Business Unit:

Job Description:

Role Summary

The primary purpose of the role is to work on the development of new products and the management of existing products for the EMEA business, from idea generation, through to design, governance and lifecycle management. Products are largely UCITS vehicles domiciled in Dublin and the UK. There are also AIF structures in Ireland, France and Luxembourg as well as a range of segregated accounts

The Senior Product Manager is expected to manage and coordinate product development and management activities in conjunction with other team members and to provide support on sales activities throughout Russell Investments when requested. This will involve working closely with other product team members as well as Russell Investment’s GTM (Sales and Client Relationship), Legal, Risk, Compliance, Finance, Investment Division and Operations groups.

The responsibilities of the individual in this position include:

Regulatory & business conduct

• Displaying exemplary conduct and living by our organisation’s Code of Conduct.

• Taking personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct across the business.

• Effectively and collaboratively identifying, escalating, mitigating and resolving risk, conduct and compliance.

Product strategy & market research

• Working with the Director to identify product development opportunities driven by clients, markets or investment teams.

• Maintaining awareness of competitor and regulatory landscape, preparing focused research to support and make recommendations on development and evolution of range.

Idea assessment, product governance & prioritisation

• Assessing client/GTM or Investment Division proposals in order to inform pricing process and recommend structuring options.

• Completing governance (EMEA Product Governance Committee, Global Product Committee, Boards) to ensure product launches/mergers, restructures are evaluated correctly and presented with full analysis.

• Ensuring that product governance requirements are considered at inception and throughout development.

• Raising resourcing issues to the Director.

• Assisting with resolution where appropriate.

Implementation of product initiatives and special projects.

• Coordinating implementation for complex initiatives working with GTM, Investment Division and teams across Global Shared Services.

• Where necessary, ensuring that capabilities are developed and that ongoing responsibilities are appropriately assigned to relevant teams.

• Ensuring regulatory product governance requirements are considered throughout.

• Participating in special projects initiated by groups outside of GTM and ID e.g. benchmark changes.

Product lifecycle management

• Periodically assessing fund range for rationalisation opportunities or changes to funds and share classes.

• Managing all prospectus changes and internal communications to GTM and other business units or Board reporting.

Process management

• Supporting the Director, ensuring that processes maintain momentum.

• Ensuring documentation is updated and communicated appropriately.

• Suggesting improvements.

• Managing processes as allocated by the Director.

Assisting with or attending other internal Committees

• Assisting the Director with input to Audit, Risk, Product reports or updating to senior management.

The successful candidate will have extensive demonstrable skills and experiences including the following:

• IMC or CFA qualification preferred.

• Relevant BSC/BA (Mathematics / Economics or similar) or equivalent experience / qualification.

• Experience in the investment management profession comprising previous product development and management experience with client exposure and project management skills.

• Extensive knowledge of legal, operational and regulatory aspects of the funds industry.

• Good knowledge of financial markets, investment management and the marketplace

• Ability to communicate effectively and knowledgeably (written and oral).

• Confident and competent presentation skills.

• Effectively plans, implements and controls major projects or strategic assignments that involve multiple resources and complex scheduling in a team or cross-functional approach.

• Establishes clear priorities for achieving goals.

• Differentiates between important and urgent activities.

• Creates structure, guidelines and plans for meeting current and future goals.

• Schedules and monitors essential work to ensure optimum use of time and resources.

• Defines performance and resource requirements for self and team members.

• Ability to work well in highly pressured environment.

• Promotes and facilitates the work of a group as well as contributing as a productive member of the team.

• Participates fully (even if not the team leader) by sharing responsibility and ideas, gives credit and recognition to others.

• Shares information.

• Accepts and supports compromise and final group decisions, is respectful of differing opinions.

• Works effectively with people from a range of different backgrounds.

• Is proactive, enthusiastic and a self-starter; seizes opportunities and acts upon them.

• Is self directed rather than passively complying with instructions or assignments.

• Anticipates and prepares for potential problems.

• Takes on tasks and makes a contribution outside the scope of own role.

• Regularly exceeds people’s expectations.