ability to identify issues, escalate appropriately and ensure incidents are logged and reported.
  • Experience supporting client activity such as onboarding, transitions and investment initiatives, with a strong service mindset.
  • Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise competing requirements, manage market deadlines and maintain accuracy in a high-volume environment.
  • A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and contribute ideas around process improvement, automation and best practice.
  • A willingness to develop knowledge across the wider Global Markets Operations function and undertake cross-training across different asset classes and processes.

Get help with your application

Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.

Get help applying for this job

Qualifications:

  • Investment Operations Certificate (IOC) preferred.

The Type of Candidate We're Looking For:

We are particularly interested in candidates who can bring strong FX operational knowledge to the team. You may currently work within FX Operations, Settlements, Middle Office or another post-trade environment where you have gained hands-on experience of the FX lifecycle.

You should be comfortable working to market and currency deadlines, managing exceptions and resolving issues with internal and external stakeholders. An understanding of the operational risks associated with FX settlement, cash movements and settlement instructions would be particularly valuable.

While FX knowledge is an important focus of this position, this is a Global Markets Operations role rather than an FX-only role. The successful candidate will be expected to build their knowledge across the wider department, including Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Private Company transactions and Corporate Actions, and contribute to a flexible and cross-trained team.

We are looking for someone who can bring useful experience into the team while also being open to learning, sharing knowledge and developing across the wider Global Markets Operations function.

Critical Skills:

  • Adaptability
  • Enabling others
  • Improvement mindset
  • Team working

Closing Date

October 13, 2026

Should you choose to use AI tools to support your application, we ask that you do this thoughtfully. We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives.

At Baillie Gifford, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.

If you are currently working at Baillie Gifford as an employee or contractor please apply to this job from the firm's Workday internal career site.

Trusted by 25,000+ job seekers

“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Jessica, London

Get help applying for this job

Location

City of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Sign up to applySee more jobs like this