Manager, Operational Due Diligence

Choose a workplace that empowers your impact. 

Join a global workplace where employees thrive. One that embraces diversity of thought, expertise and experience. A place where you can personalize your employee journey to be — and deliver — your best.  

We are a purpose-driven, dynamic and sustainable pension plan. An industry leading global investor with teams in Toronto to London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe. We embody the values of our 600,000+ members, placing their best interests at the heart of everything we do.

Join us to accelerate your growth & development, prioritize wellness, build connections, and support the communities where we live and work.

Don’t just work anywhere — come build tomorrow together with us.

Know someone at OMERS or Oxford Properties? Great! If you're referred, have them submit your name through Workday first. Then, watch for a unique link in your email to apply.

Operational Due Diligence (ODD) plays an important role in protecting OMERS from risks that can arise through investments with external managers due to operational failures at its own firm or service providers. Within the Capital Markets Finance (CMF) division, the ODD team performs due diligence assessments on external managers at all stages of the investment lifecycle including pre-investment, onboarding and ongoing investments.

OMERS is seeking a Manager, Operational Due Diligence to join the growing team. Expectations of the role includes reviews of ODD materials, virtual and on-site interviews with external managers, assessing key risks associated with the operating environment at the external managers, and furnishing ODD reports following established standards and procedures. Success in this role requires the candidate to be risk-conscious, have operational experience, being skilled in managing relationships with senior investments stakeholders, and readily take on challenges.

We believe that time together in the office is important for OMERS and Oxford, the strength of our employees, and the work we do for our pension members. Our flexible hybrid work guideline requires teams to come to the office 4 days per week.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Manager, Operational Due Diligence will undertake a combination of the below activities as required:

• Initiate onboarding and ongoing ODD assessments by preparing the materials and participating in meetings with key stakeholders.

• Review and interpret fund financial statements, offering documents, and other literature to assess the financial health and regulatory implications of externally managed funds.

• Liaise and follow up with external manager teams to ensure timely receipt of all required information.

• Follow OMERS ODD guidelines and proactively review, identify, and assess relevant risks that could arise from new or ongoing investments.

• Review and summarize system and organization controls audit reports and other types of control reports to assess the control environment of relevant service providers.

• Actively monitor news and professional publications that provide media coverage on the subject external managers.

• Plan and perform regular on-site visits or virtual interviews with OMERS external partners to support onboarding and ongoing reviews.

• Coordinate with CMF teams to operationalize externally managed investments on the CMF platform.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of OMERS policies regarding sub-delegation of investment authority, program guidelines, valuations, and third-party agreements, and apply them to ODD activities to ensure compliance.

• Enhance and update existing desk documentation of policies and procedures as they relate to areas of responsibility. Assist in developing new documentation as required.

• Foster effective working relationships with other teams within CMF, the investment division, OMERS investment entities, counterparties, external managers, fund administrators, custodians, and auditors as appropriate.

• Perform ad hoc projects as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree in finance, business, risk or other applicable disciplines. 

• Working towards a professional designation including CPA, CAIA, CFA and/or relevant industry courses will be an asset.

• Minimum 5 years of experience from buy-side or consulting firm specializing in investment operations and operational risk assessment, with exposure to the fund industry and credit markets.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential to deal with all levels within the organization and external contacts.  Ability to build strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

• Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities to meet deadlines. Needs to be flexible working at different time zones and hours. 

• Detail oriented and demonstrated aptitude for quantitative and qualitative analysis and problem solving.

• Must be able to independently carry out due diligence reviews and deliver quality assessments that contribute to the deal process.

• Prior experience to investment accounting, SOC report and internal or client-facing audit practices is an asset.

• Be proficient in MS Office. Knowledge in system infrastructure, cybersecurity and system development would be an asset.

• Ability to work independently as well as a team with minimal supervision. 

As one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, our people-first culture is at its best when our workforce reflects the communities where we live and work — and the members we proudly serve.

From hire to retire, we are an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process that extends all the way through your employee experience. This sense of belonging and connection is cultivated up, down and across our global organization thanks to our vast network of Employee Resource Groups with executive leader sponsorship, our Purpose@Work committee and employee recognition programs.