Job Description Summary

AEGON UK is a leading provider and distributor of life, pension and investment products for the corporate and personal markets. It has recently launched an award winning platform proposition for individual and corporate clients. The platform is core to our new business proposition and is at the heart of AEGON's Business Transformation Programme, which will deliver strategic initiatives and future proposition developments.

The Digital Solutions Platform supports the customer service delivery of AEGON's platform proposition and therefore is key to the future success of our business. Within the Digital Solutions, the focus is to provide 'cradle to grave' servicing across the whole platform proposition. Currently, there are three separate propositions, four tax wrappers and three distinct customer groups. The Platform Centre must also form strong relationships with internal and external partners to ensure the service provided is seamless and meets all regulatory requirements.

The Digital Solutions strategy is to deliver an online, automated service for customers and reduce operating costs whilst providing a robust and compliant service.

Summary of Role

The role has responsibility for leadership and management within the Reconciliations and Controls department, ensuring that all internal client Asset and external custodian asset positions are reconciled correctly and for ensuring that all fund related client income is processed & reported in a timely, effective and compliant manner. The focus of activity within each team is on all aspects of reconciliation, money processing for funding, income and all distribution processing with all components pertaining to CASS. All activities are completed in a timely and compliant manner and applying best practice to all products and processes. The role holder will maintain management and oversight responsibility for ensuring the relevant functions of the area are carried out in adherence to client SLAs and documented controls. In addition, the role holder will ensure that all department functions and activities are undertaken in line with:

• External Banking deadlines
• KPIs
• Client Money Regulations (CASS Rules)
• UK Platform and Tax Wrapper regulations
• FCA T&C regulations
• FCA COB Rules
• AUK Risk Appetite
• TCF
• Internal Audit and Compliance Requirements

Key Tasks:

• CASS 6 internal and external reconciliations
• Income and accumulation distribution processing
• Bank interest, loyalty bonus and rebate processing
• Client money funding processes
• MI reporting
• CMAR production
• Breach / Incident management
• Support of Project deliveries

Skills & Knowledge:

• Leadership, People and Performance Management skills
• Ability to develop operational plans for department with key performance indicators/ objectives
• Ability to present complex subjects in a simple / understandable way to key stakeholders/ audiences
• Operational and Strategic decision-making skills
• Capable of dealing with and influencing internal and external stakeholders at all levels with confidence
• Resource planning skills
• Team working skills at an operational and leadership level
• Ability to manage multiple processes and transactions acting decisively when required to anticipate and pre-empt issues
• Expert understanding of Reconciliation processes, both Cash and Assets
• Expert understanding of cash movement processes
• Expert understanding of Distributions and Accumulations
• Thorough understanding of operational people and performance management practices
• Full awareness and knowledge of customer services and operational management within a platform organisation
• Full awareness and knowledge of operational risk within team and ideally more broadly across an investment environment
• Platform, SIPP, GIA and ISA knowledge desirable
• Strong grasp of CASS requirements
• Good understanding of the Financial Services industry and the mutual funds space in particular
• Good market and competitor awareness
• Strong grasp of the Clearing systems such as Crest
• Awareness of the role TPA's perform for External Fund Managers and the impact they have on the reconciliation process
• General knowledge of legislative, regulatory and compliance requirements / issues
• Understanding of financial services distribution, advisory businesses and processes
• A strong grasp of reconciliation dealing technology solutions Lean Six Sigma (or equivalent process improvement tools), risk management and treating customer fairly)

Experience:

• Previous experience of working in a similar Cash & Asset management environment highly desirable
• Best practice operational and business management experience
• Working in complex organisational environments, where operational issues are linked to various stakeholders, with competing dependencies and drivers
• Operating in a continuous business and customer improvement environment
• Operational risk management
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal at a senior and operational management level
• Investment accounting experience e.g. Unit Trust
• Equity trading experience desirable

Qualifications

• IOC qualifications (or equivalent e.g. Accountancy or Banking qualifications) or a willingness to work towards attaining these within an agreed period
• People Management or business management qualifications or formal training preferred
• Lean Six Sigma Desirable
• ACII, PMI or other relevant qualification would be an advantage

Salary

Competitive salary dependent on experience ranging from £39,120 to 48,900.

Benefits

In return, we can offer you career development and a range of financial services benefits including:

• Non-contributory Pension between 8% and 12% dependent on age
• Flexible benefits including private health care, income protection and life assurance with additional voluntary benefits available

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.