Executive Director, Trading Documentation

About AQR Capital Management

AQR is a global investment management firm built at the intersection of financial theory and practical application. We strive to deliver superior, long-term results for our clients by looking past market noise to identify and isolate what matters most, and by developing ideas that stand up to rigorous testing. Our focus on practical insights and analysis has made us leaders in alternative and traditional strategies since 1998.

At AQR, our employees share a common spirit of academic excellence, intellectual honesty and an unwavering commitment to seeking the truth. We’re determined to know what makes financial markets tick – and we’ll ask every question and challenge every assumption. We recognize and respect the power of collaboration, and we believe transparency and openness to new ideas leads to innovation.

The Team

The Trading Documentation teams forms part of the Counterparty Risk, Operational Risk & Trading Documentation group. The group is looking to hire an exceptionally talented individual to join the Trading Documentation team as an Executive Director. The group is broadly responsible for preparing AQR funds and managed accounts for trading activities with counterparties and service providers and maintaining those relationships over time. This includes activities such as onboarding and maintaining trading documentation across our fund and managed account platform to support trading globally across most asset classes, maintaining and registering funds in emerging markets, and responding to KYC/AML requests from counterparties. Organizationally, this role reports into the Head of Counterparty Risk, Operational Risk & Trading Documentation. 

Your Role

Provide support across all activities of the trading documentation group. 

• Facilitate onboarding of new funds and managed accounts at counterparties by coordinating with various departments and functions internally and externally, with clients, as needed.
• Support ongoing activities of existing funds as it pertains to trading documentation to add new providers, new products, new arrangements.
• Negotiate and update prime brokerage financing agreements and term lockups, ISDA master agreements, master confirmations, tri-party agreements, repo agreements – GMRAs and MRAs, futures clearing and cleared derivative agreements, as well as various execution agreements and electronic trading user agreements.
• Develop standard terms and establish negotiation playbooks for the most frequently used documentation.
• Point person for understanding regulatory changes and impact on trading documentation.
• Work with custodians to set up custodial trading accounts for various emerging markets and maintain registrations in local markets.
• Respond to counterparty requests related to KYC/AML information, organize supporting legal documents, and maintain sensitive, confidential information associated with required disclosure documents.
• Assist with completing and providing representation letters, IPO forms, QIB Certificate, Reg S letters, FINRA letters and other transactional documentation to counterparties.
• Support requests and questions from other teams across the firm on trading documentation as needed.

What You’ll Bring

• JD with an active license to practice and a member in good standing
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience, negotiating a variety of trading agreements, concepts, and terms
• Extensive knowledge of various trading documentation and concepts with an understanding of application from a buy side perspective
• Knowledge of financial products, markets, risk and collateral management practices at buy and sell side institutions
• Experience working with asset managers, hedge funds, mutual funds, other regulated funds and managed account clients
• Familiarity with KYC/AML diligence requirements would be a strong plus
• Sound judgement with ability to work as both a team member and leader

Who You Are

• Committed to intellectual curiosity and integrity, with high ethical standards
• Mature and thoughtful, with the ability to operate within a collaborative, team-oriented culture as well as operate independently
• Hard working and eager to learn in a highly intellectual, innovative environment
• Well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to multi-task and keep track of competing deadlines
• Self-starting, entrepreneurial, creative, with a pragmatic, results-driven orientation
• Excellent communicator (verbal and written); able to communicate complex ideas in a simple, succinct and understandable fashion

AQR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  EEO/VET/DISABILITY

The salary range for this role is expected to be $200,000-$225,000.  This is the range that we in good faith believe is accurate for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, depending upon factors such as skills, experience, location, or other business and organizational needs.  This wage range may also be modified in the future.

This job is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k), and any other benefits to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.