Operations Specialist- Reconciliation- AVP

Job description

Job Description: Employer: DWS Group Title: Operations Specialist- Reconciliation- AVP Location: Madrid Job Code: placeholder for LinkedIn job wrapping About DWS: Today, markets face a whole new set of pressures – but also a whole lot of opportunity too. Opportunity to innovate differently. Opportunity to invest responsibly. And opportunity to make change. Join us at DWS, and you can be part of an industry-leading firm with a global presence. You can lead ambitious opportunities and shape the future of investing. You can support our clients, local communities, and the environment. We’re looking for creative thinkers and innovators to join us as the world continues to transform. As whole markets change, one thing remains clear; our people always work together to capture the opportunities of tomorrow. As investors on behalf of our clients, it is our role to find investment solutions. Ensuring the best possible foundation for our clients’ financial future. And in return, we’ll give you the support and platform to develop new skills, make an impact and work alongside some of the industry’s greatest thought leaders. This is your chance to achieve your goals and lead an extraordinary career. This is your chance to invest in your future. Read more about DWS and who we are here. Team / division overview The COO Division is a key enabler for DWS and is integral to the future success of the company by delivering world-class services across a set of key functions. It covers essential Technology and Operations capabilities to deliver a platform which is efficient, scalable, resilient and agile. Within Operations, the Reconciliations function plays a critical role in protecting the integrity of our books and records, ensuring breaks are identified, investigated and resolved in a timely, controlled and transparent manner. As AVP – Reconciliation – Operations Specialist, you will help drive the day-to-day execution and ongoing enhancement of these core controls, partnering closely with internal teams, Technology, service providers and external counterparties to strengthen operational resilience, improve efficiency and support the delivery of scalable, risk-focused processes across the platform. As part of this agenda, the successful candidate will be expected to actively contribute to automation, AI-enabled process improvement, data-driven controls and smart workflow design, while ensuring that operational risk, auditability and sound governance remain embedded in everything the team delivers. Your responsibilities – As our Operations Specialist- Reconciliation- AVP you will: Oversee the day-to-day delivery and execution of the Reconciliations function, ensuring cash, position and transaction breaks are identified, investigated, escalated and resolved in a timely, controlled and transparent manner. Review workflows, key operating procedures and reconciliation reports on a regular basis to maintain strong KPIs across process lines, investigate performance breaches and ensure alignment with the Reconciliation Target Operating Model. Serve as a subject matter expert and key escalation point for complex reconciliation and operational issues, leveraging strong product, system and trade lifecycle knowledge to drive root-cause analysis and sustainable remediation. Partner closely with Front Office, Operations, Compliance, Legal, Technology, custodians, clearing houses and counterparties to resolve breaks, manage escalations and support smooth end-to-end operational processing. Drive a robust risk and control environment for Reconciliations by actively monitoring KPIs and KRIs, identifying control gaps, ensuring adherence to bank policies and procedures, and maintaining audit-ready documentation and governance. Identify synergies across processes and teams to improve capacity utilisation, strengthen resilience, establish effective back-up arrangements and support other operational areas during periods of increased volume or contingency. Contribute to the Smart Middle Office agenda by identifying opportunities to apply AI, machine learning, workflow automation and data analytics to reduce manual effort, improve exception management, strengthen predictive controls and increase operational transparency. Translate reconciliation pain points into practical automation or AI-enabled use cases, working with Technology, transformation partners and operational SMEs to shape controlled, scalable and measurable solutions aligned to business priorities. Prepare, analyse and present operational performance reporting for senior management, providing data-driven insights and recommendations to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement. Promote a high-performance culture by supporting effective knowledge sharing, team engagement, skill development and performance management in line with organisational guidelines and DWS values. We are looking for: Graduate or master’s degree, or equivalent professional experience 5+ years of relevant experience in financial services, ideally across asset management, investment banking, fund accounting, custody or related operational environments. Extensive hands-on experience in cash, position and transaction reconciliations across investment and accounting books of records, with strong exposure to custodians, clearing houses, counterparties and service providers. Comprehensive knowledge of security and trade lifecycles across a broad range of financial products, with the ability to understand how operational events translate into reconciliation breaks, risk items and downstream impacts. Strong understanding of operational risk, control frameworks, regulatory expectations and compliance requirements, with an audit-ready mindset and proven ability to strengthen governance and controls. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to manage escalations, influence outcomes and build trusted relationships across Front Office, Operations, Compliance, Legal, Technology and external partners. Experience with platforms such as Aladdin and market data tools such as Bloomberg would be advantageous, alongside advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint. Quality-focused, solution-oriented and innovative mindset, with Lean, Six Sigma or continuous improvement experience considered a strong advantage. Practical understanding of AI, automation, workflow design and data analytics concepts, with the ability to identify meaningful Smart Middle Office use cases in a Reconciliations environment and partner with Technology to deliver them responsibly. Demonstrated ability to use data-driven insights to improve operational performance, reduce manual effort, enhance exception management and support scalable, resilient and controlled processes. Willingness to work required shifts where necessary to support global operational coverage Proven ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, optimise workflows to solve business problems, while applying critical judgment to ensure responsible and ethical use of data and AI outputs. Ability to influence stakeholders and drive outcomes across a matrix, global organization. Proactive approach to identifying control gaps and improving data quality frameworks. What we’ll offer you: At DWS we’re serious about diversity, equity and creating an inclusive culture where colleagues can be themselves sand it’s important to us that you enjoy coming to work - feeling healthy, happy and rewarded. At DWS, you’ll have access to a range of benefits which you can choose from to create a personalised plan unique to your lifestyle. Whether you’re interested in healthcare, company perks, or are thinking about your retirement plan, there’s something for everyone. DWS’ Hybrid Working model is designed to find the right balance between in-person collaboration and engagement in the office, which is core to our working culture, and working from home. Each business group varies on the split between time spent in the office and at home, but this will be discussed and made clear as part of your application and interview process. We will continue to review and evolve our working environments and methods to ensure that we are working in the best way possible for our people. If you require any adjustments or changes to be made to the interview process for any reason including, or related to a disability or long-term health condition, then please contact your recruiter and let them know what assistance you may need. Examples of adjustments include providing a change to the format of the interview, or providing assistance when at the DWS office. This will not affect your application and your recruitment team will discuss options with you We at DWS are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, one that embraces dialogue and diverse views, and treats everyone fairly to drive a high-performance culture. The value we create for our clients and investors is based on our ability to bring together various perspectives from all over the world and from different backgrounds. It is our experience that teams perform better and deliver improved outcomes when they are able to incorporate a wide range of perspectives. We call this #ConnectingTheDots.