Client Manager (UK Wholesale) - 15 Month Fixed Term Contract in City of Westminster

You will be a key part of our Pooled Client Management team, focusing on our UK client base and will be responsible for partnering with the Sales team to ensure our clients enjoy an excellent ongoing relationship and experience with the firm. You will own the ongoing relationship and experience for existing and new UK based Corporate pooled fund and ETF clients in line with our contractual agreements and Columbia Threadneedle standards.

As a Client Manager we expect you to be able to perform many, or all, of the following responsibilities, primarily for our larger and/or more complex client relationships. You will do this often as the lead Client Manager but also in support of other more experienced team members:

• Pre-win: Establish client service intent and map to the firm's capabilities. Establish & start to manage service expectations with the client. Identify and begin to investigate/challenge potential service complexities. Start to identify and drive solutions to service needs.
• Onboarding, implementation and change: Manage client engagement throughout event including negotiation of client contractual documentation in partnership with our contracting experts. Engage internal teams as required and own event from client perspective. Ensure clear understanding of client service intent internally as this evolves. Finalise mandate guidelines/restrictions and rebate terms with the client and ensure correct coding internally. Agree and document proposition with client & internally. Provide / set up provision of required (e.g. regulatory) information to client. Support client through necessary documentation/due diligence requirements (AML/KYC, Distributor etc.). Verify that service setup and first deliverables match client expectation.
• Ongoing client experience: Be able to own the ongoing client relationship, partnering appropriately with Sales colleagues to ensure a unified overall client engagement experience. Alert the Sales team to potential cross-sell, up-sell or defence opportunities arising from client engagements. Be accountable to the client for the resolution of investment- and service-related issues and changes, coordinating with responsible internal teams to ensure accurate and timely delivery. Navigate the firm for the client (e.g. bringing the right experts into the client meeting for specific investment and servicing topics). Proactively monitor delivery vs service proposition, including sign-off where required for service deliverables, and address areas of inefficiency/performance challenge. Proactively identify client impact due to regulatory/industry change and commission necessary response internally. Proactively identify and drive client specific & thematic improvements to their experience. Conduct periodic service reviews with the client and consult with them to achieve a better client experience.

In addition, we expect you to play an active role in supporting the strategic goals of the Client Management function, such as:

• Building internal partnerships across our firm to drive better outcomes for our clients and our partners.
• Working with the team to identify and migrate activities to the relevant centre of expertise.
• Be a contributor to identifying and driving opportunities for consistency of engagement and delivery across regions.
• Identifying and driving process efficiencies, simplifying/enhancing controls and designing/providing management information to help us manage our team and client experience more effectively.
• Contributing to the delivery of strategic change across the team.

Qualifications:

• Corporate pooled client relationship management experience, including experience of UK and Luxembourg based mutual fund ranges (both managed portfolios and single strategy), Management Companies and Transfer Agencies.
• Knowledge and experience of Exchange Traded Funds would be a benefit to the role.
• Investment management experience including solid understanding of fund management, financial instruments, administration processes, performance analysis and reporting.
• Must be a structured individual.
• Strong ability to work with others both in the team and across the business to achieve effective solutions and decisions.
• Excellent listening skills and assertive, empathetic approach to dealing with stakeholders within the business.
• Good self-organisational and time management skills; ability to work under pressure to short deadlines.
• Drive and enthusiasm demonstrated through strive to achieve a first-class service management function.
• Ability to make clear decisions and exercise sound judgement; demonstrable problem solving, specifically around data and process.

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments: Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses. We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,500 people working together. Our expertise is diverse with more than 650 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies, and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements. Columbia Threadneedle is a people business and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that supports the diversity of our employees and reflects our broader communities and client-base. We appreciate that work-life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.