Director, Institutional Client Operations

About Lord Abbett:

Founded in 1929, Lord Abbett is an independent firm with a singular focus on the management of money. Over the course of our history, we’ve earned a sterling reputation for our leadership, influence, and innovation in the asset management industry. Today, our independent perspective, our commitment to active management, and our intelligent product design continue to make us relevant to individual and institutional investors.

From the very beginning, we’ve recognized that our people are our greatest asset. As an investment-led, investor-focused firm, we value intellectual curiosity, teamwork, and collaboration across the organization.

We’re looking for people with a keen interest in working for a trusted leader in the asset management industry, a desire to expand their knowledge, and a passion for delivering a client experience that exceeds expectations.

 
Now that you know our history, are you ready to be part of our future?

Job Overview:

This role is responsible for managing the operational implementation of institutional client accounts.  Lord Abbett’s products include mutual funds, UCITS, private funds and separate/segregated accounts. The firm offers institutional client mandates in a broad array of asset classes, including fixed income, equity and multi-asset, investing in U.S. and non-U.S. securities for global clients, many with unique implementation requirements.    The Institutional Client Operations Director will work in an operational and project management capacity to identify firm requirements for new product launches, the firm’s institutional client onboarding activities, design solutions to meet emerging client needs and coordinates across the organization in order to ensure that all project tasks are completed in a timely manner to support successful implementations, facilitate control processes and to drive operational efficiency.

• Serve as the operational lead for institutional client on-boarding activities
• Work closely with various parts of the organization (including Client Services, Investments, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Technology and Operations) to identify operational onboarding requirements
• Design and implement a comprehensive and scalable operating model to support new strategic offerings, leveraging existing systems and capabilities where appropriate
• Coordinate and manage the on-boarding effort across all aspects, including identifying areas of focus and appropriate timelines
• Develop overall project plan and operational servicing requirements
• Deliver an effective communication plan including management reporting, tracking and presentations to senior management
• Facilitate best practice process management with various areas of the organization
• Lead a team of individuals across various business lines and support and control channels responsible for on-boarding coordination
• Faciliate ad hoc projects as needed

• Strong analytical skills
• Strong project management skills
• Broad knowledge of the securities industry and variety of investment vehicles
• 10+ years’ experience in financial services operations; buy-side account onboarding strongly preferred
• Knowledge of general securities rules as well as financial industry regulations and terminology
• Well organized, with strong attention to detail
• BA degree or equivalent, preferred in finance or accounting
• Ability to work under pressure in a deadline driven environment, with ability to adjust to changing priorities
• Ability to critically analyze information and make sound judgments and recommendations
• Must be able to create and maintain project plans, monitor open issues, and drive to resolution
• Professional team player; ability to work with a variety of personalities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Self-starter and motivated
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel, MS Project, and PowerPoint

Personal Characteristics Required: 

• Proactive, collaborative team player
• Able to simultaneously plan and manage multiple requirements and tasks
• Experience managing coordination across multiple organizations
• Outstanding interpersonal, communication and follow-up skills, including ability to directly interface with senior management

Lord Abbett is an equal employment opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual identity, caregiver status, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. All employment decisions at Lord Abbett are based solely on the applicant’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.