Head of Operations (Digital Transfer Agency) US

ZILO•Boston, MA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Head of Operations – US holds in-jurisdiction operational accountability for ZILO’s SEC-registered transfer agency. The role owns US-hours coverage of the dealing window, turnaround performance, exception clearance and escalation, and the daily operational close. Although day-to-day processing is delivered in conjunction with ZILO’s UK operations hub, this position owns the operational outcome in the United States and oversees delegated processing to ensure it meets ZILO’s standards and the standards expected by the SEC. As the senior ZILO operations role in the US, the position line manages the Operations Analyst – US and represents the registrant operationally to the SEC, fund board and distributing broker-dealer. The role also oversees the integrity of the master securityholder file, daily reconciliation outcomes, provider relationships, control evidence and examination readiness. It is a founding role with responsibility for operational readiness at launch and for helping establish processes, controls and evidence standards.

Requirements

Proven operational leadership in a US transfer agency, fund administration or investment platform environment, with direct experience of a registered transfer agent’s obligations.
Working knowledge of the Section 17A and 17Ad rule set in practice, including turnaround, recordkeeping, the control book, aged record differences and the annual control study.
Experience owning a dealing window end to end, including cut-off enforcement, forward pricing and the operational consequences of a late or failed NAV.
Experience with an outsourced or intra-group delivery model, holding a provider to account while remaining answerable to the regulator for outsourced work.
Strong reconciliation discipline and the judgement to distinguish a timing break from a control failure.
Confident escalation and clear written communication, including the ability to produce records that can withstand an SEC examination.
Experience line managing operational staff and maintaining a standard across a team working in more than one location.
Eligibility to be fingerprinted and submitted for an FBI criminal history record check through an approved channeler under Rule 17f-2; this is a condition of appointment.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to tokenised funds, digital assets or blockchain-based settlement infrastructure.
Experience with a transfer agent operating a money market fund, including same-day and intraday dealing patterns.
Experience with a transfer agency launch or registration, rather than only steady-state operation.
Familiarity with broker-dealer distribution relationships and payment attestation models.
Experience with transfer agency platforms such as Multifonds, GTAS or similar.

Responsibilities

Hold in-jurisdiction operational accountability for the registrant’s transfer-agent rule-set performance, including turnaround, posting and control-book maintenance, aged record differences, and creation and retention of records.
Own the US transfer agency’s operational outcome, including dealing-window coverage, turnaround, exception clearance and escalation, and the daily operational close in US hours.
Act as the escalation point between the UK operations hub and the US registrant, ensuring issues arising outside UK working hours are addressed promptly and evidenced.
Oversee delegated processing by the UK hub for the US line and review whether it meets ZILO’s standards and the standards expected by the SEC.
Own US-line operational readiness at launch, including cutover, parallel running, registration and go-live operational planning.
Line manage the Operations Analyst – US, set objectives, review output and maintain the standard of the in-jurisdiction team.
Review the operation and evidence of controls run by the UK hub for the US line without re-performing those controls.
Maintain continuity through planned and unplanned absence, with named UK hub processing cover and documented handovers at each end of the US day.
Hold in-jurisdiction accountability for the integrity of the master securityholder file, including its canonical on-chain record and off-chain book-entry layer joined by ZILO-controlled referential linkage.
Own the daily three-way reconciliation outcome for the US line and the timely investigation and clearance of breaks.
Exercise the TA Controller function for the US line as named primary holder, including operational execution of token clawback and forced transfer when lawfully instructed; ensure any use of the standing UK delegate is recorded and evidenced.
Manage the operational relationship with the distributing broker-dealer, including order flow, payment attestation quality and exception handling.
Support oversight of the fund accountant, custodian, and identity and screening providers as they affect the US line, contributing to external service-provider oversight.
Represent operational capability in due diligence, client operational reviews and fund board reporting.
Evidence controls assigned to the US operations line and support the annual internal accounting control study across all layers, including technology.
Contribute to SEC examination readiness by providing operational records, walkthroughs and evidence on request.
Escalate operational risk events, near misses and control failures through the risk and compliance line without filtering.
Provide operational support for the US line’s FATCA withholding and reporting obligations and maintain required Form TA-1 disclosures or amendments when applicable.