Senior Operations & Settlements Manager

About the Role

This permanent full-time position based in Dublin involves comprehensive oversight and management of settlement and transactional operations for retail and institutional clients within a MiFID-regulated investment environment. The role is vital in ensuring trades are settled accurately and promptly, upholding robust reconciliation processes, protecting client assets, and complying with MiFID II, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), and internal governance requirements. The manager also contributes to operational resilience and may take on additional operational duties as the business develops, including leading project initiatives.

Core Responsibilities

• Manage daily settlement operations in investment management, covering multiple asset classes such as equities, fixed income, funds, FX, derivatives, and debt capital markets where applicable.
• Supervise trade matching, confirmations, maintaining standard settlement instructions (SSIs), and processing settlement instructions with custodians, brokers, clearing brokers, and fund administrators.
• Ensure settlements for both primary and secondary market trades occur timely, including Delivery versus Payment (DVP), Receipt versus Payment (RVP), and Free of Payment (FOP) transactions.
• Monitor and resolve settlement failures, aged unsettled items, and suspense account discrepancies promptly, escalating when necessary.
• Coordinate settlement activities across fund structures such as UCITS and AIFs, and segregated discretionary portfolios.
• Ensure all trade processing and reporting adhere strictly to regulatory transaction reporting standards.
• Embrace continuous development of AI and digital capabilities, contributing to responsible and ethical use of AI within the team.

• Align settlement procedures with fund dealing cycles, net asset value (NAV) deadlines, and administrator cut-off times.
• Collaborate with teams handling cashflows, subscriptions/redemptions, and corporate action effects.
• Support client asset safeguarding obligations, including segregation, accurate record-keeping, and supervisory controls.
• Maintain control over ownership records, custody positions, and client entitlements.

• Maintain and update operational procedures, process documentation, and risk/control frameworks.
• Manage operational risk assessments, identifying, mitigating, and measuring risks related to settlement, counterparties, liquidity, and operations.
• Serve as first-line owner for settlement-related operational risk incidents, issues, and compliance breaches.
• Support audits, regulatory reporting, inspections, and risk evaluations with evidence and remediation.
• Ensure compliance with MiFID II operational standards and CBI regulatory expectations.
• Provide operational support for payment functions related to client transactions and controls.

• Oversee daily cash and securities reconciliations across custodian, broker, and internal records and ensure timely resolution of discrepancies.
• Generate and review management information, including settlement KPIs and exception reports for senior management and governance bodies.
• Report material risks, trends, or breaches promptly and clearly.

• Serve as the primary operational liaison for custodians, clearing brokers, fund administrators, and trading counterparties.
• Monitor third-party service provider performance against service level agreements (SLAs) and KPIs, proactively resolving issues.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with Front Office, Fund Operations, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and Change teams across Ireland and the US.

• Lead the Operations & Settlements team by fostering a culture of control and accountability.
• Manage workload allocation, team capacity, and segregation of duties.
• Support recruitment, team performance management, and succession planning efforts.

• Identify efficiency improvements and enhance client experience by leveraging technology and group resources.
• Participate in system implementations, platform migrations, and regulatory-driven initiatives.
• Contribute to operational resilience efforts including business continuity planning and contingency strategies.

Required Skills and Experience

• More than 10 years of experience in settlements or post-trade operations within a MiFID-regulated investment firm.
• Practical expertise in both fund operations and investment management settlements across multiple asset classes.
• Deep understanding of trade lifecycle and settlement infrastructures.
• Proven ability in managing settlement risk, controls, and reconciliation processes.
• Experience in managing or leading teams.
• Strong analytical skills with great attention to detail.
• Track record of leading positive change and improvement initiatives.
• Ability to prioritize work effectively under regulatory and market pressures.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder relationship management.

Desirable Qualifications

• Knowledge of Central Bank of Ireland supervisory expectations and operational risk frameworks.
• Experience working with outsourced settlement or fund administration providers.
• Familiarity with settlement platforms, reconciliation tools, and automation projects.
• Experience employing AI-powered tools to increase efficiency and decision-making.

Education

A tertiary qualification in Finance, Business, Accounting, Economics, or related field (or equivalent experience) is required. Relevant professional credentials such as IOB, ACCA, ACA modules, or similar are considered advantageous.

Core Competencies

• Strong focus on risk and control environment
• Commitment to client asset protection
• Leadership and accountability in team management
• Awareness of regulatory requirements
• Collaboration with key stakeholders
• Dedication to continuous improvement and change management