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The primary duties of an operations job are clearing and settling trades. Clearing trades is checking that the records one bank has kept of the sale of a financial security match those of the bank or organization that has bought the security. Usually, simple trades are cleared automatically through immense electronic systems such as the Brussels-based Euroclear.

It's the job of settlements professionals to check that stocks or shares bought and sold by the bank's traders are exchanged for the right amount of money. A settlements job is basically a processing and controlling position. They are required to match instructions with counterparties and set up and monitor payments.

Settlements is a wide-ranging job, involving everything from preparing the documentation needed for a sale to checking the bank gets paid for all the shares it has sold and bought. Settlements professionals solve any problems with counterparties and review unsettled trades to speed along completion. For many of these jobs, you'll need knowledge of systems such as CCASS, DCCASS and SWIFT, as well as Euroclear/Clearstream.

Because financial services operations are becoming more automated, most operations jobs only require involvement when electronic systems fail ("exceptions") or developing new, more efficient processes and systems.

Clearing and settlements junior staff includes those who spend much of their time handling the exceptions. Their job is to discover what went wrong. Most simple clearing and settlements work now occurs in more economical centers such as Mumbai or the Philippines.

The position of trade support officer is closer to the trade floor. This position can handle many different asset classes, from equities and bonds to commodities or derivatives. Trade support officers answer any questions a trader could have, including anything from reconciliation problems to discrepancies between the various counterparties involved in a trade.

More advanced operations jobs higher up the career ladder involve much more strategy. Operations departments recruit project managers and business analysts who, for example, work on streamlining the exceptions process or work with off-shore teams to make processes more efficient and cost effective.

Settlements staff are hired in other financial institutions besides banks - as an example, hedge funds settlements professionals check that trades are booked and reported to the prime broker or custodian.