Associate - Client Onboarding Operations

Morgan Stanley • New York, NY

5d • $82,000 - $133,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re seeking someone to join our team as an Associate in Client Onboarding Operations. The Client Onboarding team supports all product and functional areas directly and indirectly impacted by new and organic account openings related to the following divisions IED and FID, OTC Clearing and Listed Derivatives products (excluding PB). Onboarding represents the client's interests to internal counterparts, including, but not limited to, Credit Risk, Counterparty Risk, Documentation and Legal. As the central point of contact for the client away from their Sales coverage, Onboarding ensures any client issues are promptly surfaced, escalated, and resolved in a timely manner. This position requires very strong relationship management, organizational and communication skills to have a successful commercial impact on the process. In addition, knowledge about the Firm's products and services is of paramount importance to providing full-service support to the client. The Client Onboarding Group is responsible for establishing and implementing procedures and controls related to account opening as well as identifying opportunities to streamline the Onboarding process. The team works to enhance current technology to effectively capture and manage client relationship information and reference data. In the Operations division, we partner with business units across the Firm to support financial transactions, devise and implement effective controls and develop client relationships. This is an Associate level position within Client Service & Relationship Management, which is responsible for managing internal and external client relationships. We do this by engaging in client service activities, optimizing the client experience, and managing vendor/external business partner relationships. Interested in joining a team that’s eager to create, innovate and make an impact on the world? Read on…

Requirements

• Technical understanding of transaction life cycle in one or more asset classes (Equity & FI Cash, Rates, Credit and Equity OTC Derivatives, OTC Clearing, Listed Derivatives, FX, Commodities)
• Very strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to deal with Sales and Trading, all levels of the client organization and representatives from Morgan Stanley infrastructure teams
• Client facing experience & ability to manage expectations effectively
• Proven experience with external institutional client communication and interaction
• Exceptional problem-solving ability.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• Strong listening and verbal/written communications
• Strong presentation skills
• Ability to independently navigate the Morgan Stanley organization
• Ability to work within a quickly changing environment and remain composed under pressure
• Conceptual understanding of Pre & Post Execution Onboarding process across various products (Legal, Credit, Docs, NMR, Compliance etc.)
• Ability to work as part of a team and adapt to the needs of the team as they arise
• College/University degree or equivalent with a business focus and relevant/proven experience
• Able to work in a Hybrid working environment with expectation of going to the office on average 3 days / week
• At least 5-7 years’ relevant experience would generally be expected to find the skills required for this role

Responsibilities

• Oversee the end-to-end onboarding process, from document collection to account initiation, ensuring all operational setups and reporting are completed ahead of client launch.
• Partner with Business Units, Legal, Credit, Risk, other Ops teams, and Clients to prioritize onboarding activities, resolve bottlenecks, and escalate issues to minimize business or client impact.
• Act as the primary contact for fund launches and onboarding inquiries. Manage complex conversations, engage the right stakeholders, and ensure clients are accurately set up. Escalate and resolve issues with urgency and integrity.
• Demonstrate knowledge of entity structures, regulatory requirements, jurisdictions, and internal process flows.
• Maintain awareness of market conventions and regulatory frameworks (e.g., Dodd-Frank, EMIR, MiFID II). Understand client reference data, account setup platforms, trading systems, and derivatives products (e.g., swaps, futures, options, forwards), including post-trade processes.
• Collaborate with internal MS stakeholders to drive process improvements and implement technology solutions that reduce risk and enhance client experience. Engage in transformation initiatives, share best practices, and promote scalable solutions across teams.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level