Officer, Settlements

Role Summary
As part of Clearing & Settlement within SSV (Securities Services) Operations Japan, you’ll execute daily clearing and settlement operations accurately and within deadlines, and work with relevant stakeholders to resolve unsettled items/exceptions (breaks/fails).
The work is high-volume and cut-offs driven. You may cover one or more areas across Equities / JGB / TPC, and your coverage may rotate or change depending on team needs.

Position / Location
Position: Officer – Clearing & Settlement Operations (Custody Settlement / Broker Dealer Third Party Clearing)
Location: Tokyo – Nihonbashi Office

• The office is planned to relocate to the Yaesu area around 2029.
• Occasional work from the Omiya office may be required depending on operational needs.

Scope / Coverage
Coverage may include one or more of the following areas, and may change depending on business needs:

• Custody Settlement
• Equities
• JGB (Japanese Government Bonds)
• Broker Dealer Clearing / Third Party Clearing (TPC)
• Japan market infrastructures: JASDEC / BOJ / JDCC / JSCC

Why Join Us?

• Exposure to Japan market infrastructure: work directly with JASDEC, BOJ, JDCC and JSCC.
• Broad operational experience: exposure to both custody settlement and broker dealer clearing.
• Long-term career development: build deep post-trade expertise in a globally connected institution.
• Experienced team and strong institutional knowledge: the team includes many long-tenured professionals with deep market and operational expertise. Success requires building trust, respecting existing knowledge and controls, and partnering with colleagues to deliver change safely.

Key Responsibilities
A. Daily BAU / Settlement Processing

• Perform daily clearing and settlement operations across Japanese post-trade infrastructures including JASDEC, BOJ, JDCC and JSCC.
• Monitor settlement lifecycle events, manage deadlines/cut-offs, and maintain accurate status tracking.

B. Exception Management / Incident Handling

• Investigate and resolve settlement breaks/fails and operational incidents, following procedures and escalating appropriately.
• Coordinate closely with internal teams, offshore operations teams, market infrastructures and counterparties to ensure timely resolution.
• Maintain strong operational control standards in line with internal policies and regulatory expectations (accuracy, approvals, record keeping/evidence, segregation of duties).

C. Client Query Handling

• Respond to client enquiries related to settlement status, breaks/fails and processing updates; perform fact-finding and coordinate with relevant parties.
• Escalate material issues or complaints in line with procedures and agreed governance.

D. Continuous Improvement / Change Support

• Support operational improvements aimed at enhancing efficiency and reducing operational risk (procedure updates, testing/UAT support, knowledge sharing).
• Participate in post-incident reviews and contribute to process improvements.

E. Support Managers / Team Leads

• Assist with daily operational stability (flexible task allocation and reprioritisation).
• Prepare reporting data/summaries (e.g., breaks/fails), support training/handovers, and assist with audit/compliance/control requests (evidence preparation) under guidance.

Major Challenges (Expectation Setting)
A. Delivery & Deadlines

• High-volume and operationally complex settlement environment where accuracy, timeliness and operational discipline are critical.
• Deadline-driven work with strict market/infrastructure cut-offs; priorities may change quickly during the day.
• Peak periods (e.g., month-end/quarter-end, market events or incidents) may require additional effort to maintain operational stability and control standards.

B. Stakeholders & Team Culture

• Frequent coordination across multiple stakeholders (onshore/offshore teams, market infrastructures, counterparties and clients), including providing timely, consistent updates.
• The team has strong institutional knowledge with many experienced colleagues; delivering change effectively requires influencing without authority, respecting established practices and controls, and progressing improvements through collaboration and stakeholder alignment.

C. Change Reality (Automation vs Constraints) / Organisational Change

• Automation and efficiency are often expected; however, delivery may be constrained by budget, technology roadmaps, dependencies on IT/other stakeholders, and regulatory/control requirements. The role requires a positive and pragmatic approach to prioritise what can be improved and progress change within constraints.
• As a large global organisation, HSBC may undergo organisational and operating model changes; the role requires flexibility to adapt to changes in scope, processes, stakeholders and reporting lines while maintaining service quality and control standards.

Qualifications
Must

• 4+ years of experience in financial services operations (e.g., post-trade operations, settlement operations or securities operations).
• Ability to work effectively in a high-volume operational environment with strong attention to detail and operational risk awareness.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams, offshore teams, and market participants.
• Business-level English communication skills required to interact with offshore teams and global stakeholders.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact with clients when required.
• JSDA Sales Representative Qualification (Type 1) is required; if not currently held, it must be obtained within 3 months of joining.

Preferred

• Experience in custody settlement (Equities and/or JGB) and/or broker dealer clearing operations (TPC).
• Experience in incident handling, procedure documentation/updates, and participation in process improvement activities.
• A pragmatic, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to balance service delivery, risk/control requirements and change initiatives, and to remain positive when progress is constrained by dependencies (e.g., IT, budget, competing priorities).
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in established teams by building trust, communicating respectfully, and driving improvements through collaboration.

Role Context / Department Profile
The Clearing & Settlement team sits within SSV Operations Japan in MSS Operations Japan and supports both custody clients and broker dealer clients through third-party clearing services.
SSV Operations Japan primarily supports Direct Custody and Clearing clients in Japan; as part of HSBC’s global Securities Services organisation, the broader SSV Operations function globally also covers additional service lines such as Funds Services, Transfer Agency and Trustee services.