Investment Operations Specialist

Job Description Hello future Investment Operations Specialist Ashburton Investments is the FirstRand Group’s asset management business. We offer solutions to corporates, financial advisers and institutions. While always being valuation-driven, and risk-aware, our investment style is pragmatic, spanning active and passive, local and offshore, traditional and alternative strategies. Known for our solid fixed income and credit track record, we also specialise in multi-asset, equities and global capabilities. We are fully invested in meeting our clients' needs. In this role you will be required to be the first point of contact for our clients, both internal and external stakeholders. You will play a key role in overseeing complex investment operations functions, ensuring process efficiency, compliance, and risk mitigation. Managing intricate reconciliations, resolve operational issues with minimal supervision, and optimise investment transaction workflows. Engage with internal and external stakeholders to drive operational improvements, enhancing the reliability of investment processing. Are you someone who can:

• Ensure end-to-end trade lifecycle management, proactively identifying and resolving exceptions to reduce failed trades and settlement risk.
• Perform and review complex multi-custodian cash, position, and NAV reporting, escalating high-risk discrepancies to senior management.
• Develop comprehensive knowledge of all products, while focusing on servicing specific client needs with precision and care.
• Collaborate closely with the implementation team to facilitate account openings, instruct payments, manage money movements, and ensure accurate fee payments to the Manco, including correct fund rebate processing.
• Oversee the setup of new funds, client onboarding, and terminations, ensuring a seamless experience throughout the client lifecycle.
• Handle and process requests from both internal stakeholders and external clients efficiently and professionally.
• Manage the cash reconciliation process and clearing transactions, maintaining strong relationships with trustees and custodians.
• Engage directly with external clients to deliver periodic NAV reporting and performance updates, and address performance-related queries in collaboration with the NAV oversight and valuations team.
• Manage creations and cancellations across all products, including ETF listings and delisting’s, SENS announcements, and cash management activities.
• Oversee the integrity of investment data across multiple platforms and security master maintenance.
• Contribute to the processing and analysis of corporate actions, ensuring timely election submissions and accurate entitlements allocation.
• Act as a primary point of contact for custodians, brokers, and asset managers, ensuring seamless communication and operational problem resolution.
• Prepare and review documentation for external audits, ensuring reconciliations and transaction records meet governance standards.
• Identify inefficiencies in operational workflows and implement automation solutions to streamline processes and reduce manual intervention.
• Assist in investment system enhancements by participating in user acceptance testing (UAT) and system configuration to support operational efficiency.
• Analyse operational risk incidents, identify root causes, and implement preventative controls to mitigate future occurrences.
• Develop and maintain investment operations performance metrics, providing insights for process improvement and decision-making.
• Drive innovation in investment operations processes by proactively identifying and implementing best practices and technology solutions.
• Work closely with investment teams, risk teams, and IT to optimise operational efficiency and ensure seamless transaction execution.
• Take ownership of complex operational tasks, mentoring junior team members and fostering a high-performance, solutions-driven team environment.
• Understand the regulatory requirement and applicable regulatory framework for all Ashburton products. You will be an ideal candidate if you:
• Have completed an undergraduate degree in Finance or business-related discipline.
• Have 3
• 5 years’ experience in a similar environment
• Proficient with excel and related tools We can be a match if you are:
• Are curious & courageous
• you are driven by always wanting to know more and learn more and you are brave enough to ask challenging questions.
• Are obsessed with mastery
• you know what it takes to become good at what you do and are constantly pushing yourself to do it.
• Are observant – Strong observation skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Are resilient – Be able to work under pressure and be unflappable – Have the ability to stay cool.
• Are decisive – you can make sound judgments and work independently.
• Are collaborative- you can work within a team environment and to create and leverage synergies. #Post #Ashburton #LI-CS2 Important Closing Date Note Take note that applications will not be accepted on the below date and onwards, kindly submit applications ahead of the closing date indicated below. 09/10/26 All appointments will be made in line with FirstRand Group’s Employment Equity plan. The Bank supports the recruitment and advancement of individuals with disabilities. In order for us to fulfill this purpose, candidates can disclose their disability information on a voluntary basis. The Bank will keep this information confidential unless we are required by law to disclose this information to other parties.