Director, Operational Change

Ninety One; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Ninety One is seeking a senior Operations Change professional to design and implement operating models for new product initiatives, including ETFs and digital-asset structures. You will translate regulatory needs into actionable designs for Technology and third-party providers.

The role oversees multi-location teams (Cape Town, London) and vendors, focusing on disciplined delivery, governance and collaboration. Strong business analysis and vendor-management skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Senior experience in operational change, business design or a business analyst-type function within asset management or broader financial services.
• Direct experience designing or standing up operating models for new product types (ETFs, digital-asset or new fund structures).

Responsibilities

• Design and own the target operating model for new product initiatives — ETFs, digital-asset structures and new fund structures — from concept to live service.
• Act as first line of defence on new product and structural change, identifying constraints early and shaping solutions before implementation.
• Translate business, product and regulatory requirements into operational designs for Technology, Investment Operations and third-party providers (State Street and Charles River).
• Coordinate delivery across Investments, Client Group, Operations, Legal and Technology, and with external administrators, custodians and platform vendors.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with strategic vendors on change, holding them to commitments.
• Lead and motivate teams across Cape Town, London and other locations, driving accountability without direct line authority.
• Develop subject matter depth across new product types to challenge design choices and vendor positions.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools to support operational design, data analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
• Contribute to a culture of disciplined delivery, collaboration and continuous improvement across the Operational Change team.

Skills

Operational change experience

Business design

Target operating model design

Process mapping

Vendor management

Regulatory awareness

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Tools

AI-enabled tools

Data analysis tools

Job description

About us:

Ninety One is an independent, active global asset manager withR4 trillion* of assets under management.

Established in South Africa in 1991, as Investec Asset Management, the firm started offering domestic investments in an emerging market. In 2020, almost three decades of organic growth later, the firm demerged from Investec Group and became Ninety One.

Our distinctive capabilities sit within differentiated fixed income and credit as well as specialist equities, and we have a unique perspective and approach to investment opportunities presented by emerging markets and the energy transition.

*as at30 June 2026

Ninety One is an equal opportunities employer. Our imperative is to attract and retain the best talent by providing a corporate environment where people from varying backgrounds can develop professionally and build a rewarding career.

About the team:

The Operational Change team is responsible for designing and delivering operational change across the firm's operating platform. It sits within the wider Operations function and works closely with teams across Operations, Client Group and Investments, as well as key third-party service providers. Our focus is on ensuring change is delivered efficiently, with minimal disruption to day-to-day activity, while maintaining a strong control environment. The team operates in a decentralised model, partnering with business and tech leads to shape, coordinate, and implement change across multiple functions and geographies.

This is a senior, business-facing role within the team, designing how we operate when the business and strategy itself is new or needs to evolve, including new product type, a new technology or redesigning existing processes to scale. The function of this role is to work out how these are serviced end to end, and to build the plan, the team and the vendor relationships to make that happen.

In this role you will:

• Design and own the target operating model for new product initiatives — ETFs, digital-asset structures and new fund structures — from initial concept through to a live, steady-state service.
• Act as first line of defence on new product and structural change, identifying operational, regulatory and vendor constraints early and shaping solutions before they reach implementation.
• Translate business, product and regulatory requirements into clear operational designs and deliverables for Technology, Investment Operations and third-party providers, including State Street and Charles River.
• Coordinate delivery across Investments, Client Group, Operations, Legal and Technology, and with external administrators, custodians and platform vendors.
• Manage the firm’s day-to-day relationship with relevant strategic vendors on change, holding them to commercial, functional and timeline commitments.
• Lead and motivate teams across Cape Town, London and other locations, driving accountability without direct line authority.
• Develop subject matter depth across new and evolving product types sufficient to challenge design choices, vendor positions and business assumptions.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools to support operational design, data analysis and evidence-based decision-making across initiatives.
• Contribute to a culture of disciplined delivery, collaboration and continuous improvement across the Operational Change team.

You should consider applying if you have:

• Senior experience in operational change, business design or a business analyst-type function within asset management or broader financial services.
• Direct experience designing or standing up the operating model for a new product type — an ETF range, digital-asset or new fund structure.
• Extensive operational experience in asset management or financial services, with the ambition to move from business-as-usual into shaping how it should work. Prior change experience is useful but not essential.
• Strong business analysis skills including process mapping, target operating model design, and translating ambiguous requirements into clear deliverables for technology and vendor teams.
• A track record of managing third-party vendors and administrators through multi-phase change, including holding partners to commercial and delivery commitments.
• The ability to influence and coordinate without direct authority across business, technology and external partners, including at senior level.
• Working knowledge of the regulatory considerations relevant to new product types as applicable to the jurisdictions served.
• Confidence to challenge constructively and hold stakeholders accountable, including senior internal sponsors and vendor counterparts.
• Strong understanding of governance, risk management and delivery controls in a regulated environment.

Some of the attributes we look for in a person are:

• he ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships.
• Driven by results.
• A client-focused and collaborative approach.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and building something new rather than following an existing template.
• High conviction and be comfortable sharing opinions.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and assimilate information.

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