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About the Role

Northern Trust is seeking a Head of Operations for UK Transfer Agency (UKTA), a critical senior leadership role responsible for operational leadership, service delivery, governance, and control oversight across UK, Ireland, and India. This role supports the Head of UKTA by managing daily operations, maintaining controls, ensuring regulatory compliance, supporting client engagement, and driving strategic priorities in service, risk, efficiency, and transformation.

Responsibilities

Lead UKTA Operations to ensure sustained delivery of agreed service standards, KPIs, KRIs and client commitments across dealing, registration, settlement, distributions, commissions, statements and investor servicing activity.
Lead the evolution of the UKTA regional operating model, partnering with TA executive leadership to scale processes, simplify activity, implement automation and deliver strategic change initiatives.
Maintain a robust operational control environment, ensuring that risks, incidents, breaches, audit findings and control gaps are identified, assessed, escalated and remediated in line with governance expectations.
Ensure operational processes remain aligned to relevant regulatory obligations, including CASS, AML/FCC, Consumer Duty, operational resilience, data privacy and applicable fund administration requirements.
Support RFPs, prospect presentations, due diligence activity, new business onboarding, existing client engagement and senior client escalations on behalf of UKTA Operations.
Act as a senior escalation point for regulatory, operational, service and client-impacting matters, ensuring decisions are appropriately framed, documented, escalated and resolved with urgency and control.
Support business continuity activity, operational management of outages, SLA-critical incidents and operational resilience events, ensuring clear ownership, communication and recovery discipline.
Provide leadership, coaching and guidance to operational teams and specialist individual contributors, fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, teamwork, continuous improvement and positive client and consumer outcomes.
Conduct performance management, succession planning, career development and talent review activity for direct reports, ensuring capability is developed across the UKTA Operations leadership bench.
Own workforce planning, budget discipline, expense management, recruitment input and salary review processes for UKTA Operations.
Represent UKTA in relevant internal governance forums, client meetings, executive updates and external industry forums, ensuring the operational perspective is clearly articulated.

Requirements

Significant experience in Transfer Agency, fund administration, asset servicing, investment operations or a comparable regulated financial services environment.
Detailed understanding of end-to-end Transfer Agency operational processes, including dealing, registration, settlement, distributions, commissions, investor servicing and operational oversight.
Strong knowledge of collective investment schemes, Authorised Contractual Schemes, Long Term Asset Funds and relevant regulatory frameworks, including CASS, AML/FCC, Consumer Duty, operational resilience and data privacy.
Proven ability to lead, develop and scale large multi-location operations teams, including senior managers and specialist individual contributors.
Strong judgement in operational risk, issue management, incident resolution, root cause analysis and control remediation, with the ability to operate effectively under pressure.
Track record of delivering operating model change, process improvement, automation, workflow enhancement, technology adoption or cross-jurisdiction programme delivery.
Strong stakeholder management, presentation and communication skills, with experience engaging senior leadership, clients, auditors, regulators, oversight teams and offshore or nearshore partners.
Ability to manage resources, budgets, capacity, workforce planning and service priorities in a controlled and commercially effective manner.
Familiarity with Transfer Agency platforms, workflow tools, client servicing systems and reporting solutions.
Strong understanding of payment, settlement, reconciliation, investor record keeping and operational data processes.
Demonstrated ability to use MI, dashboards, KPI/KRI reporting and trend analysis to manage service, risk, capacity and efficiency.
Working knowledge of automation, workflow improvement, control design and operational process optimisation.
Applicants must have the right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of application and for the duration of employment.
Northern Trust is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Skills

Transfer Agency
Fund Administration
Asset Servicing
Investment Operations
Operational Leadership
Service Delivery
Governance
Control Oversight
Regulatory Compliance
Client Engagement
Strategic Planning
Risk Management
Efficiency Improvement
Transformation
Operating Model Evolution
Automation
Process Simplification
Change Management
Operational Risk
Issue Management
Incident Resolution
Root Cause Analysis
Control Remediation
CASS
AML/FCC
Consumer Duty
Operational Resilience
Data Privacy
Fund Administration Requirements
RFP Support
Prospect Presentations
Due Diligence
New Business Onboarding
Client Escalations
Business Continuity
Outage Management
SLA Management
People Leadership
Coaching
Team Development
Performance Management
Succession Planning
Career Development
Talent Review
Workforce Planning
Budget Management
Expense Management
Recruitment
Salary Review
Stakeholder Management
Executive Communication
Commercial Discipline
Financial Discipline
Transfer Agency Platforms
Workflow Tools
Client Servicing Systems
Reporting Solutions
Payment Processing
Settlement
Reconciliation
Investor Record Keeping
Operational Data Processes
MI Reporting
Dashboards
KPI/KRI Reporting
Trend Analysis
Automation
Workflow Improvement
Control Design
Process Optimisation

Location

United Kingdom

Work Type

Full-time

Experience Level

Senior
Management

Education Level

Degree-level education or equivalent industry experience
Relevant financial services, Transfer Agency, fund administration, risk, compliance or investment operations qualifications beneficial
Project, change, Lean, Six Sigma, Agile or process improvement qualifications advantageous

Benefits

Flexible and collaborative work culture
Strong history of financial strength and stability
Encouraged movement within the organization
Accessible senior leaders
Inclusive workplace
Community assistance

About the Company

Northern Trust is a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services.
Founded in 1889, the company is guided by principles of Service, Expertise, and Integrity.
With over 135 years of financial experience and more than 24,000 partners, Northern Trust serves sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.
Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture.

Equal Opportunity

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities.