Mandate Officer(s)

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is seeking to recruit for its CIO – Client Services Department (CS) - Client Services – Mandate Services Division, at its headquarters in Luxembourg, several [Senior] Mandate Officers*. These are full-time positions at grade 4/5 for which the EIF offers a permanent contract.

• Internal benchmark: Officer

This is a generic campaign in the view of both current and possible future vacancies.

Panel interviews via video-conference are anticipated for July and September 2024.

Note: All applicants will have to indicate when applying for which role they wish to be considered.

Purpose

We – EIF – are a specialist provider of risk finance to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) across Europe. We are part of the EIB Group. Our shareholders are the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and a wide range of public and private banks and financial institutions. We carry out our activities using either our own resources or those provided by the European Investment Bank, the European Commission, by EU Member States or other third parties. By developing and offering targeted financial products to our intermediaries, such as banks, guarantee and leasing companies, micro-credit providers and private equity funds, we enhance SMEs access to finance.

The Client Services Department is where we are effectively responsible for EIF Middle and Back Office operational activities linked to both existing and potential EIF transactions with our intermediaries as well as our resource providers. At the Mandate Services Division, we centralise the expertise in the fields of mandate onboarding, governance, operational reporting, and termination, among others. All these activities are to be performed in close cooperation with other EIF services and include, among others (i) the proactive participation in the development of new mandates focusing on the negotiation of operational aspects so as to provide a coherent and reliable approach to support EIF mandate business; and (ii) the daily management of existing mandates and requests from mandators, focusing on operational aspects.

The Mandate Management Officer will be in charge of the performance of mandate management related activities such as the monitoring of contractual obligations and mandates objectives, presentation of mandates results and operations to mandators and other stakeholders, and oversight and internal coordination of mandate operations (reporting, management fees, cash flows, etc.) among others, covering the development, on-boarding, implementation and termination phases of mandates.

The Reporting Officer will be in charge of ensuring accurate and timely reporting of operational data for the whole spectrum of EIF managed investment programmes and contribute to the presentation of mandates results and operations to mandators and other stakeholders, working in a detail-oriented, strong analytical and data-driven environment.

Note: Applicants must indicate in their cover letter for which role(s) they wish to be considered (being the Units a, b, c & d - it can be one or more)

Operating network

The Client Services – Mandate Services Division is composed of four different Units: (a) Equity & Hybrid Mandate Management Services Unit; (b) Guarantee Mandate Management Services Unit; (c) Equity Reporting Unit; and (d) Guarantee Reporting Unit. You will directly report to and work under the supervision of one of the Heads of Unit, who in turn report to the Head of Client Services – Mandate Services Division. You will be in constant contact for operational matters with other relevant EIF services and external stakeholders, such as mandators, the EIB, the European Commission, financial intermediaries and service providers.

Responsibilities

At a level commensurate with your experience and seniority, you will perform the following activities, among others:

For the role(s) within the Equity & Hybrid Mandate and Guarantee Management Services Units (i.e. Units (a) and (b) above):

• Daily management and monitoring of mandate-related contractual obligations, acting as central contact point both internally and externally in the mandate post signature lifecycle, in close cooperation with the Mandate Origination & Relationship Management Department and with the support of other services.
• Contribution to the reporting process, coordinating of other services’ input, performing consistency review, submission to clients and presentation of mandates’ results and operations to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Governance: planning, organisation, minutes drafting and monitoring of the mandates governance meetings, as well as governing bodies’ members appointment/replacement and the presentation of operational related matters, in close cooperation with other internal services and external providers.
• Contribution to the origination of EIF mandates focusing on the negotiation of operational aspects in close cooperation with other services and with a view to optimize the mandate implementation.
• Mandate data ownership and coordination of the input (contractual information) after signature & post signature events and mandate set up in EIF information systems (e.g. eFront).
• Development of tools to ensure an efficient and streamlined on-boarding of mandates (e.g. operational manuals/processes, on-boarding roadmaps, etc.).
• Proactive monitoring of mandates to plan and organise mandates termination in an efficient manner, including negotiations with clients on anticipated terminations and amendments. For incorporated structures, launch and monitor the vehicle liquidation in coordination with internal services and external providers.

For the role(s) within the Equity and Guarantee Reporting Units (i.e. Units (c) and (d) above):

• Generate and deliver regular operational reports, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to reporting standards for Private Equity and / or Guarantees business lines.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to identify reporting requirements and develop customised reports to meet their specific needs.
• Coordinate and facilitate internal and external audits related to operational reporting processes and controls.
• Maintain and enhance existing reporting processes and frameworks, continuously seeking opportunities for improvement and automation.
• Conduct quality checks on data sources, validate data accuracy, and address any data integrity issues. Contribution to the origination of EIF mandates focusing on the negotiation of reporting related aspects.
• Contribution to the presentation of mandates’ results and operations to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proactively identify opportunities to streamline reporting processes, reduce manual effort, and enhance operational efficiency through automation.
• Stay updated with the latest industry trends, reporting methodologies, and emerging technologies relevant to operational reporting.

Qualifications

Common requirements for all roles:

• 
  University degree, preferably in Finance, Economics, Law, Business Administration, Engineering or related subjects (i.e. STEM), preferably at postgraduate level;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an advantage.

Additionally for the role(s) within the Equity & Hybrid Mandate and Guarantee Management Services Units (i.e. Units (a) and (b) above):

• At least three (3) and no more than five (5) years of post-graduation proven relevant professional experience in a position with similar responsibilities or in a middle office function, audit, fund administration, finance or banking role with significant exposure to operations monitoring and/or client reporting functions;
• Practical experience or understanding of accounting principles;
• Previous experience in financial analysis and the interpretation of financial and/or legal documentation;
• Any – or combination – of the following would be an advantage:

o Prior proven exposure to mandate operational aspects;
o Experience in the design of workflows and processes and solid knowledge of legal and commercial documentation, preferably related to EU programmes;
o Experience of drafting minutes, compiling board package and memoranda on corporate matters;
o Exposure to loan guarantees, securitization, structured finance products and/or private equity investments;
o Good knowledge of EU and SMEs financial instruments and regulations;
o Good knowledge of project management software packages;

• Good knowledge of standard IT tools.

Additionally for the role(s) within the Equity and Guarantee Reporting Units (i.e. Units (c) and (d) above):

• At least three (3) years and no more than five (5) years of post-graduation proven relevant professional experience in a position with similar responsibilities or operational reporting, data analysis, or business intelligence, ideally within Private Equity or Guarantees / Securitisation area;
• Proficiency in using reporting tools and software (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Business Objects, Excel) to create and deliver operational reports;
• Experience with data visualization and creating visually compelling reports;
• Knowledge of data governance principles and best practices would be an advantage.

Competencies

• Ability to work within tight deadlines, to respond swiftly and effectively to unforeseen situations in a client focused and high-quality service environment;
• Excellent interpersonal skills for dealing with internal and external contacts and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with ability to draft documents promptly and accurately;
• Sense of initiative and innovation in proposing solutions to issues;
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment;
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically to identify areas for improvement;
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret complex data sets, draw insights, and communicate findings effectively;
• Client oriented and committed to quality;
• Strong team player, self-starter personality, constructive and result oriented approach;
• Capacity to develop the role, to show flexibility and to adapt to the rapidly evolving needs of the EIF;
• Accuracy and excellent attention to detail, with ability to work with large datasets.

Deadline for applications: 12 July 2024

Applications from women and/or candidates from countries under-represented in EIF (DEU, NLD, DK, SE, AT, CZ, SE) are encouraged.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact the EIF Recruitment team Recruitment@eif.org who will ensure that your request is handled.

Applicants will receive an email acknowledging reception of their application.

EIF successful candidates will be transferred to the hiring department with their current contractual terms and conditions*, whilst EIB successful applicants, will be hired on EIF terms and conditions. Appointment under internal mobility (inter or intra Group) will not lead to an automatic conversion of a fixed-term contract (CDD) into an indefinite contract (CDI).

Further information on internal mobility, including eligibility to apply, is available here: Link.

Applicants will receive an email acknowledging reception of their application.
EIF successful candidates will be transferred to the hiring department with their current contractual terms and conditions*, EIB successful applicants will be hired on EIF terms and conditions. Appointment under internal mobility (inter or intra Group) will not lead to an automatic conversion of a fixed-term contract (CDD) into an indefinite contract (CDI).

• 
  Due to high volume of applications, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.