Middle Office Associate

**Salary and benefits**:Competitive + bonus (pro-rated), excellent pension scheme, private medical insurance, electric vehicle scheme, 38 days holiday incl. Bank Holidays (pro-rated), plus 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more

**Job Type**:Permanent
**Location**:This role could be based in either our London, Edinburgh, Wythall or Telford offices with time spent working in the office and at home. Please read about Phoenix Flex here

We have an incredible opportunity to join us here at Phoenix Group as **Middle Office Associate **, as part of our Asset Management team.

**Who are we?**

We want to be the best place that any of our 6,800 colleagues have ever worked.

We’re the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business. We offer our 12 million customers products across our market-leading brands, including Standard Life, SunLife and ReAssure, with c.£259 billion of assets under administration. We’re a FTSE 100 organisation that is tackling key issues such as transitioning

**Context**

Middle Office is a key support function for the Asset Management Front Office. It has wide ranging accountability ensuring operational control of investment activities, supporting the Group and AM governance framework, and delivery of investment reporting.

**The Role**

Reporting directly to the MO Manager, the role involves investment reporting and post trade lifecycle management across the Shareholder portfolio, With Profits and PUTM UCITs funds currently managed under external mandates. We provide dedicated product support for the various Front Office functions, including Markets & Products, and the Illiquid Credit team on trade execution and post trade activities. Additionally, supporting Portfolio Implementation and Manager Oversight on a day to day basis, providing key operational input and guidance.

The current liquid and illiquid MO teams are merging to create a multi-asset class MO team. This offers new joiners the chance to learn front to back management of a wider asset set.

Phoenix group is expanding into direct origination of funds starting with bonds, derivatives and private debt deals. In this new business MO will have an increased role pre-execution to support the business. As a result Phoenix will need a number of new skills including knowledge of electronic trade affirmation platforms, Aladdin Enterprise, e-Front, trade support, the set up of new instrument, KYC and CDD on new clients. The MO roles and responsibilities are constantly evolving therefore we need colleagues who embrace and thrive with change.

A key focus will be on ensuring accurate and timely capture and reporting of investments through internal systems requiring coordination of activities amongst internal functions and key outsourced service providers (see below). In particular, the role will require continued build out and support in overseeing services provided by BlackRock Solutions via the Aladdin suite of products.

A keen focus on process improvement and operating model enhancements to achieve industry leading systems and controls across asset and fund classes. Concentration required in implementing and documenting processes enhancing the control framework within MO.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Support Middle Office activities across multiple assets classes
- Support trade capture into internal reporting systems (InVista and Blackrock Aladdin) and downstream feed to Third Party Administrators (TPA) and Risk systems
- Review of post trade investment activities amongst internal functions
- Review of post trade investment activities amongst external parties: External Portfolio Manager’s, HSBC Security Services (TPA), JPMorgan Chase (Shareholder Custodian), and BlackRock Solutions
- Assistance in Preparation of Presentation Materials, creating customised analysis and presentations coverng both market and strategic developments for the range of audience in a time sensitive environment
- Collaborate with I.T and consultants to support the delivery of new automated processes across multiple platforms, involving spec writing, testing and production governance
- Support the SME lead as required on tactical and strategic initiatives including the development, implementation and testing of platform and process enhancements
- Provide data and MI expertise to enhance outward reporting
- Provide holiday / sickness coverage for other MO functions
- Assist team manager to develop functional processes and controls in line with internal policies, good market practice, and regulatory guidelines
- As key SME, support integration of new business lines emanating from closed book acquisitions, open book, and BPA activity
- The role interacts frequently with the following parties:

- Internal Functions: Markets & Products, Portfolio Implementation, Illiquid Credit Front Office, AM Manager Oversight, Cash Management, Investment Operations, Risk Management, Product Control, Credit R