Investment Operations Team Lead at Prescient

Purpose of role:

• The Investment Operations Team Lead is the technical leader of the Investment Operations team and is responsible for the day-to-day operational running of the investment operations environment. The role acts as the bridge between strategic operational leadership and operational execution, ensuring that all investment operations activities are performed accurately, efficiently and within agreed service levels.
• The Team Lead owns the operational oversight of the full investment lifecycle across listed, OTC, unlisted, credit and infrastructure investments. This includes trade support, settlement oversight, reconciliations, valuations, transition management, onboarding coordination and day-to-day engagement with Prescient Fund Services (PFS).
• The role is responsible for developing technical capability within the team, ensuring operational knowledge is shared, risks are managed, and no critical process is dependent on a single individual. The Team Lead serves as the first escalation point for operational issues and plays a critical role in enabling the investment team to operate efficiently and effectively.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Take responsibility for ensuring seamless operations across the Investment Management business, working closely with the Operations Manager, COO and other leaders, teams, and key stakeholders. Maintain strong internal relationships between all the various departments within Prescient Investment Management and Prescient Fund Services, to ensure exceptional support and service delivery to clients.

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Investment Operations Management

• Lead the day-to-day operational activities of the Investment Operations team.
• Oversee operational processes across listed, OTC, unlisted, fixed income and credit instruments.
• Ensure operational controls, procedures and service standards are consistently applied.
• Monitor operational risks and escalate material issues to the Operations Manager when required.
• Support implementation of operational process improvements and automation initiatives.

Trade Lifecycle & Investment Support

• Own the operational oversight of the full trade lifecycle, including pre-trade readiness, trade support and post-trade activities.
• Provide operational support to portfolio managers, dealers and the investment team.
• Manage settlement monitoring and ensure trade failures are resolved timeously.
• Ensure all instrument setups are completed accurately before trading commences.
• Monitor OTC positions, collateral requirements and operational controls relating to derivatives.

 OTC, Unlisted Credit and Infrastructure Operations

• Manage the operational oversight and administration of OTC instruments, unlisted credit investments and infrastructure assets.
• Coordinate valuations, reconciliations and operational controls relating to these investment types.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, records and audit evidence are maintained.
• Work closely with investment teams and external service providers to ensure operational accuracy and timely execution.

 Transition Management

• Lead the operational execution of new fund launches, mandate transitions, ring-fencing exercises and fund closures.
• Coordinate onboarding activities across Operations, Compliance, Legal, PFS and the Investment Team.
• Ensure all accounts, systems, reconciliations and reporting requirements are operationally ready before go-live.
• Conduct post-transition reviews and ensure all operational requirements have been successfully completed.

Prescient Fund Services (PFS) Relationship Management

• Manage the day-to-day operational relationship with Prescient Fund Services.
• Oversee reconciliations, NAV reviews, operational queries and open item management.
• Track service delivery performance and escalating recurring issues to the Operations Manager.
• Contribute operational data and insights into monthly SLA reviews.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, mentor and develop the Investment Operations Specialist and KYC/Onboarding Specialist.
• Conduct regular check-ins, coaching conversations and development discussions.
• Drive cross-training initiatives to ensure operational resilience and reduce key-person dependencies.  
• Build technical capability across fixed income, OTC, unlisted and operational processes.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure operational activities comply with internal policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Support audits, regulatory requests and compliance reviews.
• Maintain operational documentation, SOPs and process guides.
• Assist with DTCC, EMIR and other operational regulatory reporting requirements where applicable.

Continuous Improvement & Automation

• Identify process improvements and automation opportunities within the Investment Operations function.
• Contribute to workflow optimisation and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Support implementation of ticketing, workflow and reporting tools.
• Promote a culture of documentation, process discipline and operational excellence.

Required experience:

• 5–8 years' experience within Investment Operations, Fund Administration or Asset Management Operations.
• Strong fixed income operational experience, including bonds, money market and credit instruments.
• Experience with OTC derivatives and unlisted investment operations.
• Experience managing fund launches, mandate transitions or complex onboarding projects.
• Demonstrated experience working with outsourced fund administration models.
• Previous supervisory, mentoring or team leadership experience.
• Experience within the South African asset management environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Finance, Investments, Economics, Commerce or a related field.
• Postgraduate investment or financial markets qualifications would be advantageous.
• Industry certifications relating to investment operations, fund administration or financial markets would be beneficial.

Key competencies:

• Technical expertise in investment operations across fixed income, OTC and unlisted assets.
• Strong leadership and coaching capability.
• Trade lifecycle and settlement management expertise.
• Excellent problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• High attention to detail and operational accuracy.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong governance and risk management mindset.
• Commitment to knowledge sharing and team capability building.
• Continuous improvement and automation mindset.