Investment Operations Officer (Maternity Cover)

Brunel Pension Partnership Limited (Brunel) requires an Investment Operations Officer (IOO) on a 12–14-month Fixed Term Contract to implement, support and develop an efficient Investment Operational environment.

The IOO will support management relating to day-to-day operations of Brunel’s investment services, with a focus on Private Markets, playing a critical role in the provision of Brunel’s services to its clients. Additionally, this role would have oversight responsibility of the day-to-day tasks of the Private Markets analyst.

Our motivation lies in forging better futures by investing for a world worth living in. As a local government pension pool, we make long-term, sustainable investments on behalf of our clients. By using our collective expertise, we seek to set an example for the industry, and to use our voice to argue for broader change. We are proud to be a recognised leader in Responsible Investment, and a driving force behind structural change in the financial industry.

Values come first at Brunel. How we do our work is less important than why we do it. In fact, we believe that how we do our work will flow out of why we work.

We always seek to live by our values;

• Responsibility - We prioritise our duty of care to our stakeholders
• Courage - We make bold decisions and blaze new trails to achieve progress
• Partnership - We empower people through culture, community & coordination
• Passion - Our shared belief in what we do will always be the key to our success

We want to attract people from all backgrounds, as we value diverse experiences and understand that they help create an environment where everyone is welcome. The ‘perfect candidate’ rarely exists, even on paper. If the idea of working for Brunel excites you and have most of the skills or experience, we are looking for – go ahead and apply. You may be a far better candidate than you realise!

At Brunel, we understand that everyone is different. That’s why we offer a flexible approach to working that supports our people in ways that are meaningful – and leaves them enough space to have fun, too.

What you'll be doing

The IOO will work closely with the HoIO & the Investment Operations team to provide efficient, robust, and controlled Investment Operations to ensure the delivery of Brunel’s Portfolios. Focusing on the oversight of private market investments including property.

• Facilitate the execution of all Investment Operations activities within Brunel including those activities outsourced:
• Cash management, treasury, private market call support
• Trade and settlement cycle across markets
• Reconciliations and the control environment
• Position keeping & valuations.
• Supporting the Investment team in the selection and running of services
• Support the HoIO in the oversight of Brunel Administrators and supporting the COO in their responsibility for Brunel’s outsourcing obligations as an FCA-regulated Investment Manager.
• To support operational due diligence reviews of third-party managers, ensuring we understand and control our value chain.
• For the Investment Operations Officer to be responsible for leading and/or supporting change programmes through to implementation. This will cover both business and systems requirements, in particular Property and Front Office technology.
• Protection, development and continuous improvement of Brunel’s operational control model. Including knowledge of RCSA and business MI production.
• Support Brunel’s Property Dealing framework (inc. redemptions), building and nurturing relationships with 3rd party brokers and consultants.
• To support good governance of Investment Operations activity.
• To deliver year end and fund cost reporting to clients, explaining manager fees and charges over time, as well as facilitating audit queries.
• To manage Private Markets and Property workload in delegating appropriately to junior member.

Bespoke requirements for this role

• Can, and will, embrace and protect Brunel’s values and culture.
• Experience within an Investment Operations management role within an FCA-regulated Investment Manager or Asset Servicer.
• Strong knowledge of the trade lifecycle of asset classes in private markets.
• Knowledge of unitised funds and the dealing process.
• Has experience of working with or within outsourced Investment Operations and has knowledge of service level agreements and key performance indicators.
• Can deal pragmatically with complex problems to ensure all matters can be addressed with optimal, evidence-based, solutions.
• Is skilled and experienced in working with project structures.
• Is highly numerate and proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• Is detail-oriented and considered a “completer-finisher”.
• Embracer of diversity.
• Is experienced in delivering in projects’ timelines.
• Ability to prioritise and distribute workload across the team.