Position Description: Morgan Stanley is seeking a Senior Associate/Vice President to join its Contractual Terms Risk Management (CTRM) team within Institutional Securities.
CTRM is a first-line risk function responsible for identifying, assessing, and managing risk embedded in the contractual terms of the Firm's trading agreements with counterparties and the management and maintenance of structured data in Firm systems. The team operates at the intersection of Legal, Risk, Sales & Trading, and Technology, translating complex legal provisions into decision-ready data and actionable risk insights.
This is not a document negotiation role-it is a strategic risk management role focused on how contractual terms drive exposure, operational outcomes, and downstream decision-making across the Firm.
The role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to firmwide data and infrastructure transformation initiatives, including the expansion of structured contract data and the evolution toward AI-enabled contract analytics.
Primary Responsibilities:Risk Management & Analysis- Assess, interpret, and challenge contractual provisions across a wide range of trading agreements (e.g., ISDA, CSA, Prime Brokerage, Repo, Securities Lending)
- Identify risk implications of negotiated terms and escalate to Risk, Credit, and senior stakeholders as appropriate
- Provide subject matter expertise on contractual risk exposures, including during counterparty onboarding and lifecycle events
Data & Strategic Initiatives- Drive the capture, quality, and expansion of structured contractual data across Firm systems
- Contribute to initiatives aimed at transforming legal agreement data into scalable, consumable datasets for risk, trading, and regulatory use cases
- Partner with Technology and Strats on initiatives to enhance data models, workflows, and automation
Stakeholder Engagement- Serve as a key point of contact across Risk, Credit, Legal, Sales & Trading, Operations, and Finance
- Lead preparation and coordination of materials for counterparty risk and credit escalation forums
- Influence stakeholders by clearly articulating the business and risk impact of contractual terms
Business & Operational Oversight- Provide oversight and escalation support for core CTRM processes, including but not limited to:
- Trading without documentation
- Monitoring of key contractual provisions
- Ad hoc reviews of counterparty documentation
- Data quality and governance controls
- Respond to time-sensitive issues and deliver clear, actionable recommendations under tight deadlines
Qualifications /
Critical Success Factors:- Ability to effectively manage various projects and deadlines, including tracking and coordinating responses to internal and external requests with minimal oversight
- Desire to build relationships with senior stakeholders in the Sales and Trading business, Counterparty Risk, Credit, Legal, Compliance, Operations, and Finance, among other support functions
- Highly motivated self-starter with the ability to work under pressure and prioritize competing deadlines
- Ability to work on challenging assignments in a dynamic environment, synthesize information, gather relevant facts and reach logical conclusions
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as the ability to present ideas concisely and tailor messaging to various stakeholders
- Fast Learner with the ability to absorb new concepts and knowledge quickly
- Ability to take ideas forward and to challenge others with integrity and maturity
- Exceptional organizational skills and a high degree of attention to detail
- Strong analytical skills with an ability to understand complex workflows
- Strategic thinker with experience coordinating and collaborating with multiple stakeholder groups
Additional Qualifications:- 5+ years' experience in negotiating a cross section of trading agreements, including in-depth knowledge of the various provisions contained in these agreements and their negotiability. Knowledge of and proficiency around the underlying products traded also preferred.
- Knowledge of financial services sector preferred
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams
- Bachelor's degree required; JD or equivalent legal background preferred
Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $100,000 and $150,000 per year at the commencement of employment for Associate and between $140,000 and $250,000 at the commencement of employment for Vice President. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.
