The Opportunity:
We are looking to recruit a Head of Operations to lead our Operations Team. The Operations Team sits at the centre of all our activities, coordinating all aspects of funds’ lifecycles, from set-up and launch, through to day to day transaction oversight and middle office activities, to overseeing our most critical service providers, and the management of important projects such as fund mergers and other fund changes. The Head of Operations is a key contributor to the overall goals of the company, leading by organising and coordinating the Operations Team to perform at a high level, delivering and exceeding stakeholders expectation, in a fast paced and continuously changing environment.
Responsibilities:
- Coordinating the day-to-day oversight of all trade lifecycle activities across trade execution, middle office, administration and custody service providers, ensuring that investment teams receive best in class middle- and back-office support for their funds.
- Project management and oversight of new product launches and important changes to existing products.
- Overseeing the day-to-day management of the Company’s outsourced functions, to both intragroup and third party service providers (Middle Office, Depositary, Administrator, Investment Managers/Advisors), understanding and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies and procedures, and the expectations of the Board of Directors.
- Oversight of initial and on-going due diligence on outsourced service providers, negotiating, reviewing and approval of SLAs/SLDs between company and its service providers.
- Development of oversight controls of quality of service from funds’ and firm’s service providers, reviewing their activity, and challenging and escalating where service does not meet expectations.
- Control of key fund administration and custody services from delegates, such as nav production and trade settlement, ensuring that items such as fund expenses, payments, settlement breaks are well managed.
- Act as Primary Contact for Securities Lending Programme run by the Company in respect of the various parties (Lenders, Borrowers, Lending Agent). Be responsible for discharging adequate and suitable oversight on various agents and prepare management reports.
- Ensure timely reception and review of periodic and ad hoc key metrics related to outsourced functions and their alignment with Operational Risk Framework of the Company.
- Act as primary escalation point of contact to queries from internal and external stakeholders (Portfolio Managers, Risk Management Function, Compliance Function, Distributors, OSP, etc).
- Act as lead Project Manager for ad hoc projects as mandated by the Chief Operating Officer/Company.
- Support the procurement of new services and/or service providers.
- Presentation of periodic or ad hoc reporting to the Board of Directors, Risk Committee, Product Committee etc or matters relevant from Operations Team.
- Support the design, testing, implementation and maintenance of IT and information workflows between Company and its service providers in an efficient and effective manner.
Key Requirements:
- Relevant Asset Management/Investment Management or UCITS Management Company middle office/operations experience.
- Experience leading a team, ideally in a fast paced environment, with the ability to coach and develop a high performing team.
- Deep knowledge of investment operations across various types of financial products and financial markets required.
- Strong leadership and organisational skills, with the ability to find a good balance between meeting short term needs and delivery of structural solutions and improvements.
- Have the ability to develop good working relationships across all the firm’s functions, and also with third parties service providers, providing support, advice and challenge as required.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate and deliver the requirements and needs of key stakeholder (executive management, Boards, regulators, Group) into action plans and robust embedded processes.
- Be enthusiastic and eager to learn, a self-starter, who embraces change as an opportunity to find new and innovative ways to support our company’s growth.
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