Manager, Risks and Controls
Altruist
About Altruist
Altruist is the modern custodian built exclusively for independent financial advisors that combines a self-clearing brokerage firm with intuitive software for account opening, trading, reporting, and billing — all in one streamlined solution. Financial advisors across the U.S. have partnered with Altruist to reduce costs, save time, grow their business, and provide better outcomes for their clients. Our mission is to make financial advice better, more affordable, and accessible to everyone — but we can’t do it alone. We’re seeking exceptional talent to join our team. That’s where you come in!
If you’re passionate about challenging the status quo and making a meaningful impact in the financial advice industry, we’d love to meet you!
But first, our values
Kindness - Kindness doesn’t just equal niceness. We listen to understand. We embrace, and encourage healthy debate and diverse perspectives. We approach conflict openly, honestly, and respectfully.
Brilliance - Humility is the skill we’re most proud of and possessing a growth mindset is always top of mind. We take ownership in everything we touch; regularly using our unique superpowers to reach a common goal as a team. We succeed and fail as one.
Grit - When challenges arise, we stay laser focused on achieving our mission and finding a way forward, even when it’s hard. We are nimble and maintain a sense of urgency, swiftly adapting to change and overcoming obstacles.
The opportunity
Altruist is in a high-growth phase, and we’re hiring a Manager to build and lead our new Risk and Controls function within Operations. This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role focused on developing a strong control framework to ensure accurate, efficient processing and compliance across our trading and clearing operations.
You’ll design and implement control architecture, lead a small team, and drive risk mitigation strategies across all asset classes—including equities, ETFs, fixed income, options, and alternative investments. This role requires deep operational risk expertise, a strong understanding of broker-dealer infrastructure, and the ability to collaborate across Compliance, Legal, Product, and Engineering.
If you thrive in fast-paced, regulated environments and want to shape the systems and safeguards that support a modern brokerage platform, we’d love to hear from you.
Your impact
As Risk and Controls Manager, you’ll lead the design, implementation, and oversight of Altruist’s operational control environment—ensuring front-to-back risk transparency, regulatory alignment, and process integrity across trading and clearing operations.
1. Control Framework Development
- Develop and lead the Management Control program, embedding risk ownership into daily operations
- Build and maintain key risk indicators (KRIs), operational signoffs, and control metrics
- Create and implement a Risk Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) for continuous monitoring and evaluation
- Partner with Product and Engineering to automate control processes and reduce manual risk exposure
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement using data to identify inefficiencies and embed scalable safeguards
- Identify gaps in process design, internal reporting, or system flows that introduce operational risk
2. Trade Lifecycle Oversight
- Monitor end-to-end trade flows across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, and alternatives
- Manage exception processes, including break resolution, unmatched settlements, and illogical positions
- Address asset-specific controls (e.g., expiry handling, CUSIP validations, PFOF disclosures, liquidity events)
- Ensure data integrity and operational scalability as new asset classes or trading venues are onboarded
3. Regulatory Compliance & Audit Support
- Align operational controls with SEC, FINRA, and MSRB requirements (e.g., 15c3-1/3, Rules 606/607, 5310)
- Maintain, test, and document procedures to support audits, exams, and ongoing regulatory reporting
- Collaborate with Compliance and Legal to ensure firm-wide policy alignment and audit readiness
4. Vendor & Counterparty Risk Monitoring
- Oversee vendor due diligence, annual control reviews, and service-level agreement (SLA) adherence
- Manage clearing, custody, market maker, and ATS relationships to assess readiness and operational risk
- Coordinate onboarding risk assessments for new venues, products, or trading partners
5. Incident Management & Escalation
- Track and escalate trade, cash, and position reconciliation issues with timely root cause analysis
- Monitor and report fail exposures to senior leadership, ensuring appropriate mitigation
- Lead structured responses to operational incidents and market events with documented remediation plans
- Develop playbooks for events such as routing disruptions, volatility halts, corporate actions, or rate changes
What you bring
- Experience - 5–10 years of experience in financial services operations, preferably at a broker-dealer, custodian, or asset manager
- Deep understanding of trading and clearing workflows across asset types, including equities, ETFs, fixed income, options, alternatives, and digital assets
- Proven track record of building and leading teams, coaching talent, and working cross-functionally across Compliance, Legal, Product, and Engineering
- Demonstrated success developing and managing control programs such as reconciliation oversight, vendor due diligence, risk incident reporting, and RCSA frameworks
- Strong command of applicable FINRA, SEC, and Exchange regulations (e.g., 15c3-1/3, 606/607, 5310)
- Education - Ideally looking for a B.A. / B.S. degree in relevant fields such as Finance, Business, or other similar fields
- Securities licenses - You studied hard and we’re excited to carry your Series 7
- Technical & Regulatory Fluency - Proficient with industry platforms and vendors, including DTC, NSCC, SMART Track, Obligation Warehouse, SS&C Subaccounting, and FIS Securities Processing Manager
- Familiarity with OMS/EMS platforms, FIX protocols, and post-trade systems
- Profiecient in tools like SQL, figma, Tableau, Excel, Confluence, and case management systems such as JIRA
- Ownership - The pride you put into every aspect of your work is unparalleled and undeniable
- Superb communication - Intentional dialogue is a superpower. You listen as well as you share your perspective with others.
- Resilience - We’re inspired by your unwavering determination to achieve success, no matter the adversity you face along the way.
- Assurance - Your confidence is brilliant, yet ego-less. You possess a strong knowledge base, the ability to discover the unknown, and are open to differing perspectives.
- Creative problem solving - Identifying the problem is simply not enough. You’re instinctually creative with your approach in finding solutions to roadblocks.
- Bonus points if you bring:
- Series 24, 4, and 53 strongly preferred
What we bring
Attracting and retaining top-tier talent is a priority. We are proud of the culture we’ve built and are cognizant of the ever-changing professional landscape. Our dynamic offering of perks and benefits are tailored for you to feel your best while doing your best.
- A hybrid work schedule for most positions to promote strong, in-person collaboration and a healthy work-life-balance.
- Stunning, amenity-filled office spaces in Culver City, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Dallas, TX. Our offices are intentionally designed for comfort, collaboration, and productivity.
- Competitive pay, as well as equity for eligible positions
- Premium healthcare, dental, and vision insurance plans
- 401k savings plan with matching contributions and immediate vesting
- Generous paid parental leave
- Professional growth and development opportunities including an employee mobility program and an annual L&D budget allocation for each employee
- Physical and emotional wellness programs that nurture both your mind and body
- Company perks program (includes discounts on pet insurance, fitness, cell phone plans, entertainment and travel, etc.)
- Financial guidance program (includes counseling on navigating debt, tracking personal spend, saving and planning goals, home-purchasing preparedness, etc.)
Total compensation includes a competitive benefits package along with equity in the form of Stock Options (ISOs) for eligible roles. For salaried positions, a salary offer will be determined by a number of factors including experience, skill level, internal pay equity, geographic location, and other relevant business considerations. We review all employee pay and compensation programs regularly to ensure fair, equitable, and competitive pay. At Altruist, we are committed to providing fair, equitable, and competitive compensation by leveraging market data to inform our pay bands. Base salaries will be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the year, typically in conjunction with performance review cycles. By evaluating compensation on a regular basis, we are able to reward high performance and ensure all employees have opportunities for growth.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Altruist we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.