Operations Specialist ( Asset Management)

Our client is a very successful and prominent Asset Management company that has made big strides in asset gathering and building their AUM in the past five years on the back of a sound business strategy and excellent investment performance. Due to the growth in their business they now have a new position for an Operations Specialist to join their operations team.
Role function
 Position within the operations team, principally as an Operations Specialist.
 The Operations Specialist will report into the Operations Manager who reports into the
Chief Operating Officer.
 The purpose of the role is to contribute to and promote robust operating procedures across
the investment management business to create an efficient, responsive and process
driven operations team.
 Relevant qualifications, experience and fit with the current team are critical and would
override particular demographic background, however EE candidate preferred.

Qualifications and experience
 Appropriate finance qualification: Chartered Accountant. Specialist qualification in
financial services would be advantageous.
 Self-driven with at least 2-5 years working in operations in the financial services industry
(preferably in fund management).
 Experience with reconciliations and cash management essential.
 Strong communicator and team player.
 High attention to detail.
 Relevant computer skills and system experience, including advanced Excel skills.
Experience in a programming language would be advantageous, but not required.

Role outputs
Process
 Contribute to and promote robust operating procedures across the investment
management business to create an efficient, responsive and process driven operations
team.
 Improve business understanding of operations processes and procedures.
 Establish and promote enhanced business processes that ensure efficient and effective
stakeholder delivery within set expectations and agreed performance standards in the
area of accountability and the overall optimisation of the value chain for the business,
including:
– Optimisation of reconciliations.
– Exception handling. Investigation of significant variances and effective resolution
of reconciliation breaks and ad hoc challenges.
– Monitoring of the operations mailbox and timeous execution of stakeholder
requests.
– Take responsibility for daily operational activities.
– Liaise with stakeholders, run daily operational activities, receive and execute
requests timeously.
– Ensure timeous and correct recording of transactions.
– Liaise with stakeholders to keep them fully appraised of the progress of queries.
– Maintaining of the incident log and solution resolution.
– Control enhancements to address operational weaknesses.
– Delivery of solutions for process optimisation and ongoing business requests
within given timeframes.
 Set-up and monitor new clients and client transitions across custodians.
 Increased and more formal oversight of the operations functions such as formal review of
reconciliations.
 Review of reconciliation of trade and fund dealing activity, corporate action and Proxy
voting management, cash management and spot FX instruction, reconciliation of cash,
positions and performance.
 Monitor daily cash and position reconciliations, settlement and corporate actions
performed by other team members.
 Monitor hedge fund specific processes including management of cash levels, mirror
differences, fund closing/consolidation.
 Cash management on funds including checking/instructing fund subscriptions, security
book overs and margin calls.
 Liaise with investment managers, prime brokers, and custodians during transaction
processing and NAV preparation.
 Review of investment fund NAV reports.

SQL data framework
 Oversight of the electronic operations platforms and contribute to the optimisation of a
new SQL data framework including validation of data points, development of
reconciliations and reporting outputs.
 Automate and standardise processes for the handling of trades and reconciliations at a
transactional level.
 Ongoing enhancement and value add.
 Build capacity/infrastructure for growth through the SQL data framework.

Operating Policies and Procedures
 Develop, implement and maintain standard operating procedures.
 Contribute to and promote compliance with policies and procedures.

People
 Share and transfer product, process and systems knowledge to colleagues.
 Collaborate and work with internal teams to deliver required service levels.
 Ensure achievement of own performance objectives.
 Share information with other team members regarding successes, issues, trends and
ideas.
 Participate in own professional development and career path.
Competency requirements
Knowledge/Skills/Attributes
 High attention to detail is critical.
 Self-starter.
 Professional.
 Ability to view transactions and processes from a high level to identify gaps/risks.
 Process driven.
 Problem solving and innovation.
 Relevant market knowledge.
 Team player.
 Self-development.
 Relationship management and networking with stakeholders and service providers.
 Fit in with an entrepreneurial, hard-working culture.

To apply for this role please email your CV and supporting documentation to operations@asearch.co.za