Pensions Operations and Direct Property Manager

Pensions Operations and Direct Property Manager

About Goodbody

Goodbody is a leading financial services firm, committed to serving and growing client relationships for 150 years. We are a full service, investment-led business offering wealth management, asset management, investment banking and private equity services. Our staff of over 400 work in offices across Dublin, London, Cork and Galway. We’re proud to offer prospective employees a professional, collegial work environment that encourages diversity of thought and background. Our reputation in the Irish market for putting customers first is as consistent as the company’s long-standing commitment to giving back to the communities that we work in.

About the Pensions Operations and Direct Property Manager role

There is an exciting opportunity to join our Client Support Services team in our Dublin office as a Pensions Operations and Direct Property Manager where you will coach and mentor your team to deliver a high-quality service to clients. Our leaders encourage and develop a strong team culture, fostering open communication and collaboration, and empower all team members to pro-actively propose and drive change where appropriate. This position will report to the Head Client Support Services.

Pensions Operations and Direct Property Manager Accountabilities include: 

People Management and Development

• Coach and mentor your team to deliver a high-quality service to internal and external customers.  Encourage and empower all team members to pro-actively propose and drive change where appropriate.
• Encourage and develop a strong team culture within your team and the department, while fostering an environment that creates open and regular communication throughout the team and department.
• Oversee, set, and manage clear and fair objectives for all team members and ensure a job description is clearly defined for each team member. 
• Focus Team members to take full ownership and responsibility for all tasks assigned to them.
• Ensure that the workload within the team is fairly and evenly distributed. Delegate accordingly.
• Non-performance of team members is dealt with fairly and professionally and in line with Goodbody Procedures.

Service & Efficiency Delivery

• Oversee the delivery of services provided by the team to its internal and external customers
• Encourage staff to question and challenge traditional ways of working to identify tasks/areas where greater efficiencies can be made. Support and drive initiatives resulting from these sessions.
• Ensure the team are responsive to internal and external change initiatives.
• Maintain a robust and timely service, with sufficient Controls in place.
• Challenge current alignment of processes to ensure the greatest possible customer service.
• Staff are aware when the need arises to escalate matters and do so in a timely manner.

Governance

• Oversee ongoing team compliance with various regulations eg Pensions Act, Finance Act, PRSA Disclosure Regulations, Client Asset Regulations (CAR) and MIFID.
• Make sure the team is appropriately resourced and that there are sufficient shared skills to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements
• Ensure that all tasks performed by the team are compliant with all relevant policies and procedures - review, implement and manage appropriate controls to ensure minimal risk exposure within the team.
• Ensure all tasks are contained in procedures which are reviewed at least annually and maintained in our central application.
• Oversee compliance of pension and property team with all regulations to include but not limited to: PRSA Schedule A&B, PRSA Annual Determination, Annual and Bi-annual PRSA statements, QFM duties, Registered Administrator duties, Buy Out Bond Administrator duties
• Ability to recognise any breach of regulations and adhere to escalation policies.
• Ensure on-going compliance with regulations. 
• Maintain and enhance strong operational oversight and controls and that said Risk and Controls are uploaded onto the relevant governance mechanisms.
• Deliver accessible KPI metrics to management.
• Ensure the Middle Office Manager, Risk & Compliance functions are appraised regarding incidents, losses, and changes to business flows in a timely manner.  Provide full cooperation to those areas where necessary.
• Provide objective, constructive feedback and proposed solutions to managers on key processes, based on any incidents that arise.
• Ensure meeting minute are recorded and evidence of challenge exists.
• Provide support for both internal and external audit functions.

Strategic Planning

• Provide input into the department's strategic plans identifying action points required for your respective team. 
• Assist the Head of Client Support Services on strategic developments within the section, focusing on maintaining a close alignment to changing market trends and services
• Champion and sponsor change projects within the department, driving them to implementation.

Customer & Vendor Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with all colleagues, relevant vendors/customers, stakeholders and regulators, where appropriate.
• Design and implement in house training/briefing sessions on the services provided by your team.
• Formally measure any Service Level Agreements with our outsource providers on an ongoing basis.
• Represent the Client Support Services on internal/external forums with the ability to obtain a favorable resolution for all.

Qualifications and Experience 

• At least 3 years proven track record working within a pension team would be an advantage.
• Experience of managing a pension and property administration function  would be an advantage.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the current pension and direct property regulation environment would be an advantage.
• Third level qualification such as Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) or Retirement Planning Advisor (RPA) is required.
• A qualification in People Leadership and Management Skills would be an advantage

Ideal Characteristics

• Ability to lead, influence and inspire to achieve a high level of performance and output.
• Demonstrable operational and managerial experience to take on a demanding and high-profile team leader role.
• Confident communicator with excellent written, oral and interpersonal skills.
• Awareness of, and compassion for, each other and our clients.
• Excellent workload management, with the flexibility to switch between tasks as necessary.
• Ability to delegate workload to empower and progress team members.
• Problem identification and creative and innovative resolution skills at an inter-departmental and third-party level.
• Ability to manage and motivate a team with passion to deliver a high-quality service with minimal operational risk.
• Ability to learn from the past but maintain focus on a positive future.
• Ability to deliver service and process efficiencies on an ongoing basis.
• Accountability and responsibility on behalf of the team and the department.
• Strong team player with demonstrated initiative.
• Ability to coach and mentor team members to realise their potential.
• Ability to foster a togetherness within the team and department.

Goodbody is focused on helping our employees thrive, and we do this by bringing to life our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) ‘Together we prosper’. Our firm’s purpose is to create long-term prosperity, and we cannot execute on our purpose without the right talent at Goodbody. To make sure we attract and retain industry-leading, passionate and inspiring talent, we’ve built a vibrant culture based on inclusion, opportunities to grow and a commitment to ‘do the right thing’, one of our core values. We live this by offering:

• Regular employee events through our universal inclusion programme fostering a sense of belonging and celebrating differences. And an ‘always on’ approach to social, financial, mental and physical wellbeing. 
• A benefits package that includes a generous pension scheme, educational sponsorship and health insurance, along with a hybrid working model to promote better work/life balance
• Opportunities to give back through sustainability initiatives, volunteering and on-site and online meetings with our charity partners

Goodbody is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace which values and benefits from the diversity of our workforce. Reasonable accommodations are offered at every stage of our recruitment process. Should you have a reasonable accommodation request please include a note in your application or email us directly at HR@Goodbody.ie

Please read the Goodbody Recruitment Privacy Notice. By submitting your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Notice and agree to the use of your personal data in line with this. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Appointment to this role is subject to the candidate's eligibility to work in Ireland. Where agency assistance is required, our Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Goodbody by recruitment agencies will not be accepted for this role. Goodbody operates a direct sourcing model and where agency assistance is required, the HR team will engage directly with our recruitment partners. 

Goodbody Stockbrokers UC, trading as Goodbody, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. In the UK, Goodbody is also subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority. Goodbody is a member of Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange. Goodbody is a member of the group of companies headed by AIB Group plc.