Investment Operations Manager - UAEN Role

About the role

Requirements

• Education & Qualifications
• - Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline
• - Professional certifications such as CFA, CISI, CPA, FRM or equivalent are preferred
• Experience Requirements
• - 7-10 years of experience in investment operations, asset management, or financial services
• - Proven experience managing end-to-end investment operations across multiple asset classes
• - Strong understanding of operational risk frameworks and control environments
• - Experience in transformation initiatives, automation, or system implementation projects is highly desirable
• Technical Skills
• - In-depth knowledge of the investment operations lifecycle across asset classes, particularly:
• - Securities (equities, fixed income)
• - Derivatives (listed and OTC)
• - Cash and liquidity instruments
• - Loans operations
• - Understanding of:
• - Trade processing and settlement mechanics
• - Custody models and asset servicing
• - Cash management and liquidity flows
• - SWIFT and accounting principles
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills

Responsibilities

• 1. Operations Oversight & Execution
• - Oversee and manage the end-to-end investment operations lifecycle, including:
• - Trade capture and validation
• - Trade confirmation and matching
• - Clearing and settlement (DVP/RVP, FOP, CCP-cleared)
• - Cash and position reconciliations (custodian vs internal records)
• - Corporate actions processing (mandatory and voluntary events)
• - Investment data management and reporting
• - Maintain a strong working knowledge of financial products, including:
• - Public markets instruments: equities (listed and OTC), fixed income (government, corporate, structured notes), ETFs
• - Derivatives: futures, options, swaps (IRS, CDS), FX derivatives (forwards, swaps), margining and collateral management
• - Private markets: private equity, infrastructure, real estate funds (capital calls, distributions, NAV tracking)
• - Loans and credit instruments: syndicated loans, bilateral lending, loan servicing and interest calculations
• - Cash & liquidity instruments: money market instruments, deposits, treasury operations
• - Demonstrate deep understanding of the trade lifecycle, including:
• - Order execution and trade booking
• - Allocation and confirmation
• - Clearing via central counterparties (CCPs) or bilateral arrangements
• - Settlement flows across custodians and payment systems
• - Post-settlement activities including reconciliations and reporting
• - Ensure timely, accurate, and complete execution of all operational activities in accordance with market deadlines, cut-off times, and settlement cycles (T+0, T+1, T+2, etc.)
• - Monitor and manage KPIs, SLAs, and operational metrics, proactively identifying bottlenecks and implementing corrective actions
• 2. Control Framework & Risk Management
• - Ensure strict adherence to internal control frameworks, policies, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) across all operational processes
• - Identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks, including:
• - Settlement failures
• - Breaks and reconciliation discrepancies
• - Counterparty and custodial risks
• - Data integrity issues
• - Maintain audit-ready documentation, ensuring full traceability of transactions and controls
• - Support internal and external audits, regulatory reviews, and compliance assessments
• - Demonstrate working knowledge of:
• - Regulatory frameworks (e.g., EMIR, MiFID II, AML/KYC requirements)
• - KYC/CDD processes, onboarding documentation, and ongoing monitoring obligations
• 3. Data, Systems & Process Improvement
• - Ensure accuracy, integrity, and consistency of investment data across multiple systems (front-office, middle-office, custodians, and accounting platforms)
• - Lead and support process improvement initiatives, focusing on:
• - Automation of manual processes
• - Reduction of operational risk
• - Enhancement of data quality and reporting
• - Working knowledge of SWIFT
• - Collaborate with IT and vendors to ensure optimal system performance and data architecture alignment
• 4. Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination
• - Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, including:
• - Investment / Front Office
• - Finance and Accounting
• - Risk Management
• - Compliance and Legal
• - Information Technology
• - Manage relationships with external service providers, including:
• - Global custodians
• - Fund administrators
• - Brokers and counterparties
• - Market infrastructure providers
• - Act as a key point of contact for operational issue resolution, ensuring timely escalation and closure
• - Ensure service providers meet agreed service levels and contractual obligations
• 5. Reporting & Governance
• - Prepare and deliver management reporting, including:
• - Operational dashboards
• - KPI and SLA reporting
• - Exception and incident reporting
• - Support governance structures, including:
• - Risk and control forums
• - Audit and compliance reviews
• - Ensure alignment with organizational governance frameworks, including policies, risk appetite, and reporting standards

Skills

• Trade capture
• Trade confirmation and matching
• Clearing and settlement (DVP/RVP, FOP, CCP-cleared)
• Cash and position reconciliations
• Corporate actions processing
• Investment data management and reporting
• Derivatives (futures, options, swaps, IRS, CDS, FX derivatives)
• Private markets (private equity, infrastructure, real estate funds)
• Securities lifecycle knowledge (equities, fixed income, ETFs)
• SWIFT
• Regulatory frameworks (EMIR, MiFID II, AML/KYC)
• KYC/CDD processes
• Automation and process improvement
• Operational risk management
• Data integrity and governance