Operations Associate – Cape Town South Africa

Reference Number: JP-AGC-002

The Company:

Our client, an FCA regulated investment firm, is an impact investment manager, specializing in trade receivables financing in emerging and underserved markets. They put capital to work for small- and medium-sized enterprises with a high potential for growth, working closely with local financial institutions to provide funding and support. Investors achieve a double bottom line: attractive returns and a positive social impact, local financial institutions unlock new markets to bring working capital to more customers and business owners gain access to funding when they need it most. Our impact investment strategy helps communities grow and thrive by strengthening local financial ecosystems and helping them extend their global reach.

Job Description:

The Operations Associate is a key member of the Operations team. The primary purpose of the role is to ensure the efficient operational administration of all aspects related to clients (the intermediary financial institutions) as required. This is a focused role where the role holder is able to take instruction but is also a self-starter, demonstrating initiative and a commitment to continually improve operational processes. The role holder must be comfortable working within a small but busy and dynamic environment and be comfortable working to deadlines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work with the Operations Manager and the Chief Investment Officer to provide accurate and timely operational and financial information to the Investment team
• Maintain client information in logical file structures on a cloud-based network
• Responsible for setting up disbursements by verifying transaction information; scheduling and preparing disbursements; obtaining authorisation of payment
• Reconcile interest income by verifying transaction information; computing charges and refunds; preparing and emailing invoices; identifying delinquent accounts and insufficient payments
• Collect interest income by reminding delinquent accounts, notifying clients of insufficient payments
• Obtain and monitor financial information for portfolio and ensure counterparties comply with pre-agreed KPIs, financial and operational covenants, and compliance to loan agreements.
• Review and process the security provided by counterparties in the portfolio.
• Identify risks and weaknesses and report them to the risk or investment team for further assessment.
• Complete projects and special assignments by establishing objectives; determining priorities; managing time; gaining cooperation of others; monitoring progress; problem-solving; adjusting plans.
• Review and report on the quality of a counterparty’s security for purposes of facility renewals.
• Basic financial analysis of counterparties’ management accounts and report potential risks to the risk manager.
• From time to time, conduct remote operational due diligence
• Assist with other ad-hoc tasks as may be required
• Must contribute to and adhere to the firm’s compliance procedures.
• Must attend compliance training and read all required compliance materials

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Degree or equivalent in Finance, Accounting or Economics
• Excellent communication skills in English. Other languages would be a plus.
• Previous experience as an operations or credit analyst is a plus
• Previous experience at an asset-based lending firm is a plus
• Knowledge of financial statements is key
• Understanding of asset-backed lending
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel
• Good command of other MS Office applications (Word, PowerPoint)
• Familiarity with or an interest in impact investing