Compliance Trading Associate

*This is a Full-Time position based in our St. Petersburg, FL Corporate Office.

What You Will Do

The Compliance Trading Associate will support the firm's investment, trading, and regulatory compliance program for a buy-side asset manager operating ETFs and/or advisory strategies. This role will be responsible for monitoring portfolio compliance, trading activity, investment guidelines, regulatory requirements, Code of Ethics obligations, and ETF-specific controls.

The ideal candidate has experience with registered investment advisers, ETFs, mutual funds, or other regulated asset management products, and understands how compliance supports portfolio management, trading, operations, product, legal, and fund governance functions. This role requires strong attention to detail, sound judgment, comfort with trading and portfolio data, and the ability to work closely with investment professionals in a fast-paced environment.

This sample references common U.S. RIA and ETF compliance frameworks, including SEC investment adviser compliance program requirements, ETF Rule 6c-11, liquidity risk management requirements, and adviser Code of Ethics obligations. These should be tailored to the firm's actual products, registrations, and legal structure.

Your Responsibilities

Trading and Portfolio Compliance

• Monitor pre-trade and post-trade compliance with client guidelines, fund restrictions, investment policies, prospectus limitations, board-approved limits, and regulatory requirements.
• Review portfolio holdings, trade activity, exposures, concentrations, liquidity, restricted securities, issuer limits, sector limits, diversification requirements, and other investment restrictions.
• Partner with portfolio managers, traders, operations, and technology teams to resolve trade compliance alerts and guideline exceptions.
• Review and escalate potential violations, trade errors, breaches, restricted-list issues, and other compliance matters.
• Support best execution oversight, including broker review, commission analysis, trading practices, trade allocation, aggregation, and broker-dealer monitoring.
• Assist with monitoring equity, fixed income, derivatives, ETFs, options, futures, swaps, foreign securities, private placements, or other instruments as applicable to the firm's strategies.
• Maintain and enhance compliance rules within trading and portfolio compliance systems.
• Review investment activity for consistency with stated investment objectives, disclosures, internal policies, and client or fund mandates.

ETF and Registered Fund Compliance

• Support compliance oversight for ETF products, including creation/redemption activity, basket policies and procedures, custom basket controls, daily holdings processes, and ETF operational requirements.
• Assist with monitoring fund compliance under the Investment Company Act of 1940, applicable exemptive relief, ETF rules, prospectus requirements, and board-approved policies.
• Review ETF portfolio transparency, holdings disclosure, basket composition, pricing/NAV-related controls, and interactions with service providers where applicable.
• Coordinate with fund administrators, custodians, transfer agents, index providers, market makers, authorized participants, distributors, and legal counsel on compliance-related matters.
• Assist with liquidity risk management, derivatives risk management, valuation, fair value, affiliated transactions, cross trades, and other registered fund compliance areas as applicable.
• Prepare compliance reporting for internal committees, the CCO, fund boards, senior management, and external service providers.

RIA Compliance Program Support

• Assist in maintaining and testing the firm's compliance policies and procedures under the Investment Advisers Act and related SEC requirements.
• Support the firm's annual compliance review, risk assessment, compliance testing program, and remediation tracking.
• Assist with Form ADV, Form CRS, Form PF, Form N-PORT, Form N-CEN, Form N-PX, 13F, 13H, Schedule 13D/G, Section 16, and other regulatory filings as applicable.
• Review marketing materials, pitch books, factsheets, website content, RFP responses, performance presentations, and client communications for compliance with firm policies and applicable regulations.
• Support compliance training for investment, trading, operations, sales, and client-facing personnel.
• Maintain books and records in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and internal retention policies.

Surveillance, Testing, and Controls

• Conduct periodic testing of trading activity, investment restrictions, allocation practices, restricted-list controls, personal trading, best execution, and other compliance controls.
• Develop exception reports, surveillance dashboards, and testing procedures to identify potential compliance risks.
• Document reviews, findings, escalations, corrective actions, and approvals in a clear and organized manner.
• Assist with internal audits, regulatory exams, mock exams, due diligence reviews, and third-party service provider oversight.
• Identify opportunities to improve compliance workflows, automate manual processes, strengthen controls, and enhance reporting.
• Track regulatory developments affecting RIAs, ETFs, registered funds, trading, disclosure, and investment management practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, economics, accounting, law, or a related field.
• 4+ years of compliance, legal, trading oversight, fund operations, portfolio compliance, or regulatory experience within an asset manager, RIA, ETF issuer, mutual fund complex, hedge fund, broker-dealer, compliance consulting firm, or financial regulator.
• Working knowledge of buy-side trading, portfolio management, investment guidelines, trade lifecycle, and compliance monitoring.
• Familiarity with SEC-registered investment advisers and registered funds, including ETFs or mutual funds.
• Understanding of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Investment Company Act of 1940, Code of Ethics requirements, best execution, trade allocation, personal trading, and books and records obligations.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to review trading, holdings, exposure, and compliance data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain compliance issues clearly to investment and trading personnel.
• High level of integrity, discretion, judgment, and professionalism.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and recurring compliance responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ETFs, index-based strategies, active ETFs, model portfolios, SMAs, mutual funds, or multi-asset investment strategies.
• Experience with portfolio compliance systems.
• Knowledge of ETF creation/redemption processes, custom baskets, daily portfolio transparency, authorized participants, market makers, and ETF capital markets operations.
• Familiarity with derivatives compliance, liquidity risk management, valuation, fair value processes, restricted securities, Rule 144A securities, and complex instruments.

How to Apply

To learn more about what it's like to work at ARK please visit https://ark-invest.com/work-at-ark/