Associate Director, Onboarding Operations

The Onboarding Operations team supports new client/solution onboarding implementation, changes to existing portfolio structures and also closures/mergers within Russell Investments’ global client base and product lineup. The Associate Director, Onboarding Operations leads implementation and the team responsible for managing and coordinating new client onboarding, product launches, changes to strategies, sub-advisors, and structures to portfolios. These projects include, but are not limited to:

• Onboarding and offboarding model strategies.
• Portfolio launches & closures.
• Sub-advisor changes and fund mergers.

This role manages complex, cross-functional projects, ensuring alignment among operations, sales, product, legal, compliance, and other internal stakeholders. The position requires strong project management skills, effective communication, and the ability to foster collaboration to deliver successful onboarding and implementation outcomes.

The responsibilities of the individual in this position include:

• Team Leadership & Management: Leading and mentoring a team of onboarding professionals, providing guidance, training and support to ensure high performance and professional development. Fostering a collaborative and inclusive team culture that prioritises client satisfaction and continuous improvement. Setting clear goals and performance expectations, regularly assessing team performance and providing constructive feedback. Proactively identifying any resource challenges on a regular basis and resolving the resource challenges and/or making recommendations on how to best proceed. Reviewing onboarding project plans of associates and monitoring performance to ensure that team members are driving implementation.
• Project Management: Managing events across portfolios and clients (new, change and closure) in a streamlined and efficient manner utilising best practice along the way. Ensuring clear communication to all stakeholders.
• Onboarding Operations Governance: Ensuring appropriate governance has been conducted across all activities passed to Onboarding Operations. Applying knowledge, to question and challenge activities where required. Ensuring documentation of all governance processes within Onboarding Operations.
• Vendor Management: Utilising relationship management principles to engage vendors in a collaborative manner to ensure timely turnaround on our requests and cooperation from vendors in all matters. Managing vendor KPIs and incident reporting.
• Internal Relationship Management: Interacting and coordinating with Investment Division, Product Solutions, Legal, Finance, Compliance, Operations, Technology, GTM and Risk on a regular basis; maintaining a high degree of visibility within the organisation.
• Regulatory & Business conduct: Displaying exemplary conduct and living by our organisation's Code of Conduct. Taking personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct across the business. Effectively and collaboratively identifying, escalating, mitigating and resolving risk, conduct and compliance.

The successful candidate will have extensive demonstrable skills and experiences including the following:

• IOC/IMC or other formal professional and/or technical qualifications/experience is desirable.
• Relevant BSC/BA (Mathematics/Economics or similar) or equivalent experience needed.
• Previous work experience in an asset management, custody or fund administration environment.
• Stakeholder management experience in a project environment.
• Experience collaborating across multiple business units.
• Vendor management (reviewing contracts, reviewing KPIs and managing SLAs).
• Understanding multiple asset class and operational workflows.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Strong client service and communication skills (oral and written).
• Able to act quickly and accurately to identify and analyse relevant information regarding work tasks.