Head of Asset Strategy and Investment Oversight

Title: Head of Asset Strategy and Investment Oversight

Location: London, GB

Company: CLFIS Limited

Description:

Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation.

Part of our parent company Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life UK has operated in the United Kingdom since 1903. We have hundreds of respected and supported employees committed to doing the right thing for our customers and colleagues.

Canada Life UK is transforming to create a more customer-focused business by providing our customers with expertise on financial and tax planning, offering home finance and annuities propositions, and providing collective fund solutions to third party customers.

Purpose of the role:

The role holder is accountable for leading an Asset Strategy and Investment Oversight (ASIO) team providing technical, regulatory, and governance expertise and guidance to Canada Life UK. Ensuring compliance with applicable regulation, investment policy and mandates by ensuring appropriate monitoring activity, oversight and reporting.

Develop and communicate investment strategy and policies, contribute to business strategy, manage and develop the team, establish processes to ensure investment policies are followed, and make decisions on asset allocation, selection of external managers, and risk management across portfolios.

What you’ll do:

1. Develop and communicate investment strategy and policies, contribute to business strategy.
2. Responsible for the relationship with internal and external Asset Managers:

• Accountable for investment oversight and governance for IMAs entered into by Canada Life UK.
• On-board new asset manager(s).
• Serve as primary point of contact for asset management partners, incl. 3rd party due diligence.
• Third party risk management and oversight, including compliance with relevant regulatory requirements.
• Performance assessment of internal and external Asset Managers.

• Identify asset universe and risk/return characteristics – gather information on available global and regional assets.
• Ongoing monitoring of portfolio to assess risks and portfolio balanced for risks.

• Set demand for structured assets, and characteristics for raw assets (e.g., duration, return, tranche types).
• Negotiate with internal / external issuers on potential asset structures and pricing.
• Work to obtain final credit rating and regulatory approval for new asset structures.

• Develop and maintain relevant investment related Canada Life UK policies.
• Develop and maintain Canada Life UK investment standards/mandates.
• Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, as well as the organization’s own policies and standards.

• Accountable for providing regular reporting and updates to the Executive Committee and Board’s on the investment portfolio’s performance and the progress toward achieving investment goals.

What you’ll be accountable for:

• Accountable for leading an asset strategy and investment oversight team providing technical, regulatory, and governance expertise and guidance to Canada Life UK.
• Ensuring compliance with applicable regulation, investment policy and mandates by ensuring appropriate monitoring activity, oversight, and reporting.
• Support the Director of ALM and Investments in their engagement with regulators.
• Provides strategic insight to business decision making.
• Lead role in the relationship management of financial institutions, asset managers, and other key investment professionals.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• In-depth knowledge of regulations impacting investments in Life Insurance companies.
• Experience in developing and communicating investment strategy and policies, contributing to business strategy.
• Understand global markets, with specific knowledge fixed income markets.
• Ability to manage and develop the ASIO team, supervise and oversee the ASIO process, establish processes to ensure investment policies are followed, and make decisions on strategic asset allocation, and risk management across portfolios.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Understand investment principles and processes.
• Strong commercial outlook.
• Strong communication skills, demonstrating a clear and articulate standard of written and verbal communication in a complex environment, tailored for all levels of management. Attention to detail.
• Strong influencing skills, with experience of engaging with senior management to get desired outcome.
• Strong interpersonal/networking skills, with the ability to maintain a variety of relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Proven track record of delivery under tight time pressure.
• Self-motivated, well-organised, pragmatic, and able to perform tasks independently.

Benefits of working at Canada Life:

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that’s regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you’ll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with, income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How we work at Canada Life:

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward.

We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That’s why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion:

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we’re making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus.

“At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all.” Nick Harding, Chief People Officer, Canada Life UK.

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We’re happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.

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