Investment Operations Team - Senior Operations Analyst

Overview

Name

Job Title

Senior Investment Operations Analyst

Job Grade

15

Reports To

Investment Change & Operations Lead

Working Relationships

Internal

External

Investment Team
Risk & Compliance Team
Audit Team
Project Teams
Committees/Boards
Trustees

Asset Managers
Fund Administrators
Custodians (NT)
Data & Index Providers

Accountability Level

Level 3

Behaviours Level

Specialist – Investments

Main Purpose

The role forms part of the Investment Operations Team who are responsible for the governance and oversight of third parties that provide investment-related services to PPL. The team are responsible for ensuring that members of the pension schemes administered by PPL are treated fairly by setting clear operational policies and ensuring risks are managed with effective controls and that systems and processes are fit for purpose.
This role supports the daily management of operational investment tasks required to execute the Trustees investment instructions. It also supports the governance and oversight of the critical investment outsource providers to ensure that risks are mitigated. The successful candidate will work closely with senior stakeholders across Investment Operations, Asset Allocation, Responsible Investment and Multi-Asset Teams as well as outsourced service providers, such as Asset Managers and Fund Administrators to help identify risks, maintain controls, analyse incidents, and improve operational processes that support strong member outcomes and scheme governance.

The role offers excellent exposure to investments, governance, risk management, outsourced provider oversight, and strategic change initiatives within a £40bn DC Mastertrust located in the City of London.

About the Team

The role sits within the Investment Operations Team which forms part of the Investment Team. The Investment Operations Team play a significant and critical role in ensuring the members of our pension schemes are treated fairly in how TPP manage our unit linked funds.
The team ensures that the Trustees investment strategic decisions are executed efficiently and effectively with our outsource providers and our unit pricing principles and practices are always adhered to.
The team performs governance and oversight of our key service providers who provide fund management, fund administration and fund accounting, unit pricing, global custody, benchmark and indices, and reporting services.
The operational team also ensures that the platforms and systems utilised are fit for the future investment strategic needs of our business.

Key Responsibilities

Operational & Data Oversight

Active oversight of trade processing between Fund Manager, Fund Accounting and Custody. Investigating issues and resolving as appropriate, escalating issues as required.
Active monitoring of segregated accounts ensuring thresholds and outputs are within tolerance, providing oversight and sign off as required.
Review swing pricing data reporting any issues as required.
Review of unit pricing policies to ensure compliance with ABI Guidelines and operational processes deliver in line with the defined policies.

Oversight and interrogation of Stale price scenarios communicating with third parties.
Review of Bank Holidays and ensure they are managed effectively from a unit pricing and cash allocation perspective across all funds.

Trading of non-TPP schemes.
Execution of asset allocation instructions and trading instructions with NT.

Manage and coordinate deep dive analysis of trading positions, cash flows, performance attribution, & price comparisons in relation to Index movements, benchmark divergence etc. (this list is not exhaustive) ensuring external parties have conducted their pricing functions correctly to reflect the true market movements over set periods to agreed SLD and IMASupport reviews of pricing, valuation, reporting, and operational data used across Investments.
Support in the production of performance reporting for trustees and boards.
Support the end-to-end production of factsheets, working closely with data providers.
Coordinate deep-dive analysis of trading positions, cash flows, performance attribution, and price comparisons against benchmarks to ensure accurate pricing.
Support technical analysis for critical Investment Team projects, including creating VBA/macro-enabled spreadsheets and integrating proprietary systems.
Help document operational processes and control procedures as they evolve.

Risk & Control Framework Support

Support the maintenance and documentation of the Risk & Control Framework for Investments.
Assist in identifying new risks arising from operational changes, transitions, or new investment initiatives.
Help track risk ratings and support updates following incidents or reviews.
Support preparation for Risk Forums, committees, and risk governance meetings.
Own the maintenance and upkeep of the risk management system for Investments.

Incident & Control Monitoring

Log, categorise, and analyse incidents within the risk management system.
Assist with root-cause analysis and tracking of corrective, preventative, and detective actions and controls.
Help identify trends in incidents and control effectiveness to support continuous improvement.

Outsourced Provider & Governance Support

Support preparation of governance materials and review governance packs from outsourced providers.
Help document due diligence and ongoing oversight activities for asset managers and fund administrators.
Assist with monitoring service providers against agreed IMAs, SLAs, KPIs, and control expectations.

Projects & Change

Support operational change initiatives including asset transitions, fund launches, and system enhancements.
Assist with documenting new controls and embedding them into BAU processes.
Help ensure risks are considered as part of new initiatives.
Proactively identify and implement process efficiencies within daily activities.

General Responsibilities

Adhere to Company Risk Management policy and procedures, including reporting of incidents or breaches.
Apply and promote Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) culture and principles, together with the organisation’s behaviours and values.
Adhere to Company Diversity & Inclusion policy.
Provide support and cover for other team members during absences.

Development & Progression

This role provides structured exposure to:

Investment operations and end-to-end investment processes
Risk management and governance frameworks
Working with senior stakeholders, Asset Managers and Fund Administrators.
Data, reporting, and outsourced provider oversight
Opportunities for further study (CFA, IMC or FRM)
Exposure to Investments and multi-asset classes and fund structures

Functional/ Technical Skills

Skill/ Experience

Essential/ Desirable

Degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, or related discipline (or equivalent experience).
2 year of relevant experience in financial services, risk management, or investment operations.
Strong Interest in investments and risk management.
Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.
Ability to understand and document processes and risks clearly.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Confidence working with data, Excel, and structured documentation.
Ability to work collaboratively across teams, managing multiple projects concurrently.
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, formulas) and data handling.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Knowledge of investment products and asset classes.

Essential

Exposure to risk management frameworks or financial services operations.
Experience with Power BI or other data visualisation tools.
Familiarity with SQL or Python for data analysis
Basic understanding of Direct Contribution and Direct Benefit Schemes in the UK.
Experience with Microsoft Visio and Risk Management Systems

Desirable