Chief Investment Officer Full Time

Join our team at AXA UK & Ireland as our Chief Investment Officer! We are looking for a forward thinking experienced professional to lead our investment strategy and drive superior results for our organization. In this pivotal role, you will have the ultimate responsibility for shaping our investment policy, managing our portfolio and directing our trading activities.

Your experience will be crucial in allocating capital within the Solvency II capital constraints, and you will play a key role in managing funding flows for AXA UK&I and it’s subsidiaries, as well as our pension funds.

If you are a strategic thinker with a proven track record in investment management, we want to hear from you. Join us in shaping the future of our investments and making a real impact in the financial industry.

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You’ll work at least 40% of your week away from home, either at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events.

What you’ll be doing:

• Has primary responsibility for developing strategies, policies, and programs for the investment management of the organisation’s assets:

• Lead the preparation of ALM studies on a periodic basis for all Main Funds and obtain Investment Committee approval.
• Implement recommendations arising from approved ALM studies (eg introduction of new asset classes, asset rebalancing).
• Lead and direct an efficient secured Cash Management activity across AXA UK.

• Manage commercial, contractual and risk oversight framework for Investment Managers, custodians employed (e.g. investment management agreements, investment guidelines, service level agreements, fees) ensuing strong effective relationships are maintained.
• Forecast and manage delivery of budgeted investment income, debt financing costs for AXA UK Group. Provide timely reporting on market conditions, investment activities and capital issues to various board and management bodies within AXA UK and AXA SA. Coordinate with AXA Group functions (e.g. Group Risk Management) on global ALM and investment initiatives.
• Contribute to the global CIO organization through involvement in Group Center of Expertise; + sharing of best practices and proactive talent management.
• Manage/determine acceptable AXA UK aggregate exposure to risks (e.g. approved hedging strategy, monitor non hedged exposures, basis risk carried).
• Manage the smooth running of AXA UK & AXA Ireland Investment Committee meetings and AXA UK Investment Working Group. Ensure clear understanding of investment, ALM and capital issues by all relevant directors, approved persons and non executive directors within AXA UK & AXA Ireland and senior management in AXA SA.
• Contribute to the UK & Ireland Scheme Committee with the aim of ensuring that the risks are managed appropriately and in line with the main funds, where possible/permitted.

• • Ensure that the Investment team is adequately resourced with appropriately skilled and motivated people
  • Ensure adequate succession plans are in place
  • Ensure effective robust development plans are in place for employees to support continuous improvement in performance and capability of technical and soft skills
  • Link effectively with other UK Finance functions to ensure a seamless service is provided to the business.

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you’re interested in joining us at AXA, please don’t hesitate to apply.

We know that some candidates may be discouraged from applying if they don’t meet every requirement. If you’re excited by this job and the prospect of working at AXA but you’re not sure you tick every box, we’d still encourage you to apply.

What you’ll bring:

Qualifications

• Professional finance / investment experience University degree plus one of (1) MBA, (2) Accountancy qualification, (3) Actuarial qualification
• Extensive investment experience
• Strong financial services knowledge

Skills

• Excellent leadership and management capability, stakeholder management
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• First class analytical skills
• Ability to influence and negotiate at all levels

Knowledge & Experience

• High level investment management experience in a major financial services provider.
• Successful track record of delivering and leading teams through change.
• Relevant business experience.

Proven experience working with varied stakeholder types, including external suppliers.

Highly organised, detail oriented and creative approach to problem solving.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

Please be aware that this position is a Senior Management Function role under the SM&CR regime, which means the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced level of background screening requirements.

What we offer:

At AXA UK, we’re appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:

• Competitive annual salary
• Annual company & performance-based bonus
• Discretionary company & performance-based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• AXA employee discounts
• Gym benefits

To apply, click on the ‘apply for this job’ button, you’ll then need to log in or create a profile to submit your CV. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and don’t discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. If you have a long-term condition or disability and require adjustments during the application or interview process, we’re proud to offer access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge. For our support, please send an email to suzie.elliott@axa-uk.co.uk.

Who we are:

AXA UK Support Functions power AXA’s three customer-facing business units, providing the infrastructure, support and expertise to ensure our customers can always count on us. Whether you’ve got heaps of experience and qualifications behind you, or you’re just starting out, we’ll give you the support and opportunities to help you grow and develop with confidence.

C1IO