Business Specialist.Client Services & Operations & Administration.OMSA at Old Mutual South Africa

Brief Description
The incumbent will have the opportunity to develop into a fully-fledged investment support professional. This role is geared to transition and integrate functions and activities performed centrally into the OMSFIN business and hence includes near term and longer-term deliverables.

Over and above the achievement of daily work assignments and targets, the incumbent will initially be part of a greater team which supports all OMIG’s boutiques, internal Old Mutual clients and external clients. Client centricity and team spirit are key characteristics required of the incumbent. The incumbent is expected to support our biggest client, the Old Mutual Life Assurance Company “OMLAC”, and ensure that client centricity is always upheld throughout all that the incumbent performs. Regular feedback will be provided to the incumbent, upon receipt of which, the incumbent will be required to respond accordingly and improve on their respective skills set.

The incumbent may be required to complete further studies where necessary to ensure the incumbent is able to support client deliverables to the best of their ability.

Preference will be given to appropriately qualified, previously disadvantaged candidates, in accordance with OMSFIN’s commitment to employment equity. Suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply giving full details of qualifications and working experience.

KRA's
Near Term Deliverables

• Day-to-day administration function of non-conventional assets (unlisted and OTC investments) and other structured products in both the local and international markets,
• The preparation/ review of accurate, complete and timeous information,

external and internal reports (cyclical and regulatory reporting; audit certificates, , OMU shareholder transactions and reporting etc) while ensuring adherence to strict reporting deadlines,

• Prepare, review and administer contractual arrangements where required,
• Perform all pre and post trade security management from lifecycle management (internal coupon and loan repayments) to instrument Tagging and classification (CIC tagging and classification according to sector trees for reporting),
• Prepare and disseminate cost allocation split for 3 rd party expenses across various teams within the business including resolution of pre and post dissemination queries,
• Perform an oversight role with the review of the monthly accounting submissions (RSA Actuarial Return Report) and the monthly tax report (Tax Executive summary),
• Manage all OMLAC queries and resolve all related issues timeously while building and maintaining good relationships with OMLAC Clients (Accounting, Tax, Fair Value Hierarchy),
• Manage the integrity of the unitised structures within OMLAC and play a pivotal role as the gatekeeper for any new requests or, changes to the structures,
• Facilitate all inward coming changes in service requests from OMLAC,
• Liaise with other internal stakeholders required to perform functions or address queries (Performance research, accounting and management accounting)
• Adhoc administrative duties,
• Achieve certain deliverables through others,

Medium Term Deliverables
Change, Execution and Enablement

• Partners with OMSFIN Operations team members on new initiatives including the assessment/ coordination of and the implementation of the operational investment impact of new and complex investments and structures, new and amendments to mandates and follow through on successful implementation,
• Actively assessing/questioning the relevance of current processes and drives improvements of processes in the operations team and across the business where required (including exploring new solutions and technology initiatives),
• Works closely with Enterprise Risk Management by maintaining Risk Control Self-Assessments and informing enhancement to operational processes to mitigate risks,
• Defines small to medium sized operational projects by establishing the project scope, approach, work plan, timelines, staffing requirements, associated cost and drives implementation,
• Operationalize project deliverables, coordinate deployment of operational initiatives, including user training, implementation and post implementation briefing,
• Assist staff through change by co-ordinating and facilitating operational business process changes through various stakeholders,
• Contribution to short- and medium-term organisational planning which includes initiatives geared for operational excellence,

Relationship Management And Service Delivery

• Networks across the business and within the group - gives and receives feedback on service received and provided,
• Works collectively with Operations area team member/s in supervising the outsourced administration support for all OMSFIN teams including trade, settlement, issue escalation and resolution and operational change management,
• Acts as the central point of contact for the outsourced administration and the various functions of the business with regards to investment administration and portfolio reporting,
• Production and review of client reports, broad mandate compliance and oversight and all SLA reporting and management,
• Reviews and proactively updates agreements (when necessary), monitors KPI reports, monitors SLA delivery and attends regular internal and external Operational meetings where required,
• Relationship management of strategic internal and external service providers (brokers, custodians, banks, dealers) including the outsourced investment administration service provider,

Regulatory And Industry Developments

• Keep abreast of industry best practice standards for operational processes and controls,
• Researches emerging industry trends and best practices,
• Unpacks regulatory changes with internal and support areas (Legal and Compliance) and assesses business impact and response requirements

Job Requirements

• Commerce degree or diploma and commitment to enhance technical investment administrative and market skills through further formal studies in appropriate courses, where deemed necessary
• Between 5-8 years relevant working experience within operational administrative support or similar environment
• Computer literacy (Excel, PowerPoint & Word)
• Articles experience would be a distinct advantage
• A broad understanding of alternative assets, i.e. private equity, structured finance deals and other OTC instruments
• Understanding of structured finance deals and the operational processes as well as by other Service Providers and Market Participants
• Broad understanding of OMIG and OMU’s business
• A broad understanding of financial markets and participants
• Collaborates effectively with others to achieve personal and team results
• Capacity to learn quickly and deal with evolving job requirements
• Change agile
• Ability to interact effectively with management and external contacts to resolve problems, propose new business practices, build strong partnerships, and influence across organisational boundaries

Additional Details

• Good analytical, reasoning and numerical aptitude
• Excellence / continuous improvement
• Professionalism
• Client Centric
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal
• Able to work independently and as part of a team
• Good interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail
• Dynamic, flexible and able to work in a fluid environment
• High stress tolerance and delivery on strict deadlines
• Self-starter
• Good project management skills
• High work standard