Why this role matters
This is a senior front-office COO role for a leader who thrives on execution. Sitting at the centre of the EMEA Execution Services Businesses and Global FX Trading Business, the role is designed for someone who can convert strategic priorities into action, lead from the front on complex initiatives, and drive tangible outcomes across a fast-moving operating environment.
The successful candidate will bring a combination of strategic judgement, front-office credibility and disciplined execution, with experience operating in a sophisticated, highly regulated Global Markets environment. This is not a passive coordination role — it requires an individual who is comfortable with execution and managing a portfolio of multi-asset businesses, navigating complexity, resolving issues and delivering against demanding commercial, operational and regulatory priorities.
The opportunity
BNY Markets helps clients formulate, implement and execute their investment strategies by providing financing, execution, liquidity and collateral solutions integrated across BNY’s broader ecosystem.
Within Markets, Execution Services comprises of Foreign Exchange, Fixed Income, Equities, Capital Markets and Buyside Trading Solutions. Execution Services offer an integrated suite of products and services providing choice to Clients’ unique needs and to help them achieve their investment goals. Our broader Execution businesses provide clients with access to liquidity, market connectivity and a differentiated counterparty network across multiple asset classes.
We are seeking a Director, EMEA Execution Services COO & Global FX Trading COO, based in London, reporting to the Global Chief Operating Officer of Execution Services in New York.
The successful candidate will partner closely with the EMEA Heads of FX, Fixed Income, Equities & Buyside Trading Solutions, together with the Global Head of FX Trading and their respective leadership teams, to drive delivery of the strategic and operating agenda for the EMEA Execution Services franchise and Global FX Trading business.
This role is suited to a commercially minded, execution-focused COO with substantial experience in front-office business management and a strong understanding of how Trading and Execution businesses operate across Sales, Trading, Product, Infrastructure, Risk & Controls and Regulation.
Key responsibilities
Drive execution across the business agenda
- Act as a trusted partner to senior business leaders, driving delivery against the strategic and operating agenda including execution on product, platform and business initiatives.
- Convert business priorities into actionable plans, clear ownership structures and measurable milestones, ensuring disciplined follow-through and timely execution.
- Lead from the front on high-priority initiatives, working across business, infrastructure and risk & control functions to remove obstacles, resolve issues and keep delivery on track.
Ensure local EMEA priorities are implemented in line with global objectives, governance standards and operating models.
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Own delivery & execution of Key COO priorities
- Execute core COO responsibilities across the EMEA Execution Services businesses and Global FX Trading function, including governance, business planning, initiative tracking, resource & talent management, issue resolution and management reporting.
- Represent the business in strategic programs, operational lifecycle events, control initiatives and regulatory change delivery.
- Produce clear, decision-oriented updates for senior leadership on milestones, dependencies, risks and execution challenges.
- Maintain momentum across multiple workstreams, ensuring priorities are sequenced appropriately and delivered with pace and rigour.
- Execute against regulatory, risk and control priorities & drive implementation of regulatory, audit, compliance and control-related actions impacting the business.
- Partner closely with Compliance, Legal, Risk and control teams to ensure the business maintains a robust, well-evidenced control environment.
- Coordinate Internal Audits, External Audits and Compliance Testing reviews, ensuring actions are clearly owned, tracked and remediated on time.
Support the business in preparing for market disruption, regulatory developments and other events requiring coordinated execution and rapid response.
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Improve business performance and operating effectiveness
- Monitor business and financial performance indicators, identify areas requiring action and work with stakeholders to deliver targeted improvements.
- Partner with Finance and business leadership on budgets, headcount, investment priorities and expense discipline, with a strong focus on execution and accountability.
- Use business data, market insight and competitor intelligence to help shape practical actions that improve franchise performance.
Drive continuous improvement across business processes, governance routines and management disciplines.
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Deliver transformation and front-to-back change
- Drive execution of transformational initiatives across EMEA Execution Services and Global FX Trading, ensuring delivery is commercially relevant, operationally sound and appropriately governed.
- Partner across Sales, Trading, Product, Engineering, Operations, Risk, Legal and Compliance to implement front-to-back improvements that enhance scalability, resilience and efficiency.
- Lead efforts to simplify workflows, strengthen operating discipline and improve the effectiveness of the broader business platform.
- Identify delivery risks early and intervene decisively to keep strategic programs moving.
Lead end-to-end AI initiatives and drive platform scale, automation, and efficiency across the operating model.
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Stakeholder management and team leadership
- Build strong working relationships across senior stakeholders and infrastructure partners to enable effective delivery.
- Represent the business in selected industry forums, market structure discussions and regulatory working groups where appropriate.
- Lead and develop a small COO team in London, with direct management responsibility.
Set clear expectations for delivery, maintain high standards of execution and ensure the team is aligned to business priorities.
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Candidate profile
We are looking for an experienced and highly credible front-office COO / business management leader with a strong track record of execution within trading or execution businesses. This role will suit someone who is energized by delivery, comfortable operating at pace and able to move between strategic topics and day-to-day execution without losing momentum.
What will make you successful in this role
The successful candidate will bring a combination of strategic judgement, front-office credibility and disciplined execution, with experience operating in a sophisticated, highly regulated global markets environment.
To be successful, you will bring:
- Significant experience in financial services, with substantial exposure to Sales, Trading & Execution businesses and a strong understanding of Global Markets.
- Experience in a front-office COO, business management, trading management or comparable execution-focused leadership role.
- Strong understanding of Fixed Income, Equities & FX market structure, pricing, execution and risk management.
- Demonstrated ability to drive delivery, manage complex workstreams and execute successfully in a fast-moving, highly regulated environment.
- Strong knowledge of the UK and European regulatory landscape relevant to Sales, Trading & Execution businesses.
- Proven experience leading business transformation, control remediation, governance enhancement and strategic initiative delivery.
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to drive alignment and action across 1 st ,2 nd and 3 rd LoDs.
- Experience managing teams, while remaining personally accountable and hands-on in delivery.
High levels of ownership, attention to detail, sound judgement and resilience.
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Preferred qualifications
- Extensive experience in a COO, business management, front-office management or strategic execution role within Markets.
- Strong expertise in Fixed Income, Equities & FX Markets
- Experience partnering across business, infrastructure and control functions in a global operating model.
- Strong analytical capability and confidence working with business, financial and operational metrics.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
