Associate Director, Funds

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Actively participate, lead and manage all aspects and activities relating to the development of IQ-EQ
• Actively support and drive the Business' organic growth objectives
• Maintain strong relationships with clients
• Actively develop new client leads and business opportunities
• Meet or exceed key financial and non-financial targets (with an emphasis on maximising revenues whilst retaining focus on cost efficiency)
• Engage in marketing and business development initiatives
• Actively share knowledge and experience both internally and externally (including delivery of training sessions, preparing articles and participation in initiatives)
• Pro-actively contribute to initiatives to improve processes to drive operational excellence
• Provide close team and client management support to ensure an excellent quality and consistency of service throughout the Business
• Implement a culture of shared knowledge and delegated responsibility within the team(s)
• Ensure that risk management processes are embedded in the culture, operations and systems used by all employees
• Responsible for driving and exemplifying adherence to agreed policies, procedures and applicable regulations
• Responsible for ensuring your staff meet their commercial objectives and targets
• Responsible for conducting regular and on-going reviews of any uncommercial fee arrangements within your Client Portfolio.

Tasks:

Overview

• Act as a role model through effective positive leadership behaviours to engender an environment of teamwork and collaboration, across own function and across all jurisdictions, demonstrating drive, passion, positivity towards change, teamwork, and a clear focus and commitment in driving and achieving the Group’s vision and strategic goals
• Act as a role model to implement a culture which supports the Group Values
• Create an environment which encourages staff engagement and drives excellent client service, operational effectiveness and efficiencies
• Manage all staff on a day to day basis to ensure achievement of business goals
• Deliver efficient management of the client service delivery, commerciality and risk management. Where KPI's, financial performance or other tracked parameters fall outside of defined targets, the Associate Director is expected to investigate and remediate

Management Activities

• Build and maintain effective  relationships with stakeholders, clients regulatory bodies and other professional intermediaries and contacts
• Motivate all staff and ensure they are fully aware of the clients’ strategic objectives and have in place their own personal objectives which are aligned to ensure successful achievement and delivery of goals
• Provide regular reports to senior management
• Assign clear responsibilities and accountabilities for the identification and escalation of risk issues
• Pro-actively manage own development, encompassing both technical and leadership requirements to a level appropriate to role that supports the Group Values
• Use your own judgement to bring to the attention of senior management any issues which you feel appropriate, in particular ensuring that concerns and identified risks are reported in a timely and effective manner
• Maintain up-to-date information on developments in the regulatory environment that affect the business and ensure compliance at all times
• As the subject matter expert, ensure successful implementation of changes which improve operational practices
• Attend committee meetings
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, service standards, company policies and procedures and agreed operational and control processes

Business Support

• Act as a duly authorised signatory of the relevant IQ-EQ entity and any applicable Group entities, administering signatures only in accordance with delegated signing authorities in place from time to time
• Undertake client visits to ensure that robust client relationships are maintained and developed with a view to cultivating new sale of service opportunities from the existing client portfolio
• Share knowledge so that staff understand and are able to respond appropriately to developments as they arise
• Add value to service line strategy and jurisdictional delivery through a sound understanding of what the other teams and functions deliver
• Develop the capability and performance of staff in the client service team to meet the needs of the Business
• Encourage an environment of shared knowledge and learning to help deliver superior client service
• Actively monitor and identify the strengths and weaknesses of current service delivery and implement effective actions, which deepen the client relationship
• Identify and develop talent within the Client Services Function, ensuring succession plans are in place to develop capability for immediate business needs and future growth needs, eliminating the risks of key man dependencies, whilst motivating and mobilising top talent across the Group for immediate and future roles
• Deliver agreed standards for client service and monitor performance on a regular basis
• Ensure that risk management processes are embedded in the culture, operations and systems used by all staff members in the function, driving and exemplifying adherence to agreed policies, procedures and applicable regulation
• Ensure the career aspirations and development needs of staff are managed by holding effective “Everyday Conversations”

New Business

• Deliver business development plans through maintaining regular contact with Clients within portfolio and maintaining an awareness of their on-going requirements. Prepare, present and evaluate any resulting new business proposals
• Work hard to create and convert a strong pipeline of new business
• Identify and convert all cross selling opportunities within the team’s book of business in order to enhance the client service and utilise the group skills, where appropriate to the client’s circumstances.
• Provide fee quotes and perform fee negotiations commensurate to associated service requirements and risk levels
• Seek to improve profitability of all client relationships
• Ensure that new business opportunities are actively pursued and that fee quotes are competitive
• Participate in Group initiatives in order to raise the profile of the Business
• Demonstrate and uphold the Group’s values at all times

Financial

• Drive the financials to meet budgeted revenue, controllable profit and new business targets

• Be responsible for all of the financial KPI's in respect of your client portfolio, including but not limited to; debtors/cash management, resourcing and staff costs
• Exercise effective capital management of the P&L for the client portfolio to include revenue targets, billable utilisation rates for staff, pro-active management of debtor days and cash collections
• Manage client billing with an emphasis on recovery and minimal write-offs
• Actively support the Manager with the collection of debt
• Deliver the targets within own functional area for revenue, utilisation, recoverability, EBITDA margin, and cash collection. Implement operational efficiencies and agree remedial or improvement actions with accountable staff
• Provide oversight and support to the Managers with regard to utilisation monitoring and introduce measures to address any failures
• On a continuous basis identify non profitable client relationships and discuss with director with a view to either convert them to a viable commercial fee commensurate with the risk level or exit the business
• Implement a timely and robust action plan to quickly remediate loss positions
• Jointly with director proactively manage the exit of any client relationships which cannot be converted to a profitable basis
• Undertake "difficult" conversations with clients regarding fee arrangements without delay