Associate Director, Investment Operations (15-Month Contract)

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.

Together, we’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.

As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.

Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE
The Associate Director, Investment Operations (Private Market Investments) is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of all investment transactions, investment accounting, and monitoring of the Plan’s portfolio. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the timely delivery and monitoring of investment instructions, accurate recording of investment expenses and distributions, review of valuation and prices at the custodians, investment reporting, and reconciling and resolving accounting entries. The incumbent will also be required to have ongoing interactions with external portfolio managers and various service providers.
This role is based in downtown Toronto in a hybrid work environment, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (minimum two days per week in-office).
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Three key areas of accountability for the Associate Director, Investment Operations include (i) Investment Reporting, (ii) Investment Operations, and (iii) Controls.
SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES
Investment Reporting
Build reports that facilitate the continuous oversight on a total portfolio basis
Utilize technology and systems to design reports that can be assembled and distributed efficiently
Review materials prepared by fund administrator(s) including reports, financials statements, G/L
Coordinate the data between the custodian’s analytical systems and reporting service partners (e.g. performance and risk systems)
Work with Corporate Finance to ensure investment accounting data is successfully reflected on the financial statements and notes
Facilitate ad hoc reporting requests
Oversee the entire accounting & custody books and records
Interact with various external professionals and service providers including auditors and consultants that require customized investment information
Generating and delivery of consolidated asset exposure reports for internal stakeholders
Investment Operations
Ensure accurate and timely recording of investment transactions
Maintain an ongoing collaborative working relationship with external portfolio managers and ensure timely recording of external information
Monitor terms and conditions in accordance with Service Level Agreements for all investment service providers, including establishing performance and quality standards and targets and measuring performance
Co-ordinate with fund administrator for processing of capital call notices, distribution notices, financial statements, investor capital account statements, and performance reports
Ensure accuracy of management fee and carried interest calculations on private and alternative investments
Assist in the onboarding and integration of external university pension plans into the UPP investment operations and portfolio structure
Assist in the onboarding of new external managers including opening new accounts at the custodian, documenting tax status and implications
Recommend operational efficiency improvements where possible
Manage business relations with Investment team and ensure ‘no surprises’ operations
Plan and execute special projects as needed
Service Delivery with corporate stakeholders with regards to onboarding new Universities Investment portfolios
Proactively anticipate, manage and build out the deal closing process from an operational perspective to ensure timely and accurate funding for deal close
Controls
Perform appropriate reviews to ensure the data used for reports is accurate
Reconcile and implement controls to ensure data integrity
Build controls to ensure all transactions have the appropriate authorizations
Monitor ongoing compliance with regulatory reporting requirements and tax filings
Perform monthly and quarterly compliance reviews to ensure the UPP portfolio are managed in accordance with the SIPP
Ensure all external managers meet their reporting requirements
Ensure policy and procedures are adhered to and updated as needed
Build investment schedules and reports that assist with audit processes
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance or Economics
Professional accounting designation (CPA), CFA and/or CAIA designation an asset
Minimum of 7 years of experience in an investments and operations environment
Prior experience working with private investments
Prior experience working with a pension plan an asset
Prior experience in trade operations and processing an asset
Proven ability to build and foster business partnership with both internal and external stakeholders
Ability to drive for results and problem solve
Strong computer skills including solid grasp of MS Office applications and advanced Excel skills
Strong understanding of public market instruments
Proven experience in building out processes, procedures and tools for investment finance operations
Proven ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with service partners (fund administrators, custodians, external managers, and so on)
LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members’ interests, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. That’s why we’ve ingrained sustainability in our work from day one—to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.

Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it’s how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.

Grow every day. You’ll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones—at any stage in your career.

Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:
Defined benefit pension plan
Flexible hybrid work model
Work from abroad up to eight weeks/year
Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision etc.
Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
Education Assistance program
UPP enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified applicants and especially invites people with lived experience as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability or as a member of another Human Rights Code protected group that faces barriers to employment to apply. Our goal is to create a barrier-free experience for every candidate throughout the recruitment process, so if you require accommodation at any point during the process, please let us know so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. It would be our honor to work with you to adapt our processes to ensure that you can meaningfully participate.

UPP respects your privacy. For information on how UPP handles the personal information you provide during the application process, please see our Job Applicant Privacy Statement.