Charles River (CRD) consultancy
Charles River consultants who have run it in production.
IMS implementation and upgrades, order management and compliance rules, FIX connectivity and post-trade flows — staffed with consultants who have supported live trading desks, not just project plans.
Who this is for
You are implementing, upgrading or running Charles River IMS and the gap is people who understand both the platform configuration and what the desk actually needs from it.
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Implementing CRD for the first time
and needing configuration experience alongside your integrator.
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Upgrading to a current release
with regression testing across compliance rules and interfaces.
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Extending into new asset classes or desks
where the existing rule set was never designed for them.
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Running a lean support team
that cannot absorb both BAU and change at the same time.
What we do
Six things clients bring us
Implementation & configuration
Workflow, security master, portfolio and desk setup done by people who have configured it before.
Compliance rules
Pre- and post-trade rule authoring, testing and remediation, with the audit trail your risk team expects.
OMS & trading workflow
Order and execution workflow across asset classes, tuned with the traders rather than at them.
FIX & connectivity
Broker onboarding, FIX sessions and certification, plus the monitoring to see breaks early.
Data & post-trade integration
IBOR, accounting and custodian flows, reconciliation and downstream reporting feeds.
Upgrades & run support
Release testing, defect triage and second-line support with a documented handover.
Roles & teams we deploy
A single specialist, or the whole pod.
Most Charles River programmes need a mix. We will tell you what shape we think the team should be — and we can supply all of it.
Typical managed pod: project manager · trading BA · compliance rules specialist · technical consultant · test lead. Onshore, blended or fully remote.
Proof
What clients say
“They are fast, efficient and work hard to find not just people with the right skill set but also with the right culture fit.”
“They responded to some quite unique skill-set requests across legal, commercial and technical roles with candidates that fit the profile sought.”
“A pleasure to work with — they took the time to understand exactly what we needed before sending anyone.”
Testimonials from clients of Tech Heads and the wider PeopleFlow group.
How an engagement starts
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01
30-minute scoping call
With someone who knows the platform. We establish shape, timing and constraints.
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02
Team recommendation & proposal
Within two business days: proposed team shape, CVs, commercials and start dates.
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03
You interview, we contract
You meet the consultants. We handle contracting, compliance and payroll wherever they sit.
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04
Mobilise and review
Onboarding inside a week, then fortnightly delivery reviews with our engagement lead.
FAQ
Questions we get asked
Do you work alongside our systems integrator?
Frequently. Our consultants are often the client-side platform knowledge that keeps an integrator honest, or the specific specialist the integrator cannot supply.
Can you provide a whole team rather than individuals?
Yes, and that is the majority of our platform work. A typical managed pod is a programme manager, a business analyst, two technical consultants and a test lead, sized up or down around your plan.
What does it cost?
Every engagement is priced bespoke around scope, duration, location and team shape. You get a clear commercial proposal after the first call. We do not publish rate cards, because a blended delivery team and a single senior specialist are not comparable numbers.
Can consultants work onsite, remote or offshore?
All three. We contract and payroll compliantly in over 120 countries, so a blended onshore and nearshore team is straightforward rather than a special case.
Can you help with compliance rules specifically?
Yes, and it is one of the most requested profiles we hold. Rule authoring, remediation of a legacy rule set, and testing evidence for audits.
Charles River enquiries
Tell us about your Charles River programme.
Four fields, and a reply from a consultant who has configured CRD rather than a chatbot.
You will hear back within one business day.