Operations - Middle Office Associate - Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited in London

Business Area: Operations

Place of Work: London

Contract Type: Permanent

When you join USS, the size and scale of our pension scheme means you will have numerous opportunities to learn and develop your career. Given our size you'll have real autonomy and influence as you collaborate closely with a wide-ranging team of experts.

About the role

In your role as Operations - Middle Office Associate, you will make a meaningful and valued contribution from the outset. This role will provide a great opportunity to provide operational support to Public & Private Markets teams. This role sits with the Public Markets team, working within the Middle Office. The role will provide exposure to our end-to-end process of Public Markets Operations working closely with the front office teams and support areas in performing day-to-day tasks & delivering business readiness for new initiatives impacting the Operations team. The Middle Office is responsible for the day-to-day core trading support of the scheme & all aspects of a Middle Office function, which includes oversight of key third party relationships. The scheme invests in a broad range of assets and a flexible can-do attitude is required.

What you will be doing

• Performing trade/OTC support duties on all aspects of public markets assets, including oversight of key third parties, where applicable.
• Performing Collateral management duties & oversight.
• Contributing to a shift from ‘doing’ to ‘oversight’, on Collateral/Trade support, contributing to relevant metric and data collation to ensure adequate oversight processes.
• Performing scheme Funding & Cash management duties.
• Liaison with the Third-party providers for core middle office services (JP Morgan) & clearing brokers.
• Interaction with trading desks to ensure a smooth middle office support model.
• Identify & deliver improvements to day-to-day process.
• Support business initiatives impacting team & deliver into day to day.

Stakeholder management

• Build a strong relationship with USS colleagues.
• Develop close working relationships with third party service partners & trading desks.

Development

• Look for training opportunities to enhance skills.
• Improve personal skill matrix score each year.

About you

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box, if you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, then please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements outlined in this profile.

To be successful in the role you will have:

• Business/ Operational experience of working with a wide range of assets & awareness of investment products, including lifecycle and awareness of downstream flows (e.g. collateral, accounting etc).
• Financial experience (required).
• Buy side or Outsourced Oversight experience (preferred).
• Business qualification advantageous – IMC/IOC.
• Experience of Bloomberg AIM an advantage.
• Problem solving with independent thought.
• Attention to detail.
• Can do attitude.
• Ability to work independently.
• Good Excel skills.

Why join us?

At USS, every individual contributes to building a secure financial future for our members and their families. We strive to create a work environment where everyone can thrive professionally while making a meaningful impact on the lives of others. We're also committed to helping you build your career by providing opportunities for development. We put a focus on recognising and supporting each individual's unique career path, driving this forward with the support of an engaged and proactive management team. Here at USS, we want you to thrive in and out of work with a friendly team, flexible culture and excellent range of benefits!

How we will reward you

• Great starting salary.
• Generous annual leave package.
• Access to a high quality pension scheme provided through Universities Superannuation Scheme.
• Supportive people policies (including enhanced occupational sickness pay and family friendly pay).
• Financial contributions towards your personal development to help you maintain your physical and mental wellbeing.
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing services i.e., private healthcare, discounted gym membership.
• Learning and development opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and talent.
• Employee Volunteer Day’s to support the communities where you work and live.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.

Our culture and values

Our people are what makes us different. We work together to create a diverse and inclusive culture that embraces individuality, where people are welcomed and feel comfortable in the knowledge that they can be themselves. Our purpose firmly states the importance of members, putting them ‘front and centre’ of what we do. This is embedded through our values: Integrity, Collaboration, Excellence.

About us

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) was established in 1974 as the principal pension scheme for universities and other higher education institutions in the UK. We work with around 330 employers to help build a secure financial future for almost 577,000 members and their families. We are one of the largest private defined benefit pension schemes in the UK, with total assets of around £76.8bn (at 31 March 2025).

USSIM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strive to ensure our recruitment process is as flexible and inclusive as possible so we can attract diverse candidates and recruit the best talent. We want all candidates to perform at their best during the recruitment process, so if you need any reasonable adjustments or if there is anything we can do to help support you through your recruitment journey please let us know by contacting resourcing@uss.co.uk.