Head of Fund Administration

Old Mutual; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Mutual seeks a highly skilled Head of Fund Administration to oversee financial operations and compliance for its products. The ideal candidate will lead a large team, manage fund financials, and ensure strict adherence to industry regulations. This leadership role demands a Chartered Accountant with vast fund administration experience to enhance the organization's financial performance.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in fund administration and accounting.
• Strong knowledge of retirement funds regulation.
• Exceptional leadership and analytical skills required.

Responsibilities

• Manage financial operations of fund administration.
• Lead a team of 100 finance professionals.
• Ensure compliance with governance standards.

Skills

Accounting

Analytical Thinking

Financial Accounting

People Management

Team Leadership

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA(SA))

Job description

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Head of Fund Administration to oversee the daily and strategic functioning of the end-to-end delivery for all financial aspects of our product and legal entities.

• Financial Oversight: Manage the financial operations of the fund administration and accounting area, ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry standards.
• Daily Investments: Monitor and optimize daily investment activities, ensuring timeous and accurate allocation of funds.
• Pricing and Valuation: Oversee the pricing and valuation of assets, ensuring accuracy and adherence to industry best practices.
• Reconciliations: Lead the reconciliation process to ensure accurate and timely reconciliation of all financial data and transactions.
• Governance: Establish and maintain robust governance processes to mitigate risks and ensure compliance with relevant regulations.
• Annual Financial Statements (AFS): Provide critical inputs and data required for the preparation of AFS, collaborating closely with the finance team.
• Distributions: Manage the distribution process, ensuring timely and accurate distribution of funds to investors.
• Data and Fund Maintenance: Maintain accurate and up-to-date data related to fund performance and holdings.
• Unit Injections and Corrections: Manage unit injections into funds and corrections when discrepancies arise, ensuring data integrity.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of finance professionals, providing guidance and support to drive performance excellence.
• Strategic Planning: Contribute to the development and execution of strategic initiatives to enhance the financial performance of the fund administration and accounting area.

Accountable for:

• Timely and accurate financial reporting.

•Well-maintained pricing and valuation processes.

• Reconciliation errors minimized, if not eliminated.

• Robust governance framework in place and adhered to.

• High-quality inputs for AFS preparation.

• Timely and accurate distribution of funds.

• Accurate data and fund maintenance.

• Prompt and accurate execution of order instructions.

• Effective management of unit injections and corrections.

• Motivated and high-performing team achieving set targets.

• Effective contribution to the company’s financial strategy.

ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

Overall management of a team of 100, including 9 direct reports. Specific goals include:

• Managing performance and service delivery through direct reports and their teams
• Defining performance parameters and measurable goals for the team
• Driving adoption of Agile principles where applicable
• Encouraging and instituting a culture of continuous learning
• Ensuring readiness for the delivery of the business’s key strategic initiatives without compromising existing deliveries
• Modelling of customer centric behaviour and driving understanding of the end to end value chain and the COE’s role within it
• Identifying and growing talent and succession pipelines
• Leading and supporting culture change initiatives
• Medium to long term resource and structure planning based on business strategy

RISK, COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNANCE

• Ongoing pursuit of process improvements and efficiencies across the COE whilst mitigating key resource dependency risks and adhering to inflexible daily deadlines. Establishing best practice and setting standards of excellence
• Ongoing monitoring of Risk environment, mitigation of identified risks (in conjunction with Group and Segment Risk teams)
• Ongoing management of Compliance to applicable legislation, including the Pension Funds Act, FAIS Act and FICA Act (in conjunction with Group and Segment Compliance)
• Identifying financial risks and providing guidance to the team on how to mitigate financial risks with limited resources

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

• Management of various audits (internal and external)
• Presentations and reporting to various Boards, including Wealth Retirement Fund Trustee meetings, Old Mutual Investment Services (Pty) Ltd, Old Mutual Investment Administration (Pty) Ltd
• Member of the Wealth Agile Release Train Leadership Team
• Representation of the COE in various strategic projects
• Engagement and relationship management with key 3rd party stakeholders, including pricing agents, banks and other asset management companies
• Engagement with various senior internal stakeholders

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE (REQUIRED FOR THE JOB)

• Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification (CA(SA)) is mandatory.
• Proven experience in fund administration and accounting within the financial services industry, including the fund administration function of asset management companies
• Strong knowledge of retirement funds, including Regulation 28 requirements, daily investments, pricing, and reconciliations.
• Excellent understanding of regulatory requirements and governance standards (FAIS, Pension Funds Act, Collective Investment Schemes Control Act)
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE (PREFERRED, NOT A REQUIREMENT)

• Familiarity with Agile methodology (SAFe)

Skills

Accounting, Adaptive Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Budget Management, Collaborating, Data Compilation, Data Controls, Evaluating Information, Executing Plans, Financial Accounting, Financial Acumen, Financial Auditing, Financial Modeling, Financial Operations, Management Accounting, Management Reporting, Numerical Aptitude, People Management, Policies & Procedures, Team Leadership, Team Management

Competencies

Balances Stakeholders Business Insight Decision Quality Ensures Accountability Financial Acumen Instills Trust Manages Complexity Optimizes Work Processes

Education

Chartered Accountant: Accounting

Closing Date

19 June 2025 , 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

The Old Mutual Story!