Analyst/Associate – Private High-Grade Credit, Middle Office Operations

Overview

Associate role in the High Grade Middle Office (HGMO) team within BlackRock's Private Financing Solutions (PFS) platform, responsible for accuracy of fund positions and cash balances across the trade lifecycle. This is the PFS Middle Office team's first hire in Mumbai.

What you'll do

• Research and resolve cash breaks versus custodians.
• Research and resolve position breaks versus custodians, clients, administrators and other systems.
• Play a key role in the daily reconciliation between HPS and BlackRock's accounting systems.
• Oversee daily loan and security administration in the firm's accounting system, tracking delayed fundings, contracts, coupon payments, factor payments and maturities.
• Investigate transactional or accrual discrepancies that may arise.
• Provide full trade lifecycle operational support for Bonds (fixed and floating rate), Private Placements, ABS, Cross-Currency Swaps, Term Loans, Delayed Draw Term Loans and Revolvers.
• Work closely with custodians daily, fielding questions on how to apply cash and building or providing amortization schedules for factored securities.
• Assemble purchaser schedules with the information needed to close and fund new private placements.
• Assist with confirming positions and provide support for internal and SMA auditors.
• Troubleshoot booking and position discrepancies daily with Front Office, Fund Accounting, Fund Administrators, SMA Clients and Auditors.
• Assist with monthly tie-outs of positions and cash with SMA Clients for AUM, Dry Powder and Management Fee purposes.
• Perform daily transaction reconciliation with the Stat Accounting administrator, and monthly position, cost and market value reconciliation during the monthly lockdown process.
• Ensure proper recording, accounting and cashflow reconciliation of cross-currency swaps.
• Perform detailed investment return reconciliation versus the full fund administrator.
• Collaborate with technology teams on automation and workflow enhancements; execute User Acceptance Testing, including scenario testing and error resolution before production release.
• Liaise with accounting, product control, valuations and investment data groups to resolve open queries, and perform additional responsibilities as required to support team objectives.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a business-related field.
• 2-6 years of experience in middle office or operations.
• Strong understanding of fixed income securities (private and public) and of cross-currency and/or interest rate swaps.
• Knowledge of trading and settlement, creation of securities and swaps in security master, life-cycle events (coupons, factors, amendments, tenders, maturity), and cash and position reconciliation.
• Strong Excel and Outlook skills, including lookups, pivot tables and extensive formulas, with the ability to build from scratch.
• Ability to manage a high volume of emails daily without missing anything important, responding in a timely manner and escalating when necessary.
• Enjoys problem solving and critical thinking, and can resolve complex issues efficiently and independently.
• Curiosity and a desire to keep learning and building on existing knowledge every day.
• Ability to meet strict deadlines, work independently and as part of a team, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to have

• Accounting experience.
• Experience using trade, accounting or security master systems; FIS VPM, Aladdin, IVP Products and/or Clearwater preferred.
• Experience with Statutory Accounting.

Details

• Location: Mumbai, India.
• Hybrid work model: at least 4 days per week in the office, with up to 1 day working from home.
• Schedule: 4/1 split; late shift required to support EMEA and US time zones (e.g. 2 PM to 11 PM or 3 PM to 12 AM).