Associate Director - Client Implementation & Transitions (FTC) in London

Cambridge Associates (“CA”) is a leading global investment firm. CA’s goal is to help endowments & foundations, pension plans, and ultra-high net worth private clients implement and manage custom investment portfolios that generate outperformance so that they can maximize their impact on the world. Cambridge Associates delivers a range of services, including outsourced CIO, non-discretionary portfolio management, and investment consulting. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, CA has offices in key markets in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Our worldwide teams ensure our clients benefit from decades of global presence, local expertise, and relationships with the top global investment managers across the world.

The role sits within our Client Implementations & Transitions team, which in turn forms part of our wider Global Portfolio Services group. The successful candidate will report to the manager of the Client Implementations & Transitions team. The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for the oversight and project management of client onboarding, service change and offboarding events, for our EMEA and APAC client base. Throughout the course of such change events, the successful candidate will work with an array of internal (e.g., Business Development, Investment Directors, Operations, Legal, Compliance, etc.) and external (e.g., Client, Family Offices or Advisors, Custodians/Banks, third-party providers, etc.) stakeholders, at all levels of seniority. In addition to their daily responsibilities, the successful candidate will be required to contribute to the continuous improvement of our client implementation and change framework, with a view to further refine process and ultimately, enhance our client experience.

Job Description

• Project management and coordination of client onboarding, service change and offboarding events, for our EMEA and APAC client base.
• Creation, maintenance and regular distribution of project plans to ensure both internal and external stakeholders are kept informed of project status, outstanding actions and notable risks or concerns.
• Chair regular meetings for internal and external stakeholders.
• Distribute meeting agendas and minutes, as standard.
• Ensure notable risks are escalated to senior leaders within the firm.
• Act as a point of escalation for project stakeholders and assist with query resolution and risk mitigation to ensure that ‘implementation barriers’ are removed promptly.
• Provide timely, high-quality responses to project inquiries.
• Ensure that project milestones, SLAs and KPIs are monitored and achieved.
• Document evidence of completed project tasks to satisfy our ‘System and Organization Controls’ (SOC 1) obligations.
• Additionally, respond to internal and external audit requests, as required.
• Ensure ‘Day 2’ tasks are documented and handed over to an appropriate individual/group.
• Conduct post-onboarding review and lessons learned.
• Develop and maintain processes, policies and procedures.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the client implementation and change framework.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in a relevant field).
• Experience leading client onboarding and change events from the buy-side (i.e., Investment managers, Hedge Funds, etc.) is essential.
• Demonstrable operational expertise (in particular, knowledge of the investment management industry, back and middle office workflows and supporting services providers) and proven track record with implementing complex operating models.
• Knowledge of alternative asset classes, in particular; Private equity, Hedge Funds, Real and Credit is a requirement.
• A strong understanding of the regulatory regimes in EMEA and APAC, which affect investment managers operating in these regions, is highly preferred.
• Excellent project management and leadership skills.
• Must be a keen problem solver.
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Able to effectively manage and escalate project risk.
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Ability to multi-task and manage time is critical.
• Ability to work independently and to tight deadlines.
• A proven track record of identifying and implementing process improvements.
• Able to work collaboratively with others – both as a project lead and as a contributor (to ad-hoc strategic initiatives).
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office (Excel, Power Point, Word, SharePoint and Visio) and project management tools.

The firm is committed to the concept and practice of equal employment opportunity and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. It is expected that all employees will follow a similar policy toward their co-workers.