Back Office Officer

Deadline for application: 27 May 2025. The ESM is looking for a Back Office Officer to join our Middle and Back Office division to help ensure the accuracy and timeliness of post-trade processing of the deals done by our Investment and Treasury, Funding, and Lending teams; contribute to the automation and streamlining of processes; and build analytical tools to monitor and extract statistics and other relevant data. The successful candidate will work under the guidance of the Back Office Team lead and report to the Head of Middle and Back Office and Portfolio Performance. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES 

• Ensure the accuracy and timeliness of post-trade processing: 

Execute and monitor processes to appropriately confirm, clear, and settle transactions conducted by the Investment and Treasury, Funding, and Lending desks. 

Ensure daily cash management for the smooth settlement of the Investment and Treasury operations as well as for collateral margin calls. 

Instruct the paying agents for the coupons and redemptions of all ESM issuances. 

Perform accurate reconciliation of accounts and holdings. 

Oversee outsourced back-office providers, ensuring smooth and reliable coordination to monitor and control operations and act upon escalations. 

• Contribute to the automation of manual processes and workflows using Python, VBA, or other prevalent programming languages. 

• Participate in the enhancement of data management and visualisation: 

Develop data analysis tools to streamline confirmation and settlement processes and data marts to make cash, settlement, and exceptions data available for relevant stakeholders, while keeping a high standard of data quality. 

Build dashboards and monitors leveraging the latest data technologies to provide analytics and data visualisations to the Head of the division, management, and other relevant stakeholders. 

Work in coordination with the data management working group to build an institutional data management framework.  

• Participate in initiatives that aim at further developing the ESM in line with its annual strategic objectives, such as the implementation of new instruments, tools, and systems: 

Assist with business case definition. 

Define and test requirements. 

Validate the translation of business requirements into IT specifications. 

Work in close collaboration with relevant internal and external stakeholders to deliver project objectives. 

• Develop, maintain, and enhance processes, procedures, and the financial software environment. 

• Monitor operational risks with relevant internal risk staff to identify risks, define adequate control processes, report in an incident database, and create possible action plans. 

KEY BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE 

• Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in finance 

• Relevant professional qualification and/or post-graduate studies would be considered an asset 

• At least one year of experience within the financial industry with an emphasis on one or some of the following: fixed income, derivatives (Futures, FX, OTC), money market instruments, repos, and/or collateral management 

• Knowledge of financial products or settlement flows and technical tools to process them (e.g. confirmation matching, Swift messages, market infrastructure)  

• Experience with programming languages (e.g. VBA or Python) or process automation  

• Knowledge of data analysis and/or visualisation would be an advantage 

• Previous participation in projects, preferably in the financial area (knowledge of standard project methodology, translation of business needs into IT requirements, process definition, test planning, and execution) would be an advantage 

• Fluency in written and spoken English, other languages are considered an asset  

KEY COMPETENCIES 

• Teamwork and collaboration 

• Detail oriented and rigorous  

• Problem-solving oriented 

• Critical and strategic thinking  

• Well-structured and organised 

• Able to work independently and proactive in identifying and taking on tasks 

• Innovative thinking 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills  

APPLICATION PROCESS AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION 

• Deadline for application: 27 May 2025 

• Employment grade: Officer  

• Contract duration: Four years, with possibility of extension 

• Place of employment: Luxembourg 

• Current working arrangements: possibility to work remotely, usually up to two days a week, from Luxembourg and the border region (or from further away under certain conditions). 

The ESM strives to provide equal opportunity to all candidates irrespective of their gender, nationality, age, race, culture, education, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or disability. To further enhance the diversity of our workforce, we particularly encourage women to apply. 

 Note 1: the ESM reserves the right to refrain from hiring, or to slightly modify job responsibilities, as needed. 

Note 2: As a result of the selection process, please note that you may be placed on a ‘reserve list’ valid for a duration of six months during which you might be considered for a similar position with a similar level of requirements. Only those candidates who have been notified will be placed on the ‘reserve list’. After this period, you will need to apply again for our vacancies to be considered for a different selection process. 

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is the permanent crisis resolution mechanism for euro area countries. It provides financial assistance to Members facing financing difficulties. To date, the ESM and its predecessor organisation, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), have launched six financial assistance programmes to five countries, provided financial support, monitored repayment capacity, and engaged with partner institutions for programme design in areas of financial interest.

The ESM is a unique place to work with around 230 individuals committed to making a difference to the future of the euro area. It recruits talented professionals of any nationality from both the private and public sectors. The ESM’s senior management is committed to preserving and enhancing a diverse, inclusive recruitment and work environment.