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Head of Investment Operations

We're seeking a highly motivated Head of Investment Operations to join our team at West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF). We're one of the UK’s largest pension funds with assets of £20 billion, serving over 450 employers and 300,000 members. We have the distinction of managing the vast majority of our investments in-house with a significant investment operations team already in place, and we're now looking for a Head of Investment Operations to take us into the future.

The successful candidate will lead the investment operations team and have responsibility for all of WYPF’s investment operations functions, working with both internal and external stakeholders to continue the evergreen drive to best practice.

The successful candidate will also work closely with the internal investment management team to ensure that best practice standards are attained throughout the trade lifecycle, for all WYPF’s investment asset classes and strategies, and ensure appropriate compliant records are maintained.

Management Responsibilities:

  • Lead a team of Investment Operations professionals overseeing daily, weekly and monthly processes and functions
  • Managing the BAU investment operations process, investment execution, reporting, administration and financial compliance
  • Managing WYPF’s key relationships with custodian, corporate banking and other third-party service providers
  • Ensuring that the necessary controls and procedures are effectively deployed and maintained
  • Development and maintenance of WYPF’s internal trade systems (Portfolio Management System, Private Markets system etc.)
  • Driving forward and implementing best practices toward a target operating model taking into account new regulations

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Experience of team leading and with achievements within professional multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Effective delegator who has team development experience from training and mentoring team members.
  • Significant experience in regulated investment firms with a strong understanding of investment operations across different asset classes for both Public and Private markets.
  • A strong grasp of all custodian, administration, and investment management operations processes, including familiarity with portfolio management systems and vendors
  • Proven experience in project management, with the ability to drive efficiency initiatives and lead continuous improvement efforts.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships across all levels of the organization.
  • Strong focus on detail in a fast-paced dynamic environment requiring both assertive and flexible analytical problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to evaluate issues, propose and implement solutions and consider all downstream implications and risk mitigation factors.
  • Effective IT skills with a passion for process automation and development.
  • A strategic thinker, who applies best practice in all areas and welcomes change, sets the pace and leads staff through change.
  • Values diversity, sees strengths in others and works to harness these as part of a team effort.
  • Clear and effective communicator who uses plain language and engenders the confidence of officers, members and others.

We do expect successful candidates to be within commutable distance of our office, but offer hybrid and flexible working for most posts and actively support our employees with their career progression.

Our offices are open plan with excellent transport connections to rail, bus and motorways as well as several car parks nearby. We also have changing rooms, showers and secure lockers for you to use. Annual holiday entitlement is 30-33 days, dependent on years of service. We will automatically enrol you into the defined-benefit Local Government Pension Scheme when you start.

More information can be found at www.wypf.org.uk.

Salary: To be determined based on combination of qualifications, competencies and experience.

Please send through your CV and indicate salary expectations to investments@wypf.org.uk. Applications close on 8 November.