I worked with a guy once in a prop firm who mentioned he had worked in a backoffice job in a brokerage firm. What tasks are done in a backoffice job?
Settlements: All trades after they are executed then need to be settled. Each security type has a slightly different method and time frame but essentially similar. Stocks and Bonds: Ensure the cash is paid from one party to the other and the stock or bond is delivered from the one party to the other. Futures: Process any giveups and deal with out trades (trades where the counterparty doesn't agree on one of the terms). Other activities such as margin and position reconcilliation depend on where you are working. Buy side and sell side back office will have different duties. Its very a repetitive but stable type of job. Everyday processing transactions over and over. While IMO you only need a diploma to start, most firms want to see a degree.
Opening accounts, transferring cash and securities among accounts, settling estates, compliance. After you have a Series 7, get a Series 9/10 and you can supervise these activities. I agree that it can be boring and repetitive, but is fairly stable work. Most firms are automating these tasks, so the work is mostly around exceptions.
I'm curious, are these types of jobs being outsourced? If not, will they be in the future? Or because they deal with sensitive data they can't be outsourced?
Why would they be outsourced, a lot of the "back office" positions are handled right on the trading floor a few rows down from the actual desk, and need to be delt with in a timely fashion. Clearance/settlement type crap is still important, regardless that the trade occured electronically without a body, it needs to settle.
And preparing all the share certificates for delivery be courier etc.. I know when I was in the backoffice we had a buttload of stock certificates in piles everywhere.