Fund Operations Implementation - Business Analyst

At M&G our vision is: to become the best loved and most successful savings and investment business and we're looking for people who are excited about joining us on our journey. We're digitally transforming and investing heavily in technology and innovation to develop new and improved customer propositions that really raise the bar for our customers. To help us achieve our vision we're looking for exceptional people who live our values and behaviours and who can inspire others; embrace change; deliver results and keep it simple.

We know that an inclusive environment makes us more accessible and ensures we attract, engage, promote and retain exceptional people. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity/nationality, disability, or military service and welcome those who have taken career breaks. We will consider flexible working arrangements or home working arrangements for any of our roles and also offer work place accommodations to ensure you have what you need to effectively deliver in your role.

What you can expect from us:
We are committed to creating an environment where you can be exceptional at all you do. To help us deliver this, we promise to:

• Challenge Your Limits by creating a stimulating working environment and providing opportunities for you to be involved in meaningful and challenging work
• Support Your Aspirations with a commitment to learning and development that helps you achieve and build your experience with people who want you to succeed
• Value Your Input whereby leaders and managers will involve you in key decisions, listen to your thoughts and recognise the important contribution you make
• Balance Your Life through a work life partnership that focuses on making this an inclusive, diverse and friendly place to work and offers the flexibility and support that enables everyone to be at their best

How do we support our employees:
All M&G plc employees will be supported in the workplace through our M&G Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). If you need counselling, confidential financial or legal advice. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers access to qualified professionals who can provide specialist information, advice and support on many issues. It offers a broad range of services, including help with family issues, maintaining work/life balance and mental health support.

The Role:
To work on product related projects (which could entail a fund launch, a new mandate, fund transitions or a change to an existing product).
Responsible for the implementation of operating model impacts, working with the Design Lead through feasibility and ensuring that implementation runs according to any new operating models.
Accountable for the safe and efficient set-up of Operations according to their assigned product event.
This is a pivotal role that is able to contribute to feasibility and assessment activities and translate to implementation to ensure that their design is implementable.

Key Work Level Accountabilities:
Experienced Colleague:

• Accountable for providing a quality service or product to customers and stakeholders, using skills/experience built through significant practical experience or training
• For team leaders, accountable for ensuring the team the role supports is delivering a quality service or product
• Works within established frameworks and procedures, with the freedom to interpret them to solve a range of problems
• Delivers outputs that are clearly defined, using discretion over how to achieve them
• Makes suggestions for improvements to the work of the team, based on previous experience and knowledge of similar situations

Key Responsibilities for this role:

• Support end-to-end set-up and complete operational readiness (configuration) activities associated with product events (e.g. product launch, product maintenance and enhancement, and closures)
• Contributes to ensure that scalability, operational risk and regulatory compliance are considered in the design and definition of the support model for any new mandate/fund launch.
• Responsible for ensuring that the Fund Manager's requirements for running the mandate are captured, understood by Transition Analysts and are in an implementation plan
• Responsible for ensuring that the client's requirements are properly understood and incorporated in the target operating model
• Work with external parties (Custodians, Third Party Administrators) to define and implement operating models
• Facilitates and supports set-up of complex configuration and requirements gather e.g. legal and compliance requirements as well as operational set-up across other areas of the business. Responsibility for ensuring appropriate handover of new processes or operating model to Investment Operations for complex transition events. Responsibility for Client / TPA interaction around onboarding activities for complex transition events
• Responsibility for ensuring appropriate level of engagement with Investment Operations and contributes to senior management covering status updates, capacity constraints, decisions on operating model changes.
• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders between their respective areas and Business Solutions.
• Perform workflow configuration and maintenance in PowerApps, Power Automate and PowerBI, e.g. changing users, tasks, SLAs and amending dependencies. Responsible for ensuring that the client's requirements are properly understood and incorporated in the target operating model.
• Maintain all static and reference data in the workflow tool that is required to deliver the product.
• Provide support for process improvement initiatives where workflow needs reconfiguration.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and ideas to ensure that processes remain standardised and efficient.
• Provide support and guidance to less experienced Implementation Analyst colleagues, through informal mentorship, on-the-job coaching and general performance guidance.
• Maintains template library and up-to-date proformas, template, playbooks and blueprints, and works with Transition Analysts to keep track of new processes and codify these in the proformas / blueprints / playbooks
• Develops specialist knowledge and experience of complex product management events
• Ensure procedures and risk / controls frameworks are complied with and kept up-to-date. Additionally, responsible for maintaining and version controlling static / referential data

Key Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• Knowledge of the products and instrument types, (e.g. UCITS/AIF/NURS) and legal structures (e.g. UK OEICs, Lux SICAVs, unit trusts, TTFs) and clients managed (e.g. retail, institutional, intermediaries)
• Strong understanding of asset classes i.e. equities (public and private), fixed income (public and private), derivatives (ETDs and OTDs) and money markets
• Strong understanding of fund accounting, including key components of the NAV calculation and their impact on fund performance (e.g. asset valuations, income, expenses, distributions and investor capital activity)
• Proactive and delivery focused attitude.
• Ability to plan, co-ordinate, recognise and prioritise deadlines.
• Attention to detail, completing tasks accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ability to form and develop an effective network.
• Demonstrate a genuine interest in the Investment Management industry.
• Knowledge of the BRS Aladdin platform or similar Investment platforms.
• Knowledge of Regulatory environments and their implications on operating model set-up and delivery.
• Experience in delivering continuous improvements desirable, but not essential.
• Knowledge of PowerApps, Power Platform and Power BI is desirable.
• IMC / CFA / or professionally recognised qualifications are desirable

We live by four behaviours at M&G and we ask all our employees to:

• Inspire Others - Support and encourage each other, creating an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed
• Embrace Change - Be open to change, willing to be challenged and able to adapt quickly and imaginatively to new ideas
• Deliver Results - Focus on outcomes, set high standards and deliver with energy and determination
• Keep it Simple - Cut through complexity and bureaucracy, be clear and decisive and never overcomplicate things