Manager (Operations)

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Alpha FMC) is the leading global consultancy to the asset and wealth management industry. We are a boutique management consulting firm that offers the world’s top asset and wealth managers a competitive edge through our expertise and industry insight. Our team is of a uniquely high calibre and by focusing on asset and wealth management alone we build deep knowledge and experience within our industry. We work with a blue-chip client base, including 80% of the top 50 global asset management firms, and work with over 660 clients across the globe. We have our headquarters located in the United Kingdom and offices in other major European financial centres (Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany) and globally across United States, Canada and Asia-Pacific.

Following a hugely successful AIM listing where Alpha listed with a market cap of £160m in 2017, the company enjoyed further substantial growth before selling to one of the world's leading quoted private asset growth investors (Bridgepoint) for £626m in August 2024. As such, we are now at a critical turning point in our growth. We are looking to grow the company across all levels. Pivotal to our success in this, we will be assembling the next generation of leaders, responsible for growing, elevating our market position further and nurturing the junior talent through the business. At Alpha, we pride ourselves in fostering a meritocratic environment perfect for building a career and meeting great people, as well as a rewarding place to work

Role Responsibilities:

• Managing project execution and a team of consultants ensuring the successful delivery of client engagements, including planning the day-to-day work of the team, facilitating client interviews and workshops, structuring client deliverables and ensuring Alpha’s standards for quality are met
• Creating a culture of continuous learning for Alpha team members, and actively mentoring to develop their skillset as they progress in their careers  
• Supporting Alpha FMC’s business development by driving the creation of client proposals, authoring thought leadership, and maintaining strong relationships with past and prospective clients  
• Contributing to the wider Alpha community by making innovative and proactive contributions to one or more of Alpha’s business management or practice areas 
• Maintaining a broad understanding of the challenges facing the Asset & Wealth Management Industry and demonstrating subject matter expertise in a least one area in demand by clients  

Role Requirements (Skills, Experience and Qualifications):

• A minimum of 5 years proven experience in the delivery of consulting or change projects, gained within a leading financial institution or consulting firm
• Significant experience within ‘blue-chip’ Financial Services organisations, preferably Asset Managers, Asset Services or within market-leading technology vendors to our industry 
• Experience of projects engaged on Target Operating Model, business processes and/or technology solutions in Middle Office Operations, across all or some of the following areas:
  • Investment Book of Records (IBOR) curation, either in an in-house or outsourced model
  • Experience in BlackRock’s Aladdin or State Street’s Alpha
  • Complex Post-Trade operations including Collateral Management, Securities Financing / Lending
  • Incorporation of market developments impacting Asset Management Operations, such as introductions of LTAFs / ELTIFs, digital and crypto assets

• Further experience and understanding of Asset Management operations, is desired, across:
  • A variety of Fund structures from vanilla open-ended funds, to closed-ended products, through to GP / LP structures and ETFs;
  • Handling both liquid and illiquid securities across the public and private markets
• Significant experience and understanding of financial services organizations, preferably asset and/or wealth management
• Excellent consulting and problem-solving skills. Familiarity with recognized consulting frameworks and techniques; experience of research, quantitative analysis, structured problem solving and executive communication techniques
• Proven presentation skills supported by first class written and verbal communication skills; the ability to articulate complex problems and solutions in a simple, logical, and impactful manner
• Proven track record of building and sustaining lasting relationships with clients
• Operating model design and implementation experience impacting business processes and/or IT solutions in at least one business area such as Investments, Distribution, Middle & Back Office processes and outsourcing
• Intellectual capacity and ability to think in new and innovative ways to understand complex issues and develop creative solutions
• Ability to mentor and coach team members; focus on team achievement, not just individual goals
• Flexibility to travel if required 

Sharing in our Success: 

Allowing our people to share in our growth journey is a highly valued component of the business and here are a few ways that we do this:

• Competitive base salary
• Profit share which is linked to company performance
• 25 days’ holiday additional to bank holidays
• Flexible benefits scheme
• Private medical insurance
• Critical illness cover
• Comprehensive training and development programmes

We are a highly collaborative and supportive team and enjoy socialising together. At Alpha we are committed to employing individuals from all backgrounds, that reflects the multi-cultural society we live in. We pride ourselves on operating an inclusive working environment and providing the best people to meet our client’s expectations of service

Your Wellbeing:

Ensuring that we prioritise the wellbeing and care of everyone is paramount. To support this, we have an established mentoring and employee oversight framework across all global locations and levels. At the same time, we continue to invest in our comprehensive training and development programme that builds confidence, consulting skills and industry content.