Associate Director, Investment Operations (15-Month Contract)

myUPP; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in Ontario's university sector seeks an Associate Director for Investment Operations. This role involves overseeing investment transactions, ensuring compliance, and fostering partnerships. The position offers a hybrid work environment and values collaboration and integrity.

Benefits

Health coverage

Wellness accounts

Fertility treatments

Parental leave

Education programs

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in investments and operations environment.
• Experience with private investments and pension plans is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Oversee investment transactions, accounting, and portfolio monitoring.
• Build reports for continuous portfolio oversight.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory reporting requirements.

Skills

Problem Solving

Collaboration

Results-driven

Education

Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, or Economics

Professional accounting designation (CPA), CFA, and/or CAIA

Tools

Advanced Excel

Job description

Associate Director, Investment Operations (15-Month Contract)

Monday, April 28, 2025

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.

Together, we’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.

As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.

Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE

The Associate Director, Investment Operations (Private Market Investments) is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of all investment transactions, investment accounting, and monitoring of the Plan’s portfolio. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the timely delivery and monitoring of investment instructions, accurate recording of investment expenses and distributions, review of valuation and prices at the custodians, investment reporting, and reconciling and resolving accounting entries. The incumbent will also be required to have ongoing interactions with external portfolio managers and various service providers.

This role is based in downtown Toronto in a hybrid work environment, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (minimum two days per week in-office).

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Three key areas of accountability for the Associate Director, Investment Operations include (i) Investment Reporting, (ii) Investment Operations, and (iii) Controls.

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Investment Reporting

• Build reports that facilitate the continuous oversight on a total portfolio basis
• Utilize technology and systems to design reports that can be assembled and distributed efficiently
• Review materials prepared by fund administrator(s) including reports, financial statements, G/L
• Coordinate the data between the custodian’s analytical systems and reporting service partners (e.g., performance and risk systems)
• Work with Corporate Finance to ensure investment accounting data is successfully reflected on the financial statements and notes
• Facilitate ad hoc reporting requests
• Oversee the entire accounting & custody books and records
• Interact with various external professionals and service providers including auditors and consultants that require customized investment information
• Generate and deliver consolidated asset exposure reports for internal stakeholders

Investment Operations

• Ensure accurate and timely recording of investment transactions
• Maintain ongoing collaborative relationships with external portfolio managers and ensure timely recording of external information
• Monitor terms and conditions in accordance with Service Level Agreements for all investment service providers, including establishing performance and quality standards and targets, and measuring performance
• Coordinate with fund administrators for processing of capital call notices, distribution notices, financial statements, investor capital account statements, and performance reports
• Ensure accuracy of management fee and carried interest calculations on private and alternative investments
• Assist in onboarding and integrating external university pension plans into the UPP investment operations and portfolio structure
• Assist in onboarding new external managers, including opening new accounts at the custodian, documenting tax status and implications
• Recommend operational efficiency improvements where possible
• Manage business relations with the Investment team and ensure smooth operations
• Plan and execute special projects as needed
• Service delivery with stakeholders regarding onboarding new University Investment portfolios
• Proactively manage the deal closing process from an operational perspective to ensure timely and accurate funding

Controls

• Perform reviews to ensure data accuracy used for reports
• Reconcile and implement controls to ensure data integrity
• Build controls to ensure all transactions have appropriate authorizations
• Monitor compliance with regulatory reporting requirements and tax filings
• Perform monthly and quarterly compliance reviews in accordance with the SIPP
• Ensure external managers meet reporting requirements
• Ensure policies and procedures are adhered to and updated as needed
• Build investment schedules and reports to support audits

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, or Economics
• Professional accounting designation (CPA), CFA, and/or CAIA designation is an asset
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in investments and operations environment
• Experience with private investments
• Experience with pension plans is an asset
• Experience in trade operations and processing is an asset
• Proven ability to build and foster partnerships with internal and external stakeholders
• Results-driven and problem-solving skills
• Strong computer skills, including advanced Excel skills
• Understanding of public market instruments
• Experience in building processes, procedures, and tools for investment finance operations
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with service partners

LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters. We are committed to serving our members’ interests, embedding sustainability to ensure a resilient future for retirement, today and for generations to come.

Stronger together. Collaboration is core to our success, and every team member’s contribution is valued.

Grow every day. Opportunities to work on unique projects that expand your skills are available at every career stage.

Prioritize wellness. Our benefits include work from abroad, health coverage, wellness accounts, fertility treatments, parental leave, and education programs.

We also welcome applications from all qualified applicants, especially those from groups facing barriers to employment, to ensure an inclusive hiring process. For accommodations during the process, please contact us.

UPP respects your privacy. For details on how we handle your personal information, see our Job Applicant Privacy Statement.