Senior Manager - Investment Operations in Manchester

Location: Hybrid - 3 days in Leeds or Manchester

Salary: £70,000 - £90,000

Who we are: interactive investor is an award-winning investment platform that puts its customers in control of their financial future. We’ve been helping investors for nearly 30 years. We’re now the UK's number one flat-fee investment platform, with assets under administration approaching £75 billion and over 450,000 customers. For a simple, flat monthly fee we provide a secure home for pensions, ISAs and investments. We offer a wide choice of over 20,000 UK and international investment options, including shares, funds, trusts and ETFs. We also bring impartial, expert content from our award-winning financial journalists, highly engaged community of investors, and daily newsletters and insights.

Purpose of the Role: The role has responsibility and oversight for the Investment function within Operations consisting of a range of operational teams including Corporate Actions, Client Cash, Reconciliations and Stock Custody. The role is responsible for driving operational excellence across the function to deliver a superior customer experience underpinned by operational efficiency, scalability and robust risk management. The role holder will build and lead a management team and culture that enables the area to thrive and drive continuous service improvement.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead and drive short and long-term strategic plans through change and improvement initiatives to deliver sustained operational improvement and excellence.
• Overall responsibility for the leadership, strategic direction and operating results of the Asset Maintenance teams.
• Effective oversight and control of operational processes with a focus on compliance.
• Responsibility for Asset Maintenance FTE management in line with agreed budget.
• Monitor and analyse key metrics for day-to-day performance, identifying any areas of concern and formulating actions with the Investment Operations Management team to address.
• Drive process automation initiatives to increase operational effectiveness.
• Encourage a culture of open communication, effective challenge and positive engagement to promote sound risk management within the business.
• Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external third-party providers.
• Approval of higher risk transactions and decisions.
• Lead and develop the Investment Operations teams to deliver the right customer outcomes and excellent customer service.
• Work effectively as part of the broader operations senior management team in order to drive forward functional strategy and improvements.
• Build and maintain up to date knowledge of regulations and ensure that this is filtered across the team.
• Lead the first line of compliance defence by ensuring team adherence to business processes and procedures that are designed to meet the regulatory standards set out in the relevant FCA rules and guidance, with particular reference to CASS regulation.
• Leadership within own area of 1st line internal controls and operational risk management within the Interactive Investor Risk Appetite statement.
• Take responsibility for ensuring that the firm meets its Principles for Business (PRIN) requirements as set out by the FCA.
• Exercise due skill, care and diligence, observe proper standards of market conduct and deal with the regulator in an open and cooperative way disclosing appropriate information when required, and acting in a way which achieves their confidence and support.
• Embed and role model the principle of treating customers fairly at all times.
• Maintain the first line of defence in relation to identifying, mitigating and managing operational risks in line with the policies set out by the firm, including appropriate escalation and risk event reporting.
• Maintain the first line of defence by operating risk controls assigned to the individual.
• Maintain the first line of compliance defence by ensuring department adherence to business processes and procedures that are designed to meet the regulatory standards set out in the relevant FCA rules and guidance.

Requirements:

• Extensive knowledge of asset maintenance and stock custody operations and the financial services industry more broadly.
• Strong people management/leadership skills with a track record of leading and developing high performing operational teams.
• Ability to provide strategic, and operational leadership of key business function.
• Pro-active and responsive in assessing operational needs and developing solutions to meet these needs.
• Ability to analyse and translate regulatory information in order that it can be delivered and embedded into operational processes and future plans.
• Management of complex processes within a regulated environment.
• Ability to identify, analyse and make use of the right management information in order to manage multiple activities.
• Ability to analyse, design and monitor the performance of key processes and activities.
• Demonstrate ability to understand complex issues in detail and problem-solve to that level of detail.
• Excellent problem solving capability with ability to make decisions calmly and effectively under pressure.
• Capable of influencing at all organisational levels, including exec level.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Demonstrable ability to use effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage cost budgets.
• Deep knowledge and understanding of relevant regulatory, compliance and control requirements, including CASS, in order to manage Regulatory, Financial and Reputational risk.

Benefits:

• Group Personal Pension Plan - 8% employer contribution and 4% employee contribution.
• Life Assurance and Group Income Protection.
• Private Medical Insurance - Provided by Bupa.
• 25 Days Annual Leave, plus bank holidays.
• Staff Discounts on our investment products.
• Personal & Well-being Fund - Supporting your physical and mental wellness.
• Retail Discounts - Savings at a wide range of high street and online retailers.
• Voluntary Flexible Benefits - Tailor your benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Please Note: We will do our utmost efforts to respond to all applicants. However, due to the high volume of applications we’re currently receiving, if you haven’t been contacted within 30 days of application, please consider unsuccessful. interactive investor operates in accordance with the UK Equality Act 2010. We welcome applications from individuals of all ages, disabilities, gender identities, marital status, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and making reasonable adjustments where needed to support disabled applicants. We actively prevent all forms of discrimination, harassment, and victimisation—whether direct, indirect, associative, or perceptive.