Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Prescient

Purpose of role:

• To move Prescient Securities from operationally sound to operationally advantaged. Act as the operational integrator of the business, ensuring strategy, technology, operations and client experience function as one system, and creating the platform stability and intelligence required by the business. Anchored on the firm’s BHAG: to be recognised as the premier Stockbroker in South Africa, #1 rated by clients for administration efficiency.
• The COO forms part of the Exco and is the co-architect of the business and integrator of the entire operating system - front office, operations, technology, CRM, group services and client experience. The role is the execution engine of strategy and guardian of scalability, control and client experience. We are looking for a relentless operational executor who focuses on system health, prioritisation and integration; drives disciplined execution to systemise customer service.

Duties and responsibilities:

• The COO works through and with direct reports - Head of Operations, Technology and CRM lead and key partners across the business (Compliance, Risk, Finance, Group IT, Legal, Talent, Marketing, Facilities and Front Office).

Cross-Asset, Cross-Border Operations & External Market Interface

• Own the firm’s external operational interface with exchanges, custodians, CSDPs and infrastructure providers (JSE, A2X, ZARX, CTSE, Strate, prime brokers) at senior level. Translate 3–5-year strategy into operating model, systems roadmap and capability build.
• Drive operational efficiencies, process optimisation and systemised customer service across the operating base.
• In collaboration with the Head of Operations. Compliance and Technology:
• Provide strategic oversight of post-trade, settlements, reconciliations, private client administration and operational controls across all asset classes — equities, bonds, FX, derivatives — local and offshore.
• Ensure intra-day operational timelines across the team are met within 95%.
• Ensure operational cover is available on public holidays where required.
• Own operational incident management and root-cause remediation at the model level.
• Ensure operational processes meet JSE, Strate and venue rulebook requirements across all venues used.
• Ensure annual SWIFT attestation is completed and submitted.
• Ensure regular BCP and DR testing is run, signed off and remediated.
• Ensure new products (FX expansion, derivatives, private clients, digital assets, offshore) are operationally enabled before launch.

Technology Leadership & Platform Reliability

• Work in close collaboration with the Technology team and support the Head of Technology to grow the technology cluster and enable the technology strategy for Prescient Securities.
• Ensure production stability of trading, risk, settlement and client systems.
• Ensure IT issues affecting business-critical processes are responded to within 5 minutes.
• Govern the prioritisation of change vs run activity; ensure delivery governance, release management and operational support standards.

Integration Between Operations, Technology & the Business

• Act as the single point of accountability for cross-functional delivery across Front Office, Operations, Technology, CRM and Group services.
• Translate business needs into executable operational and technology plans.
• Maintain the operating cadence that keeps the system synchronised, ensure seamless hand-offs between trading, operations and technology and drive prioritisation across competing demands so the business stays focused and active on what matters most.
• In collaboration with the Head of Technology and Group IT, oversee the firm’s cyber and information-security posture and ensure breach-response playbooks and the pen-testing programme are maintained.
• Ensure third-party / vendor cyber risk is actively managed and POPIA is operationalised across the business.
• Build a cost-efficient operating model that scales with volume growth, own Ops and Tech budgets and maintain a tight Ops/Finance interface: capex, vendor spend, operational recs to GL, regulatory capital monitoring.

Governance-by-Design & First-Line Ownership

• Embed regulatory adherence into process, systems and workflow, working closely with Compliance and Risk.
• Translate new regulatory direction (FSCA, COFI, JSE directives) into operational design changes.
• In collaboration with the Head of Operations and direct reports, ensure first-line control ownership sits clearly inside operations and the business, with Compliance acting as an enabling partner.
• Foster a culture of risk awareness and aversion across operating teams.
• Ensure JSE/A2X rules adherence is tracked and breaches root-caused with preventative measures.

Data Management Information & Reporting

• Own the operational and client data layer - the single source of truth for trading, ops, clients and risk eliminating parallel spreadsheets and closing reconciliation gaps between systems and reporting.
• Ensure decision-quality reporting: structured for MRAP/QRAP, scorecard reviews and EXCO papers.
• In collaboration with the Head of Technology and Head of Operations, build real-time dashboards for CEO and Exco.

Vendor, Outsourcing & Third-Party Risk Management

• Proactively identify emerging operational and technology risks.
• Own the key vendor relationships at senior level - market data, trading systems, cloud, CSDPs, custodians and critical platform providers and maintain a vendor risk register.
• In collaboration with Compliance, Legal and Operations manage outsourcing arrangements consistent with regulatory expectations and assist in negotiating contracts and renewals.

Client Money, Segregation & Custody Integrity

• Provide assurance to the CEO and Board on client-asset protection and own senior CSDP and custodian relationships.
• In collaboration with the Head of Operations and Finance, ensure client assets and money are correctly segregated, ring-fenced and reconciled, and ensure operational integrity of trust accounts.

Manage the Client Experience

• Drive Prescient Securities toward #1 client-rated administration efficiency. Build toward a Client Service Platform / private client administration capability over time.
• In collaboration with the CRM lead, ensure CRM operates as the operational backbone of the business and assist in the designing the end-to-end client journey: onboarding, servicing, query management, retention.
• Ensure client trading lines are set up promptly per agreed SLA and ensure all material client feedback is recorded in the CRM and fed back into operational design.

Entity Function Stewardship, OpsCo & Stakeholder Management

• Own the interface between centralised group functions and Prescient Securities and actively manage inter-company agreements and initiatives; participate in group efficiency reviews.
• Chair / lead the entity OpsCo; ensure decisions flow back into the operating system and collaborate with central function heads (Talent, IT, Marketing, Facilities, Risk, Finance).
• Maintain strong relationships with regulators, brokers, counterparties and key vendors.
• Participate in client engagement presentations and feedback sessions; engage with clients on operational requirements.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• 10 years + experience in a senior operational leadership role, with strong market and product exposure - Equities (cash and program trading); Fixed Income / Bonds; Derivatives (listed and OTC understanding); FX (execution, settlement and client flows); Prime / custody / settlement flows and knowledge of market infrastructure - JSE, A2X, ZARX, CTSE, Strate, CSDP flows.
• Strong understanding of the regulatory environment JSE rules and directives; FAIS, FICA, AML / RMCP; best-execution frameworks; market-conduct oversight; FSCA / COFI direction; POPIA operational implications.
• Technology fluency - able to engage credibly on architecture choices, vendor risk, automation, data, cyber and platform reliability.
• CA (SA) / Finance degree/ Hons with relevant market experience.

Key competencies:

• Ownership, takes full accountability for outcomes across the operating platform.
• Systems Thinking, Understands and optimises the business as an integrated system (trading, ops, tech, compliance, client).
• Execution Discipline - Translates strategy into structured, consistent delivery.
• Calm Under Pressure, Maintains composure in stressed operational or market conditions.
• Detail and big picture balance – operates in operational detail while keeping strategic context in view.
• Structured Operator able to build disciplined processes, governance and cadence.
• Commercial Awareness - Understands impact of operations on revenue, cost, client and risk.
• Team Builder - Builds and upgrades high-performing, accountable teams.