ALM Accounting Specialist - Fixed Income - Executive Director

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management, and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries.

As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence, and strong team ethic. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career - a place for people to learn, to achieve and grow. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.

Role Overview

The Asset & Liability Management (ALM) Accounting Specialist is a senior technical role within the Fixed Income Division (FID), embedded in the Global Asset & Liability Management (ALM) team. The individual will lead our US accounting and technical delivery for US corporate clients, providing deep expertise across interest rates, foreign exchange, and associated derivatives used in corporate risk management and structured hedging solutions.

Working alongside the front office Corporate Derivatives Group (CDG) team, the role acts as the bridge between trading/origination and external accounting frameworks. The objective is to ensure that complex derivative solutions are structured, executed, and reported in a way that is commercially effective, risk‑appropriate, and accounting‑sound under US GAAP (and other frameworks as relevant).

This role is suited for an ED‑level professional with significant derivatives accounting expertise who can engage credibly with front office stakeholders, Finance leadership, and external auditors.

Key Responsibilities

Front Office Accounting Advisory

• Serve as the primary US accounting subject matter expert working with CDG and broader US sales coverage on client transactions involving derivatives, structured hedging, and complex financing-linked trades.
• Provide real-time accounting input during deal structuring, identifying P&L, balance sheet, hedge accounting, and disclosure implications under US GAAP ASC 815 and related standards.
• Partner with CDG originators, structurers, and traders to align commercial outcomes with the appropriate accounting treatment.

Derivatives & Hedge Accounting Expertise

• Advise on the accounting treatment of interest rate, FX, and cross-currency derivatives under US GAAP (and IFRS where relevant).
• Assess hedge designations, effectiveness requirements, documentation, and ongoing testing considerations for client and firm-side hedges.
• Support interpretation of complex scenarios including deal‑contingent hedges, portfolio restructures, cross‑currency programs, novations, and unwind activity.

Transaction Support & Governance

• Participate in internal transaction and new product reviews, ensuring accounting considerations are fully reflected in deal approval and documentation.
• Liaise with Product Control, Financial Reporting, Legal, Risk, and Credit to ensure consistent treatment across execution, booking, and reporting.

Content Development & Training

• Develop US GAAP–focused accounting guidance, frameworks, and decision tools for CDG and broader FID stakeholders.
• Deliver targeted training to CDG teams on derivatives accounting, hedge accounting, and emerging technical standards.
• Serve as a go‑to resource for team members on accounting issues impacting deal viability, structuring decisions, or execution timing.

Strategic & Leadership Contribution

• Identify accounting areas that constrain commercial activity and work with CDG and Finance stakeholders to develop scalable solutions.
• Contribute to firmwide discussions on derivatives accounting policy as it relates to structured client solutions across ISG.
• Function as a visible leader across CDG and Finance, helping set standards for technical rigor, governance discipline, and judgment quality.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA, CPA, and/or CFA designation is an asset
• Significant experience in derivatives accounting, product control, technical accounting, or financial reporting, with direct exposure to Rates and/or FX derivatives
• Strong understanding of hedge accounting concepts and practical application to real‑world transactions
• Proven ability to engage with front‑office professionals and influence deal structuring decisions
• Experience interacting with auditors, regulators, and senior Finance stakeholders
• Comfortable operating independently on complex issues while collaborating across multiple control and business functions
• Series licensing or must obtain

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

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Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $225,000 and $300,000 per year commencement of employment for Executive Director. 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.

Morgan Stanley's goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. Consequently, our recruiting efforts reflect our desire to attract and retain the best and brightest from all talent pools. We want to be the first choice for prospective employees.

It is the policy of the Firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sex stereotype, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy, veteran or military service status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).