Associate Director – Investments (Trade Operations)

We are seeking a talented individual to join our investments team at Mercer. This role will be based in Gurgaon. This is a hybrid role that has a requirement of working at least three days a week in the office.

Associate Director – Investments (Trade Operations)

We are looking to hire an Associate Director in the Global Wealth Investments – Trading operations, who is a part of Mercer’s Investment management Back-office team, and whose work has a direct impact on the team’s successful outcomes.

The role will be responsible for working closely with the Onshore team and involves supporting daily cash raising and trading activities through the use of technology and industry expertise. Responsibilities include preparing invoices, generating ad hoc reports and reconciliations for clients and external parties, and maintaining accurate data loads and reconciliations within trading and reporting systems. The position also ensures timely completion of daily, monthly, and ad hoc processes related to trading execution, data integrity, and system administration.

• Exciting opportunity to join a rapidly expanding organization with significant growth potential
• Lead initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and drive process improvements
• Mercer is a global leader in Health, Wealth, and Career solutions, delivering innovative services tailored to client needs, their leadership, and employees
• As a member of Mercer, you will collaborate with industry-leading experts on current HR issues, work with a top-tier team, and benefit from the strength of the MMC brand
• Engage with local, national, and international teams to effectively address client requirements by coordinating the most suitable resources
• Leverage the Mercer brand to promote our services and share insights with organizations across the region, connecting them with thought leaders in Health, Wealth, and Career
• Participate in regular client and colleague interactions to foster continuous learning, skill development, and proactive career growth

We will count on you for:

Service Delivery

• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of trade requirements, including settlement timelines and pre-trade notifications, while analysing and executing trades within the trading system, including rebalance plans and cash movements with custodians.
• Oversee daily data feeds, validate system pricing and holdings, monitor plan funded status, and resolve discrepancies to ensure data accuracy and integrity.
• Coordinate month-end reconciliation processes, review trade instructions for third-party products, and manage the collection and aggregation of pension statements, ensuring accurate and timely reporting.
• Drive process improvements, manage relationships with onshore Business Process Owners and senior management, and ensure compliance with internal and client policies to deliver an exceptional client experience.
• Provide training and coaching to new team members on automation tools, deliver timely updates to stakeholders, and uphold high standards of operational excellence and client service.
• Drive and oversee project initiatives, ensuring timely delivery, quality standards, and troubleshooting support for technical and business issues, while managing capacity and resource utilization across teams.
• Ensure adherence to team procedures, tools, and SLAs, with a focus on meeting KPIs, managing client at-risk processes, and maintaining high service standards.
• Lead end-to-end delivery management for high-level investment projects, including client communications, reviews, ramp-ups, and transition activities.
• Monitor and discuss SLA performance with stakeholders, conduct team meetings, and foster employee engagement through goal setting, mentoring, and career development initiatives.
• Manage relationships with onshore Business Process Owners and senior management, ensuring seamless service delivery and strategic alignment.
• Champion process improvements, support strategic projects, and focus on capability development, branding, and compliance to enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Lead efforts in people engagement, knowledge sharing, and organizational initiatives to improve team performance, client experience, and organizational growth.

Problem Solving

• Issue resolution and root cause analysis, whilst assessing the wider employee or client impact and communicate within the team.
• Driving Process Improvement Initiatives and delivering results in line with Business Priorities
• Suggest and implement improvements to process and delivery to ensure productivity is maintained and efficiency met.

People Management

• Manage a team of 8-10 colleagues.
• Develop and implement annual training plans tailored to the developmental needs of team members.
• Design and maintain succession plans for levels D and E to ensure leadership continuity.
• Lead and promote employee engagement initiatives to foster a positive and motivated work environment.
• Manage work allocation and re-prioritize tasks as necessary to meet deadlines and operational goals.
• Serve as a key escalation point for the team, addressing and resolving issues related to deliverables, client concerns, and personnel matters.

Relationship Management

• Manage and strengthen relationships with clients and onshore stakeholders to foster trust and collaboration.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities to expand Mercer’s scope of work with clients.
• Lead onshore, joint onshore-offshore projects, ensuring seamless coordination and delivery.
• Communicate and showcase best practices implemented at Mercer across various forums to promote knowledge sharing.
• Proactively address client escalations and queries, working closely with the Account Management team to ensure timely resolution and maintain strong client relationships.

What you need to have:

• 12+ years of experience in client trading, investment allocation monitoring or similar role.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills both internally and externally.
• Bachelor degree in accounting, finance or related field of study preferred.
• Understanding of the concepts and derivation of the Net Asset Value calculation for a wide range of investment vehicles.
• Demonstrated ability to work in an environment where adherence to procedures and controls is critical.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to multitask, manage multiple priorities and work in a rapidly changing and dynamic environment, ensuring standards and deadlines are met and keeping others informed and up-to-date
• Strong verbal and written communication and analytical skills
• Ability to work and perform under strict deadlines and quick turnaround projects
• Ability to understand the link between data, client needs and its application to the “bigger picture”
• Exceptional interpersonal, organizational, business communication, and time management skills
• Graduate (B.com, BBA or equivalent )
• Master’s Degree in finance (in addition to accounting, economics or mathematics) and progress towards CFA and CIPM will be preferred

What makes you stand out?

• Proven track record of managing critical situations and scaling business
• Adaptable communicator, facilitator, influencer and problem solver
• High attention to detail
• Good relationship skills, Proven ability to work on own initiative as well as in a team
• Adaptable communicator, facilitator and problem solver

Why join our team:

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work and supportive leaders.
• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have impact for colleagues, clients and communities.
• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.

Mercer, a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), is a global leader in helping clients realize their investment objectives, shape the future of work and enhance health and retirement outcomes for their people. Marsh McLennan is a global leader in risk, strategy and people, advising clients in 130 countries across four businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. With annual revenue of $23 billion and more than 85,000 colleagues, Marsh McLennan helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit mercer.com, or follow on LinkedIn and X.

Marsh McLennan is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age, background, caste, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Marsh McLennan is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh McLennan colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person

Mercer, a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), is a global leader in helping clients realize their investment objectives, shape the future of work and enhance health and retirement outcomes for their people. Marsh McLennan is a global leader in risk, strategy and people, advising clients in 130 countries across four businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. With annual revenue of $24 billion and more than 90,000 colleagues, Marsh McLennan helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit mercer.com, or follow on LinkedIn and X. Marsh McLennan is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age, background, caste, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Marsh McLennan is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh McLennan colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.