Operations Manager - Middle Office

Overview
We are working with a leading specialist investment manager focused on delivering long-term financial returns through investments aligned with the global themes shaping the future.

The business invests across a diversified range of alternative asset classes, including renewable energy, infrastructure, natural capital, housing, and private markets. With a significant international footprint and a growing investment platform, the organisation partners with institutional investors, wealth managers, family offices, and other capital providers to deliver differentiated investment solutions.

As the business continues to expand its Strategic Equity platform, it is seeking an Operations Manager – Middle Office to lead and develop its middle office function.

This is a key operational leadership role responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the day-to-day middle office function across listed equity strategies, working closely with Portfolio Managers, the Investment Team, third-party providers and senior stakeholders.

The successful candidate will play a central role in supporting the full investment lifecycle, including trading operations, fund oversight and operational governance, while driving continuous improvement, automation and scalable operational processes.

The Role
We are seeking an experienced Investment Operations / Middle Office professional to take ownership of the operational delivery of the Strategic Equity platform.

Leading a small team, this role combines day-to-day operational oversight with strategic process improvement and operational change. The successful individual will act as a trusted operational partner to the investment team, ensuring trading activity, fund operations and third-party relationships are managed efficiently and effectively.

This role would suit someone who enjoys improving existing processes, embracing technology and automation, and helping to build a scalable, best-in-class investment operations function.

Key Responsibilities

Middle Office & Investment Operations

• Lead the day-to-day middle office function, ensuring the efficient delivery of investment operations across the Strategic Equity platform.
• Oversee the end-to-end trade lifecycle, including trade execution support, settlements, broker onboarding and post-trade operational activities.
• Oversee corporate actions, proxy voting, dealing restrictions, compliance monitoring, regulatory disclosures, Bloomberg administration, portfolio oversight and NAV oversight.
• Ensure the integrity, accuracy and consistency of operational and investment data across internal systems and external service providers.
• Work closely with Portfolio Managers and the Investment Team, acting as a trusted operational partner and supporting the smooth execution of investment activity.
• Coordinate operational activities to support the effective management of listed equity portfolios and investment vehicles.

Operational Excellence & Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement across the middle office function by identifying opportunities to simplify, standardise and automate operational processes.
• Champion operational efficiency through technology, workflow improvements and AI-enabled solutions where appropriate.
• Lead operational change initiatives to improve scalability, governance and operational controls.
• Support system implementations, regulatory change programmes and wider operational projects

Fund & Client Operations

• Lead the operational onboarding of new funds and segregated mandates, ensuring operational readiness across internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate the production and delivery of investor, management and regulatory reporting.
• Support client due diligence activities, including DDQs, RFPs and operational questionnaires.
• Assist distribution teams by maintaining operational information relating to investment products and fund documentation.

Third Party & Stakeholder Management

• Build and manage relationships with custodians, fund administrators, brokers, depositaries and other key operational service providers.
• Monitor service delivery standards and coordinate operational due diligence, governance reviews and ongoing performance management.
• Manage operational relationships with segregated mandate clients, ensuring reporting obligations and governance requirements are met.
• Develop strong relationships across Investment, Compliance, Finance and Distribution to support the wider business.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor and develop a small middle office team, promoting accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Set objectives, manage performance and support professional development.
• Encourage operational best practice and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the investment operations function.

Experience and Background

Essential

• Proven experience within investment operations or middle office in an asset management or investment management environment.
• Strong understanding of the end-to-end investment trade lifecycle, with experience supporting listed equity trading operations, trade execution support, settlements and post-trade processes.
• Excellent technical knowledge of middle office operations, fund administration and operational controls.
• Experience overseeing corporate actions, portfolio operations, NAV oversight, regulatory reporting and investment data management.
• Experience working closely with Portfolio Managers, Investment Teams and dealing desks to support investment activity.
• Experience managing relationships with custodians, brokers, fund administrators and other third-party service providers.
• Demonstrable experience driving operational improvements, process optimisation or automation initiatives.
• Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Previous people management experience with the ability to lead, coach and develop a small operational team.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to influence senior colleagues and external partners.

Desirable

• Experience supporting listed equity, investment trust or alternative investment platforms.
• Experience supporting fund launches and segregated mandate onboarding.
• Knowledge of custodians, depositaries, Authorised Corporate Directors (ACDs) and outsourced fund administration models.
• Exposure to workflow automation, AI-enabled process improvement or operational technology initiatives.
• Experience supporting regulatory change programmes.
• Experience working closely with dealing desks or supporting front-office trading activity.

Personal Attributes

• Proactive, hands-on and naturally inquisitive.
• Takes ownership and enjoys solving problems.
• Passionate about improving processes and identifying smarter ways of working.
• Commercially minded with a focus on delivering operational excellence.
• Strong analytical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced investment management environment.
• Builds credibility quickly and develops strong relationships across the business.