Operations Associate

Operations Associate

Heights Capital Management Asia (HCMA), a dynamic, collaborative investment team within Susquehanna International Group, is seeking an Operations Associate to join our Tokyo office.

This role is designed for a native Japanese speaker who will support our proprietary capital investing and trading activity by owning the full operational execution lifecycle, controls, reporting, and initiatives to improve how we operate as we scale.

You will work closely with local and global partners across Investments, Trading, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Technology, and will be a key Japanese English liaison with issuers, brokers, prime brokers, banks, custodians, and external counsel.

You will:

• Own trade capture and lifecycle management across Japan and broader APAC markets (booking, confirmations, allocations, settlement monitoring, and break resolution) with a control mindset that drives zero preventable settlement failures and disclosure misses.
• Manage stock loans end-to-end (setup, booking, lifecycle events, recalls/returns, corporate action impacts, and issue resolution), maintaining strong documentation and clear escalation when needed.
• Drive counterparty onboardings to completion on time by setting timelines, pushing processes forward, and escalating blockers proactively to senior management.
• Support capital markets transactions (e.g., Third Party Allotments, private placements, PIPEs, rights offerings, secondary offerings, IPOs) by coordinating restriction controls, closing checklists, documentation flow, funding, and settlement logistics.
• Manage corporate actions and event-driven workflows (conversions/exercises, option-related events, position movements), ensuring accurate and timely updates in internal systems, downstream reporting, and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate cash movements and payments, including preparing/reviewing wire instructions, working with prime brokers and banks, and maintaining strong controls and audit trails.
• Perform daily/periodic reconciliations (positions, PnL, fees/financing, corporate actions, PB/custody files); investigate root causes, document conclusions, and escalate issues early with clear options and recommendations.
• Produce and maintain operational and portfolio reporting (start-of-day/end-of-day summaries, weekly portfolio review materials, risk/compliance reporting, monthly PnL) with a high bar for accuracy, consistency, and scalability.
• Lead assigned projects end-to-end: scope clearly (problem statement, deliverables, milestones, risks), work collaboratively to ensure project completion, and escalate quickly when blocked.
• Deliver a quarterly cost and financing analysis identifying the top five cost drivers/leaks with trend commentary and actionable recommendations: work with relevant stakeholders to help drive outcomes.
• Monitor Japanese company announcements and market news relevant to the portfolio; maintain alerts and provide concise English summaries to support decision-making and avoid preventable misses.
• Build and maintain effective counterparty relationships and bring back practical best practices and market intelligence that improve our operating playbook.
• Drive continuous improvement to workflows and controls as our Japan operations and footprint grows.
• Adopt new technology and AI tools: proactively identify manual, repetitive, or error-prone work; propose improvements; and implement practical automation that increases speed, consistency, and control quality.

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of relevant experience in investment operations, trade support, middle office, prime brokerage, custody, fund administration, or similar roles (buy-side or sell-side), with direct ownership of lifecycle processing and controls.
• Native Japanese speaker with strong professional reading and writing skills; fluent in English (verbal and written) is a must.
• Strong understanding of the trade lifecycle (execution, trade entry, settlement, corporate actions, cash management) and comfort operating in fast-moving, time-sensitive environments.
• Demonstrate ownership and project drive: can define scope quickly, manage dependencies, provide crisp updates, and close loops through completion.
• Strong judgment under incomplete information: can separate signal from noise, surface the real risks, and recommend actions that maximize expected value. Balance speed, control quality, and business impact.
• Analytical comfort with costs/fees/financing and the discipline to translate analysis into concrete recommendations and follow-through.
• Technical curiosity and willingness to adopt new tools: interest in automation, AI-enabled workflows, and pragmatic scripting (Python/VBA/SQL) to reduce manual work and error rates.
• Strong Excel and data skills (reconciliations, break investigation, reporting); familiarity with Bloomberg and/or OMS/EMS tools (e.g., EMSX) is a plus.
• Familiarity with capital markets transaction processes (deal closings, documentation flow) and regulatory reporting/compliance checks is a plus.

Skills and Attributes

• Control-first operator: precise, detail-oriented, and disciplined in documentation and escalation; builds routines that prevent avoidable failures and misses.
• Ownership mindset: accountable for outcomes, not just tasks; persists until issues are resolved and stakeholders have clarity.
• Decision-quality focus: brings recommendations, trade-offs, and an EV-oriented approach to ambiguous situations rather than simply escalating questions.
• Process builder: continuously improves workflows and controls, with a bias toward simplifying, standardizing, and scaling.
• Technology-forward: actively adopts AI and new tools, experiments responsibly, and converts learnings into durable workflow improvements.
• Clear communicator: concise, accurate communication in Japanese and English; can summarize complex situations and escalate crisply when required.
• High integrity and confidentiality: trusted with sensitive information and careful about compliance expectations.

Job Characteristics

• The role centres on delivering high-quality, accurate, and scalable outcomes through operational execution, analytical thinking, and strong controls.
• You will frequently work in ambiguous situations with incomplete information and are expected to stay organized, self-disciplined, and solution oriented.
• Accountability, intellectual honesty, and a willingness to ask the right questions are required to do this job well.

Company Description

HCMA is an affiliate of Susquehanna, one of the world's largest privately held financial services firms. Susquehanna is a global quantitative trading firm founded by a group of friends who share a passion for game theory and probabilistic thinking. That mindset is embedded in our culture: relentless problem solving across Trading, Technology, and Quantitative Research. From offices around the world, our employees collaborate to make optimal decisions and are driven by the desire to achieve winning results together.

What We Offer

• At HCMA and Susquehanna, we value strategic thinking, resourcefulness, and efficiency over excessive work hours.
• Our permanent capital structure allows us to prioritize thoughtful decision-making and strong business outcomes.
• As part of our small but entrepreneurial Asia team, you will have the opportunity to shape investment processes, standards, and operational infrastructure.
• You will have startup-like impact with the resources and stability of a premier global trading firm.
• If you thrive on supporting shrewd, impactful decisions and are driven by innovation and resourcefulness, this is your chance to excel.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities.

If you're a recruiting agency and want to partner with us, please reach out to recruiting@sig.com. Any resume or referral submitted in the absence of a signed agreement will not be eligible for an agency fee.

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