Middle Office Business Analyst / Business Development Manager

Job description

**About Presto** Founded in 2014, [Presto](https://www.prestolabs.io/) is an algorithmic trading and financial services firm with a global presence. Presto focuses on delivering exceptional value for clients through a rigorous research-driven approach to investment and trade execution. **What is the role?** We are seeking a proactive professional to join our Middle Office team to engage actively with brokers, identify new trading avenues, and provide strategic feedback to our trading teams. This is a newly created role intended to strengthen the firm’s ability to proactively source, evaluate, and execute business opportunities that support quantitative trading strategies, particularly in Chinese and broader Asian markets. This position is ideal for a candidate with a strong background in brokerage and market structure who wants to move to the buy-side. You will play an offensive role, moving beyond traditional support to actively shape our trading setup, specifically focusing on navigating the complexities of the Chinese onshore/offshore markets and broader Asian equities. The role sits at the intersection of trading, operations, risk, compliance, and external counterparties. You will work closely with traders, engineers, and senior management to design efficient trading setups, engage brokers and service providers, navigate regulatory and market structure constraints, and provide data-driven recommendations that directly impact capital allocation and trading efficiency. This position is well-suited for a commercially minded professional with strong market knowledge, practical experience with Chinese onshore and offshore setups, and sufficient quantitative understanding to engage credibly with systematic trading teams. ### Responsibilities - Strategic Broker Management: Lead the selection, onboarding, and management of brokers and trade counterparties. Negotiate fee structures and service level agreements to optimize capital allocation and reduce transaction costs; - Market Access & Expansion: Spearhead the setup for new markets, with a specific focus on Chinese Onshore and Offshore setups. Navigate complex regulatory environments to ensure efficient and compliant market entry; - Trading Setup Optimization: Collaborate with traders and engineers to optimize the IT and operational setup, ensuring low-latency connectivity and robust execution workflows; - Proactive Opportunity Identification: Monitor market landscape changes and provide proactive feedback to the Front Office regarding new liquidity sources, regulatory changes, or structural arbitrage opportunities; - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the liaison between external partners (brokers, data vendors) and internal teams (Trading, Engineering, Risk) to deliver requirements for scalable business operations. ### Required - Approximately 5 years of relevant experience, preferably within large brokerage firms or proprietary trading firms; - Strong hands-on experience with Chinese markets, including both onshore (e.g., A-shares, local derivatives) and offshore access models; - Exposure to other Asian equity and derivatives markets is a strong plus; - Fluent in both English and Chinese to effectively negotiate and navigate local market nuances; - Familiarity with quantitative trading strategies, particularly high-turnover, leveraged, diversified, delta-neutral portfolios; - Strong analytical mindset with the ability to evaluate trade-offs between cost, risk, capacity, and operational complexity; - Ability to communicate effectively with traders, engineers, compliance, and senior management; - Understanding of the full trade lifecycle, including booking, reconciliation, and counterparty risk. ### Preferred - Experience working with systematic or quantitative trading firms; - Existing network across brokers, exchanges, or quantitative trading teams in China and Asia; - Comfort working with data and basic scripting or analytical tools (e.g., Python, spreadsheets); - Strong negotiation skills, intellectual honesty, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, flat-structure environment. ### Note - *The job description provided is a general outline of the role and responsibilities. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to change based on the needs of the company.*