Associate Director, Operational Risk Management, Finance

Associate Director, Operational Risk Management, Finance page is loaded Associate Director, Operational Risk Management, Finance Apply locations Toronto, Ontario, Canada time type Full time posted on Posted 5 Days Ago job requisition id JR101521

Why you’ll love working here:

• high-performance, people-focused culture

• our commitment that equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to our work environment and business success, which helps employees feel valued and empowered to be their authentic selves

• learning and development initiatives, including workshops, Speaker Series events and access to LinkedIn Learning, that support employees’ career growth

• membership in HOOPP’s world class defined benefit pension plan, which can serve as an important part of your retirement security

• competitive, 100% company-paid extended health and dental benefits for permanent employees, including coverage supporting our team's diversity and mental health (e.g., gender affirmation, fertility and drug treatment, psychological support benefits of $2,500 per year, and newly extended maternity/parental leave top of 26 weeks)

• optional post-retirement health and dental benefits subsidized at 50%

• yoga classes, meditation workshops, nutritional consultations, and wellness seminars

• access to an annual wellness reimbursement program for health and wellness-related expenses for permanent and temporary employees

• the opportunity to make a difference and help take care of those who care for us, by providing a financially secure retirement for Ontario healthcare workers

Job Summary:

The Associate Director role will support the Senior Director, Operational Risk Management, Finance (Senior Director) in continuing to evolve the Operational Risk Management program for the Finance Division, including the Operational Readiness program. This role will be responsible for promoting a strong risk culture by identifying and collaborating with business partners to mitigate key operational risks in the Finance Division. The Associate Director will support the execution of key Operational Risk programs in the Finance Division and using their expertise and best practices, will develop, recommend, and collaborate in implementing program enhancements. The Operational Readiness program consists of supporting the Investment Management Division with new complex and technical trading products and/or trading strategies to ensure they can be operationally supported. The Associate Director will lead discussions with the Investment Management Division team members to understand new products and/or new strategies, and coordinate and lead discussions with the Operational Readiness Team, which is comprised of team members from the Finance, Risk and IT Divisions. The role requires strong knowledge of various asset classes (including fixed income, public equities, derivatives and alternative investments) and the impacts to various functions within the Finance, Risk and IT Divisions in order to bring together and understand the technical trading needs, process changes and system requirements to support these complex trading products and/or strategies. The Associate Director must possess strong communication skills (both written and verbal), and the ability to interact with all levels of employees across the Finance, Investment Management, Risk and IT Divisions. 

The new Associate Director role will provide the requisite leadership and expertise. This involves collaborating with the Senior Director to enhance the Operational Readiness program and support the existing Operational Risk programs. This role will lead discussions with the Investment Management Division and Operational Readiness team, manage the status of all new trading products or strategies and completing monthly or other ad hoc reporting to senior management. This role is required to coordinate with all levels of the organization and must develop strong relationships with both Investment Management and Finance and other divisions. In addition, this role will also assist with Operational Risk Management programs for Finance, including but not limited to, Business Continuity Management, Data and Record Retention and Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), as required by the Senior Director.

What you will do:

• Lead the Operational Readiness program for all new complex and technical trading products and strategies, ensuring that all impacted teams can operationally support the new product or strategy.

• Facilitate meetings with Investment Management to understand the new trading product or strategy and the lead discussions with the Operational Readiness team to explain the complex transactions.

• Assess the requirements of the new product or strategy through discussions with Investment Management and the Operational Readiness team, review trade specific details (i.e. term sheets, legal documentation etc.) and understand the impacts to the teams and the downstream processes.

• Manage the Operational Readiness progress of the individual new products and strategies until completion, which are time sensitive given the investment and market opportunity. This includes facilitating working group meetings, understanding the business requirements and IT impacts, and providing updates to the Senior Director and Investment Management on the progress.

• Contribute to and lead the design and implementation of an enhanced Operational Readiness program.

• Develop strong relationships with the Investment Management Division to facilitate operationalizing new trading products or strategies.

• Prepare monthly Investment Risk Committee (IRC) reports and ad hoc reporting for senior management.

• Update and maintain the Operational Readiness Process documentation and associated procedures and guidelines.

• Support the design, development, implementation, documentation, and maintenance of a fulsome Operational Risk Management program for the Finance Division. 

• Support the Senior Director in managing existing operational risk activities and programs for the Finance Division, such as Data Classification, Data and Records Retention and Business Continuity Management. Identify opportunities to design and implement enhancements to these existing operational risk activities and programs.

• Support the development of the RCSA program for the Finance Division. This includes leading discussions with the control owners to document key risks, controls and identifying gaps for remediation.

• Identify new operational risk activities, as required by Finance, and make recommendations on the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of these activities to the Senior Director.

What you bring:

• University Degree in business / finance / commerce

• CFA or CPA designation

• 8+ years of progressive experience in the Finance and / or Investment industries and / or Operational Risk Management

• Autonomous and highly motivated with the ability to multi-task productively and to work independently, as well as collaboratively in a team environment; share information, support colleagues and encourage participation

• Ability to establish and maintain strong effective working relationships at all levels and influence people from different levels of the organization

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to think critically, innovate and drive change

• Ability to learn new concepts and drive strategic direction

• Strong business acumen and broad-based business skills which include but are not limited to project management, ability to grasp strategy, governance, compliance and systems

• Attention to detail while maintaining a big picture view of issues

• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to work concurrently on multiple assignments under pressure and meet conflicting deadlines

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present issues of varying complexity to a wide variety of audiences effectively

• In-depth knowledge of various asset classes, including fixed income, public equities, derivatives and alternative investments, and related processes (including investment accounting, investment operations, P&L and risk reporting, data management, etc.)

• Proven ability to think critically and desire to innovate, drive change, and challenge the status quo

• Strong service orientation and proven ability to meet concurrent deadlines in an environment of multiple priorities

About HOOPP

Established in 1960, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) is a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's hospital and community-based healthcare sector. We serve more than 460,000 members who provide valued healthcare services at more than 670 employers across the province. At HOOPP, we exist to provide a stable and reliable pension for our members that starts in retirement and is paid for life. As one of Canada's largest and most respected pension plans, HOOPP's net assets reached $112.6 billion at the end of 2023 and our funded status remained strong and stable at 115%.

HOOPP's core values - professional, accountable, collaborative, compassionate and trustworthy - guide our every interaction with our members, employers and employees. We've become one of Canada's leading pension plans by consistently challenging ourselves and embracing innovation. From our unique investment management approach to our innovative technology and thought-provoking research, we constantly seek to push the boundaries, and we do this by hiring passionate, forward-thinking people.

Our high-performance culture is founded on collaboration, respect and belonging. HOOPP is an equal opportunity employer and we're proud of our diversity. We select applicants for employment solely on the basis of their qualifications. Should you require accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment and selection process, please contact our Human Resources team. We will be happy to consult with you so that arrangements can be made for reasonable accommodation.