Settlements Manager

FIS Global•Birmingham, AL

About The Position

To provide Oversight Settlement Management for the day-to-day running of operational teams supporting Platform Securities, including the Custody Team UK, Settlements, Error Repair Team and Account Opening/Due Diligence. The role ensures activity is managed effectively, risks are controlled, responsibilities are clear, and service delivery meets agreed standards. The role is responsible for providing direction, support and technical oversight to the teams, while also supporting senior management with client servicing, operational governance, continuous improvement and audit readiness. The role holder will be accountable for maintaining strong operational control across the Custody Team UK, Settlements, Error Repair Team and Account Opening/Due Diligence, including oversight responsibility for the Pune, India location where activities are performed or supported. This includes embedding clear ownership, ensuring procedures are followed consistently across locations and functions, and developing team capability through coaching, training and competence oversight. The role requires a proactive approach to identifying risks, improving processes and ensuring issues are escalated and resolved appropriately. The role will provide strong leadership, direction and support to team members across the UK and Pune, India, with responsibility for coaching performance, improving quality, assessing competence and ensuring the Custody Team UK, Settlements, Error Repair Team and Account Opening/Due Diligence have the knowledge and tools required to deliver within SLA, regulatory expectations and internal control requirements. The role will work closely with other team leaders to share best practice, support cross-location delivery and maintain consistent standards.

Requirements

Extensive experience in settlements operations, including oversight of settlement processes, exception management, aged items, reconciliations, controls, escalation management and achieving set service level agreement targets.
Strong exposure to UK and US settlement markets, including an understanding of market practices, settlement cycles, cut-off times, custody chains and operational risk points.
Experience working with multiple custodians, settlement agents and market infrastructures, with the ability to manage queries, resolve breaks and support effective relationships across the custody chain.
Proven people management experience, including leading, coaching and developing teams, managing performance, supporting succession planning and building a strong control-focused team culture.
Experience maintaining effective client relationships, including managing client expectations, supporting service delivery, resolving escalations and communicating clearly with internal and external stakeholders.
Experience ensuring compliance, audit and risk management requirements are met, including maintaining audit reports, risk registers, control evidence, remediation actions and supporting documentation.
Strong experience within investment operations services or financial services, with a practical understanding of operational processes, service delivery, controls, client impact and regulatory risk.
Knowledge of the regulatory environment and associated operational, client and conduct risks that require effective management.
Understanding of investment products from a settlement operations perspective, including product characteristics, settlement requirements, custody considerations, market practices and operational risk points.
Understanding of the principles of Treating Customers Fairly.
Understanding of the principles of training and competence.
Understanding of the key drivers of client experience within an institutional environment.
Experience delivering services in line with agreed standards, controls and client expectations.
Excellent communication skills
Able to influence constructively and follow issues through to resolution.
Commercially aware, with an understanding of service quality, risk and client impact.
Self-motivated and able to manage priorities effectively.
Able to build trusted relationships and influence effectively across teams.
Considered and effective when working under pressure.
Analytical, target-focused and motivated to improve outcomes.
Influencing
People management
Analytical & Problem solving
Creativity & Innovation
Decision Making
Coaching and Mentoring
Time Management
Communication Verbal and Written
Recruitment and Interviewing
Risk assessment and management

Nice To Haves

Preferred experience in settling funds directly with fund managers, including an understanding of direct fund dealing, settlement instructions, fund manager requirements and related operational controls.

Responsibilities

Provide Oversight Settlement Management across the settlement lifecycle, ensuring daily activity is controlled, monitored and progressed in line with agreed service standards.
Provide operational oversight across the Custody Team UK, Settlements, Error Repair Team and Account Opening/Due Diligence, ensuring each function has clear responsibilities, effective controls and appropriate escalation routes.
Provide oversight of settlement activities performed or supported from the Pune, India location, ensuring operational standards, controls, escalation routes and service expectations are applied consistently.
Set clear ownership and accountability within the team, ensuring roles, responsibilities, escalation routes and decision points are understood and documented.
Ensure activities across custody, settlements, error repair and account opening/due diligence are coordinated effectively, with risks, dependencies and hand-offs managed between teams.
Train, coach and develop team members to ensure they understand settlement processes, controls, client expectations, risk indicators and regulatory requirements.
Provide training, coaching and knowledge sharing across the Custody Team UK, Settlements, Error Repair Team and Account Opening/Due Diligence to support consistent standards, control awareness and operational resilience.
Support training and knowledge transfer for the Pune, India team, ensuring they understand settlement processes, control requirements, exception management and escalation expectations.
Maintain training plans, knowledge checks and evidence of competence to support operational resilience, audit readiness and succession planning.
Oversee settlement controls, exceptions, risk events, aged items and escalations, ensuring issues are investigated, documented and remediated in a timely manner.
Review and maintain settlement procedures, ensuring they remain accurate, practical, controlled and aligned to business, regulatory and client requirements.
Maintain the first line of defence by ensuring business services adhere to business processes and procedures designed to meet applicable FCA rules, regulatory standards and internal control requirements.
Maintain the first line of defence by operating assigned risk controls effectively and escalating issues where required.
Use the training and competence scheme to maintain the appropriate knowledge, skills and expertise to carry out the role competently.
Treat clients fairly at all times.
To manage financial risk, audit and regulatory requirements.
Ensure regulatory, compliance and audit requirements are understood, evidenced and met in line with business expectations.
Ensure that all procedures are documented and regularly reviewed in line with company guidelines.
Provide regular oversight of team performance, aged settlements, breaks, exceptions and operational risks, ensuring management actions are tracked through to closure.
Lead knowledge sharing across the team, including settlement process training, procedural updates, control reminders and lessons learned from incidents or audit findings.
Ensure individuals performing settlement activities have the appropriate knowledge, skills and expertise, with competence maintained through structured training, coaching, observation and assessment.
Create, maintain and evidence clear lines of responsibility, including ownership of daily settlement activity, control checks, exception management and escalation routes.
Contribute to projects as required.
Manage the team functions to ensure compliant custody, settlement, error repair and account opening/due diligence processes, effective controls, clear accountability, accurate management information and full ownership of remediation actions.
Establish, manage and develop an effective team in line with Platform Securities guiding principles, supporting an inclusive culture of honesty, transparency, trust, collaboration, accountability and client focus.
Ensure adherence to company policies and procedures