Director, European Operations & Relationship Management (2 year contract)

Joining CPP Investments means joining one of the world’s most admired and respected institutional investors to drive a single mandate: to deliver strong, sustainable returns for generations of Canadians. With a long-term horizon and global reach, we deploy capital at scale across public and private markets. Our size, stability, and disciplined investment philosophy allow us to pursue complex opportunities and build enduring partnerships worldwide. For our people, this means meaningful work with tangible impact, real opportunity, and collaboration with exceptional colleagues who value partnership and performance.

The Role

As the Director you will support the Head of Europe in evolving the regional operating model to fully realize the value of the One Fund strategy. The role will work collaboratively across all Departments within the region, and globally, to build the connectivity and alignment necessary to achieve the Head of Europe’s vision for optimized performance that both leverages and contributes to CPPIB’s advantages. The role will be a key partner to both the Head of Europe and the Head of RM with the candidate acting as a bridge-builder across internal and regional external stakeholders. Internally, the role will drive the integration of the One Fund strategy into the European operating model. The role will serve as the European execution lead for the Global Relationship Management operating model, ensuring that Europe contributes to, and benefits from, a coordinated One Fund approach to strategic external relationships.

You will work closely with the Global Head of RM to translate enterprise RM priorities into regional execution, while ensuring regional intelligence, relationship dynamics and transaction pipelines inform global coverage, tiering and engagement decisions. You will undertake the assignment based in the London office.

The Team

Accountabilities:

• European Operations: You will assist the Head of Europe in developing and executing a regional strategy to maximize the value of acting as One Fund in the region, while also acting as a key stakeholder to the Chief Operating Officer on regional matters.
• Driving the integration of our global strategy into the region and ensuring that regional activities are aligned and nested with the broader enterprise strategy, while enabling the regional departmental strategies.
• Driving the coordinated execution of operational elements within the European region, including the integration of Employee Resource Groups, and representing the Office of the Head of Europe to resolve operational issues.
• Developing a strong understanding of how investment groups operate in the region and using this understanding to tailor a regional operating model to drive better investment outcomes.
• Regular engagement with regional and global Group Heads to understand the context of functional strategies and operations, align regional priorities and execution where appropriate, and help Departments’ strategic and executional effectiveness by sharing regional insights.
• Developing and enhancing processes to facilitate optimal information flow across departments in region and between Europe and Toronto on pertinent operational matters.
• Representing Europe on enterprise initiatives and at times leading complex cross-functional projects and initiatives to either support global strategy and/or drive value in the region.
• Closely collaborating with Corporate Services to create and implement strategies that ensure the full use of all new office space.
• Implementing CPPIB-wide initiatives in coordination with global and local teams.
• Facilitating regional knowledge sharing.

Relationship Management: You will support the global Relationship Management efforts by helping identify and prioritize key relationships across Europe by gathering relevant market intelligence, internal feedback to ensure that CPPIB is viewing our global partnerships strategically and not as distinct regional elements.

Specific relationship management accountabilities include:

• Working closely with the Global RM function to map, prioritize, and engage partners at the appropriate level.
• Acting as the local RM lead, partnering with regional Investment Groups to avoid duplication and maximize benefit to the total Fund, especially as it relates to One Fund opportunities in the “grey spaces” between established asset strategies.
• Pro-actively contribute to the CPPIB brand and reputation in Europe as a sophisticated investor and partner.

Culture building and other support for the Head of Europe: You will support the Head of Europe and partner with local Talent leads in driving culture and employee engagement from a regional point of view.

This includes:

• Advising as an honest broker for the Head of Europe.
• Preparing the Head of Europe for select SMT, Board of Director and Investment Strategy and Risk Committee meetings and presentations.
• Continuing to enhance regional culture and engagement by leading the planning and execution of various internal events including regional off-sites, Inclusion & Diversity, Charity events and Lunch & Learn meetings.
• Assisting the Head of Europe with the adoption and integration of the One Fund Mindsets across the region (Enterprise Mindset, Owner Mindset, Continuous Improvement Mindset).
• Seeking opportunities to position the London office as an innovation and experimentation hub through the running of pilot projects and initiatives.

Qualifications:

• University degree in a relevant field.
• Demonstrable experience in investment management, operations, or relationship management within a global organization.
• Strong understanding of investment platforms and how different asset classes operate within a regional and global context.
• Proven ability to build and manage senior stakeholder relationships across geographies and functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing without direct authority.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including experience supporting senior executives and leadership forums.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and translate global strategy into regional execution.
• Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Strong judgment, problem-solving capability, and ability to operate as a trusted advisor.

You are motivated to contribute to something larger than yourself, approach complex challenges with rigor, and hold yourself to high standards in a collaborative, performance-driven environment.

Inclusion & Accessibility: CPP Investments is committed to equitable access to employment and building a workforce that reflects diverse talent and perspectives. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Attention: Protect Yourself from Fraud: CPP Investments is committed to a secure and transparent recruitment process. We will never ask candidates for payment or financial information at any stage of hiring. All legitimate opportunities are posted on our careers page, and communications will come from our applicant tracking system, Workday. CPP Investments may use AI tools to help screen and assess applicants by analyzing resumes and applications for relevant skills and experience. These tools support, but do not replace, human decision-making.