Director - Corporate Secretarial Services (COE)

About Waystone

Waystone is a leading asset-servicing solutions provider of institutional governance, administration, risk and compliance services to financial institutions. With over 25 years’ experience and a comprehensive range of specialist services to its name, Waystone helps our clients structure, operate and grow through our expertise, innovation and digitisation, backed by the operational scale to support global expansion.

Based in Ireland or Luxembourg, the Director, Corporate Secretarial Services (COE), will lead a cross-jurisdictional function comprising teams in Ireland and Luxembourg. The Director will be accountable for the strategy, operating model, control environment, service quality and performance of the function, ensuring that corporate secretarial and governance services are delivered accurately, efficiently and in accordance with applicable regulatory and client requirements.

The role will provide senior leadership to the teams, own key client and stakeholder relationships, oversee operational and commercial performance, and lead the continued standardisation and improvement of processes, controls, technology and management information. Working closely with the operational leads and the Head of Corporate Secretarial Services, the Director will develop team capability, manage material escalations and drive consistent service delivery across both jurisdictions.

Key responsibilities:

• Draft, implement, review and refine controls, processes, procedures, manuals, trackers and billing controls for the teams in the function;
• Own KPI definition, monitoring, analysis and reporting for both teams, reporting performance outcomes, identifying trends, implementing corrective actions and driving continuous improvement and reporting to management and/or clients;
• Own the function’s revenue and billing governance, including the completeness and accuracy of billing data, revenue reporting, fee reviews and leakage identification;
• Provide commercial input into pitches and client proposals;
• Lead and manage projects impacting teams’ operations;
• Drive the adoption, optimisation and governance of entity management systems, board portals and other technology solutions to improve efficiency and service quality;
• Undertake capacity, succession and strategic planning in respect of the function;
• Maintain executive oversight of the control environment, review control performance reporting and ensure that identified weaknesses are documented, escalated and remediated;
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of fund corporate governance and regulatory filing requirements, staying informed of relevant changes;
• Review escalated or high-risk matters, liaising with clients and/or stakeholders directly, as necessary;
• Maintain executive oversight of the timely, accurate and compliant delivery of board support, statutory record maintenance, regulatory filings and related corporate secretarial services;
• Review and report in respect of client satisfaction;
• Own senior client relationships for services delivered by the function across Ireland and Luxembourg;
• Liaise with service providers and stakeholders in respect of the service provided by the two teams;
• Support client growth and retention;
• Attend client meetings, pitches, onboarding and service calls;
• Manage and oversee teams’ performance and the teams’ operations, monitoring and directing activity within the teams and, together with the operational leads of the teams, ensuring delivery within the teams’ specified timeframes and procedures;
• Provide guidance, training and mentorship to team members and members of the wider Corporate Secretarial Services team;
• Provide leadership development for the team leads of the function;
• Lead recruitment efforts for the teams, in collaboration with the Head of Corporate Secretarial Services and support recruitment efforts for the wider Corporate Secretarial team;
• Act as the senior functional escalation point for complex or material matters, escalating matters outside authority to the Head of Corporate Secretarial Services;
• Monitor and assess the performance of direct reports (conducting appraisals, allocating work and associated line manager tasks);
• Build a high-performing team, promoting employee engagement and ensuring employee retention.

Success in the role will be demonstrated through consistent and compliant service delivery across Ireland and Luxembourg; an effective and evidenced control environment; accurate and timely billing and management information; strong client retention and satisfaction; delivery of agreed technology and process improvements; effective capacity and succession planning; and the development of capable, engaged and accountable teams. Performance will be assessed against annually agreed measures.

Requirements:

Essential experience and expertise

• 10+ years' experience in corporate secretarial, governance or related roles within the funds industry.
• Demonstrable experience leading multi-disciplinary or cross-jurisdictional teams, including the management and development of senior managers and operational leads.
• Strong technical knowledge of fund governance, corporate governance and regulatory filing requirements within Ireland or Luxembourg.
• Proven experience managing complex fund structures and delivering high-quality governance and corporate secretarial services within a regulated environment.
• Demonstrable accountability for operational risk management, control design, remediation programmes and the implementation of effective governance frameworks.
• Proven experience developing, implementing and embedding operating models, policies, procedures, controls and management information frameworks.
• Experience delivering technology-enabled change, including the implementation, optimisation or governance of entity management systems, board portal solutions or similar platforms.
• Experience interpreting operational, financial and management information and translating insights into measurable improvements in service delivery, efficiency and risk management.
• Experience building high-performing teams through recruitment, succession planning, coaching, performance management and employee development.

Personal attributes

• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term objectives with operational execution.
• Highly organised and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Collaborative leadership style with a focus on accountability, service excellence and continuous improvement.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high standards of quality, governance and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• CGI, ILA or another recognised governance qualification is preferred.
• Fluent English, written and spoken, is essential.