VP, Head of Middle and Back Office

About the Role
Act as the operational backbone of the company Asset Management, with end to end accountability for middle and back office oversight across all investment products (funds and DPM), spanning trade execution support, post-trade processing, fund accounting oversight and client, regulatory and risk reporting. Own the integrity of the Investment Book of Record (IBOR) and the oversight of the Accounting Book of Record (ABOR), ensuring data accuracy, operational integrity and a single trusted view of positions, cash, performance and exposures across the platform. Lead the operational delivery of product development and fund launches, translating client and distribution demand for new funds and DPM solutions into approved, launched and fully serviced products. Oversee outsourced service providers (fund administrators, custodians, registrars, brokers) across product and operational matters, holding them to agreed service levels, quality and regulatory standards. Drive the data, automation and AI agenda across investment operations, in partnership with Technology & Data, acting as change agent for a scalable, industrialised operating model. Live and demonstrate the company AM values.

Key Responsibilities

• Middle office and trade life cycle: Oversee trade execution support and the full post-trade life cycle across asset classes for funds and DPM portfolios, including trade capture, confirmation, matching, settlement and fails management, corporate actions and income processing.
• IBOR, ABOR and OMS integrity: Ensure data accuracy, system updates and integrity of records across the IBOR, ABOR, OMS and middle office systems, including daily cash, position and holdings reconciliations with custodians, brokers and fund administrators.
• Fund accounting and back office oversight: Oversee outsourced fund accounting and administration, including NAV review and sign off, pricing and valuation controls, expense accruals, tax and fee processing, total expense ratio monitoring, transfer agency, registrar and shareholder dealing activity.
• Product development and fund launch: Lead the operational workstream of the product life cycle, from client or distribution demand for a new fund or DPM solution, through New Product Approval, structuring input, operating model design, service provider onboarding, account opening and seed funding, to launch and post-launch stabilisation.
• Fund life cycle events: Manage share class launches, fund restructurings, mergers, closures and changes of service providers end to end, together with fee and total expense ratio modelling across asset scenarios with Product and Finance.
• Operational Partner oversight: Oversee product life cycle and operational activities of sub-advisory investment partners (e.g. Amundi, T. Rowe Price, Victory Capital), including trade and data flows, guideline monitoring, operational due diligence, incident management, periodic service reviews and escalation.
• Service provider and outsourcing governance: Own outsourcing governance for fund administrators, custodians, registrars and brokers, including service level agreements, KPI reporting, fee and contract reviews, and adherence to CMA and SCA outsourcing requirements.
• Client reporting: Own client reporting across funds and DPM, including valuations, statements, factsheets, performance and holdings reporting; support institutional client onboarding and servicing and resolve operational queries end to end.
• Regulatory, financial and risk reporting: Deliver regulatory and financial reporting through structured data gathering and formatting for Compliance, Finance and Risk, including exposure, liquidity and breach reporting to governance forums.
• Platform implementation: Act as operations lead for the implementation of the front-to-back investment platform (SimCorp One), covering IBOR, ABOR and OMS workflows, risk and reporting modules, data migration, interfaces with administrators and custodians, testing, cutover and hypercare in partnership with Technology & Data who is owning the relationship with the Tech providers.
• Fund data, automation and AI: Own operational and fund data governance and quality, including golden source product and security data and its dissemination to distributors and data vendors; continuously improve processes, reduce manual workarounds and deploy automation and AI in partnership with Technology & Data.
• Governance, controls and documentation: Maintain full documentation of workflows, exception processes and control points to support oversight and scalability; operate the operational risk framework, including incidents, key risk indicators and business continuity; and support internal audit, regulatory reviews and committee reporting.

Requirements / Qualifications

• Experience: 15 to 20 years in investment operations, middle and back office within asset management or regulated financial services, including oversight of outsourced providers and partners.
• Fund and DPM operations: Fund and DPM accounting oversight, NAV review, post-trade processing, settlements, reconciliations, corporate actions, and tax and fee processing.
• Product and fund launch: Product development and fund launch experience, including New Product Approval processes, operating model design, service provider onboarding and fee and total expense ratio modelling.
• Third party oversight: Oversight of fund administrators, custodians, registrars, brokers and sub-advisory investment partners, including service level agreements, KPIs and service reviews.
• Reporting and fund data: Client, regulatory and risk reporting, together with fund, product and security data management.
• Platforms: Front-to-back platform implementation experience (e.g. SimCorp, BlackRock Aladdin, Charles River), including IBOR, ABOR, OMS and risk reporting modules.
• Data, automation and AI: Data governance and quality, with practical application of automation and AI to operational processes.
• Executive capabilities: Strong stakeholder management across internal functions, partners and providers, with sound judgement, ownership and a continuous improvement mindset.

Preferred / Beneficial

• Regulatory environment: Knowledge of the UAE and GCC regulatory environment, including CMA, SCA and ADGM FSRA, is an advantage.