Head of Trading

PenderFund Capital Management Ltd (“Pender”) is an independent, employee-owned, value-based investment firm founded in 2003. We are one of the fastest growing investment firms in Canada, and our goal is to be the first choice for investors looking to protect and grow their capital. We have grown from a couple of people with a passion for investing into a diverse and inclusive workplace of over 90 people by seeking out and hiring the most qualified, talented, and experienced people.

We are seeking a Head of Trading that will lead the evolution of Pender’s trading capabilities across equities, fixed income and derivatives, building the people, technology, processes and market relationships required to support increasingly sophisticated investment strategies and future product growth. Reporting to the CIO and working closely with the Operations and Portfolio Management teams, this role will lead the trading function, modernize trading technology and infrastructure, and use automation, data, programming and AI-enabled tools to strengthen execution and add value for Portfolio Managers.

Key Responsibilities:

Trading Strategy & Execution

• Lead and oversee trading activities across equities, fixed income and derivatives, ensuring high-quality, timely and disciplined execution.

• Develop and continuously enhance Pender’s best execution practices, including execution strategy, broker selection, transaction-cost analysis and monitoring of execution quality.

• Provide expertise in market liquidity, options and derivatives, FX hedging and cash management.

• Partner with Portfolio Managers to understand investment objectives and provide insight on execution, liquidity, market structure and implementation considerations.

• Maintain strong relationships across Canadian and U.S. capital markets, including brokers, dealers, trading venues and other counterparties.

Trading Technology & Innovation

• Own the strategic roadmap for Pender’s trading technology and infrastructure, assessing current capabilities and identifying opportunities to improve execution, scalability, controls and efficiency.

• Lead the assessment, selection and implementation of order management and execution management systems (OMS/EMS) and other trading platforms in partnership with Operations, Technology, Compliance and Investment teams.

• Identify and implement opportunities to use automation, AI, programming and quantitative tools to enhance execution, market analysis, trading workflows, reporting and decision support.

Risk, Governance & Operations

• Build and maintain strong trading controls, documented processes and escalation practices, working closely with Operations, Compliance and other control functions.

• Ensure trading activity is conducted in accordance with investment mandates, internal policies, best execution expectations and applicable regulatory requirements.

• Oversee broker and counterparty relationships and contribute to counterparty evaluation, onboarding and ongoing monitoring.

• Provide clear, decision-useful reporting on trading activity, execution quality, risks, technology initiatives and trading capability to the CIO and other senior stakeholders.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and develop trading professionals, establishing clear expectations and a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

• Assess team capabilities and build the skills required to support evolving investment strategies, technologies and products.

• Promote a technology-forward mindset while maintaining sound judgement, strong controls and disciplined execution.

Experience & Qualifications:

• Minimum 10 years of progressive trading experience, including significant senior-level experience trading equities, fixed income and derivatives.
• University degree in finance, economics, mathematics, computer science or a related discipline; CFA or another relevant professional designation is an asset.

• Demonstrated experience assessing, scoping, selecting and implementing OMS/EMS or comparable institutional trading platforms.

• Strong knowledge of options and derivatives strategies, including experience with call and put writing; broader experience with futures or other derivative instruments is an asset.

• Knowledge of FX execution and hedging, liquidity and cash management.

• Strong understanding of electronic trading, market structure, best execution, transaction-cost analysis and trading controls.

• Technical fluency and demonstrated experience applying automation, programming, data analytics or AI-enabled tools within a trading or investment environment.

• Established relationships across Canadian and U.S. capital markets, including brokers, dealers and market counterparties.

• Strong understanding of the Canadian regulatory environment applicable to institutional investment trading and derivatives.

• Proven ability to work effectively with senior Portfolio Managers, Investment leadership, Operations and other cross-functional stakeholders.

• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including managing, coaching and developing trading professionals.
• Excellent communication, judgement, analytical and decision-making skills.

We are sharing that the estimated salary range for this position is $190,000 - $230,000 per year. In determining final salary, Pender considers many factors including the candidate’s qualifications, relevant experience, job responsibilities, market conditions, position location and internal equity. Our aim is to ensure fair compensation practices that align with industry standards while acknowledging the unique value and expertise each individual brings to the role. The final base salary for the offer will be presented as part of a competitive compensation package.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion:

Pender is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that recognizes and values differences. It is a core principle at Pender that an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace simply makes us better. A diverse team with a range of knowledge and experience makes better decisions, which means better results for our stakeholders. We do not discriminate on any basis and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. When selecting candidates for employment, promotion, training or any other benefits, it is on the basis of aptitude and ability. Should you require any accommodation or have questions, please let us know.

Final hiring decisions are made by qualified members of our hiring team, who review candidate information holistically and in accordance with our commitment to fairness, diversity, inclusion, and equal employment opportunity. As part of our recruitment process, Pender may use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to assist with the screening and evaluation of applications. These tools are used to support, not replace, human decision-making.