Benefits:
401(k)
Competitive salary
Health insurance
Paid time off
Department: Risk Management / Clearing Operations Reports To: Chief Risk Officer (CRO) or Risk & Margin Manager Employment Type: Full‑Time Location: Dallas, TX
Position Summary
The Risk & Margin Analyst plays a critical role in protecting the clearing firm from market, credit, operational, and liquidity risks. This role is responsible for monitoring client exposures, calculating margin requirements, evaluating collateral sufficiency, assessing account‑level risk concentrations, and identifying potential sources of volatility‑driven losses across equities, options, fixed income, futures (if applicable), and other supported asset classes.
The Analyst evaluates real‑time and end‑of‑day risk positions, leveraging margin methodologies (e.g., Reg T, portfolio margin, house rules, DTCC, OCC and clearinghouse models), exposure analytics, and market conditions to ensure the firm maintains appropriate capital buffers and risk controls. The role requires strong quantitative, analytical, regulatory, and communication skills, as well as the ability to operate effectively in time‑sensitive environments.
Key Responsibilities
Calculate and monitor margin requirements using Reg T, portfolio margin, day‑trading margin, and house margin policies.
Assess client and introducing broker positions for concentration risk, leverage risk, volatility exposure, and liquidation risk.
Identify accounts approaching or breaching limits and escalate appropriately to supervisors, introducing brokers, and management.
Perform real‑time exposure monitoring during volatile market periods or high‑risk events (e.g., earnings, corporate actions).
Validate collateral deposits, cash movements, and securities pledges.
Monitor collateral sufficiency relative to account exposures and house requirements.
Coordinate with operations, treasury, and finance teams on margin calls, deposits, and funding obligations.
Identify intraday liquidity risks that could impact the clearing firm’s capital or settlement obligations.
Issue, track, and enforce margin calls, maintenance calls, house calls, and Fed calls in accordance with regulatory and firm policies.
Communicate directly with introducing broker‑dealers regarding calls, deadlines, escalation paths, and potential liquidations.
Support operational teams in initiating liquidations when calls are not met.
Perform stress testing, scenario analysis, and sensitivity analysis on portfolios and counterparties.
Analyze large or complex positions for heightened risk (e.g., concentrated options positions, high‑beta equities, short‑dated options).
Evaluate counterparties and introducing brokers for exposure risks, creditworthiness, and position volatility.
Identify emerging risks based on market conditions, events, or product types.
Ensure margin practices comply with FINRA, SEC, FRB Regulation T, and OCC margin rules.
Maintain detailed audit trails, documentation, and supervisory evidence for regulatory exams.
Support compliance teams during FINRA/SEC/OCC reviews and internal audits.
Help maintain and update Written Supervisory Procedures (WSPs) related to margin and risk functions.
Produce daily, weekly, and monthly exposure and margin reports for risk management, operations, and senior leadership.
Validate risk‑engine outputs, margin calculations, and data integrity across systems.
Partner with technology teams to improve risk systems, dashboards, and analytics tools.
Participate in user acceptance testing (UAT) for upgrades, new risk models, and workflow improvements.
Act as a subject‑matter expert for margin policies, exposure analytics, and industry rules.
Provide guidance to introducing brokers on margin requirements, risk mitigation, and product‑specific risks.
Collaborate with Clearing Operations, Settlements, Corporate Actions, Compliance, and Treasury to assess multi‑departmental risk impacts.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or related field.
2–5 years of experience in risk management, margin operations, clearing, broker‑dealer operations, or derivatives analysis.
Strong knowledge of securities markets, options Greek sensitivities, margin methodologies, and risk models.
Intermediate to advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, modeling) and familiarity with risk analytics platforms.
Ability to quickly interpret large datasets and complex financial information.
Experience with DTCC settlements
Preferred Licenses & Certifications
FINRA Series 7 — strong plus for understanding products.
FINRA Series 99 — preferred for operations roles.
FRM, CFA, or progress toward certification — advantageous but not required.
Core Competencies
Strong analytical, quantitative, and critical‑thinking abilities.
Excellent communication skills for explaining complex concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
High attention to detail; ability to detect anomalies and uncover hidden exposures.
Ability to perform under pressure during market volatility or operational deadlines.
Problem‑solving mindset with initiative to prevent risk before it materializes.
Ability to independently escalate issues using sound judgment.