Senior Associate Product Solutions

Innovation Powered | People Inspired

The Catalyst Group is a tech-focused financial services organization that is creating a spark in a one-dimensional industry. Founded in the Cayman Islands in 2020, Catalyst is a privately owned and fully independent group. We have offices and teams in 5 countries, servicing a global portfolio of clients with a wide range of strategies, structures, and requirements.

Catalyst was founded with a clear mission to reimagine financial services by sparking innovation, harnessing technology, and investing in our people and our communities.

In support of that mission, we have built an award-winning team of highly skilled, innovative, and client-centric individuals that are enabled with best-in-class technology to provide a platform that is unlike anything else in the industry.

We do things differently. We do things better.

Catalyst is a values driven organization. We challenge our people to think and operate in accordance with a set of core values: Collaboration, Innovation, Reliability & Accountability, Connected Culture, Undivided Attention, Integrity, and Transparency. These values are part of our DNA; they are the principles that guide everything that we do.

Core Details and Responsibilities

The Senior Associate – Product Solutions will play a pivotal role in the system ownership, support, and administration of private equity  fund portfolio, NAV, investor portal and allocation systems at Catalyst. This position is integral to ensure smooth client system onboarding for new funds, managing the incubation of new processes for client deliverables, and ensuring seamless handover of processes to operations teams. You will be responsible for collaborating cross-functionally with key internal teams (Product, Operations, Client Experience, and Relationship Management) while ensuring that all new clients' onboarding processes are aligned with Catalyst’s service offerings.

You will work closely with external clients to understand their specific requirements and ensure smooth integration with Catalyst’s systems. Additionally, this role requires you to contribute to the development of new products and solutions, aiming to accommodate changing client needs and improving operational efficiency.

From a high-level perspective, the core responsibilities that form your role are broken down into the following 7 categories:

1.      System Ownership, Administration and Management

2.    
Onboarding Process & Project Management

3.    
NAV & Reconciliation Process Incubation Support & Documentation

4.     Cross-Functional Collaboration

5.     Development of New Products & Solutions

6.     Industry Awareness & Continuous Learning

7.     Risk and Compliance Responsibilities

Your Daily Tasks

1.      System Ownership, Administration & Management

a)    System Ownership: Contribute to the system ownership, support, administration and vendor management of the private equity fund portfolio, NAV and allocation systems.

b)    Ongoing System Support: Provide ongoing support to the operational teams, particularly related to NAV, allocation and portal functions, modules, performance and reporting. Help resolve any system or process issues that arise.

c)     Product and System Enhancements and Maintenance: Work with vendor, Product and IT teams to recommend and/or implement processes or patches to maintain, remediate, and stay current or improve the NAV and allocation systems. Contribute ideas for new system functionalities or enhancements to accommodate future client needs.

d)    Client-Specific Adaptations: When necessary, adapt systems and processes for client-specific requirements, ensuring that solutions remain flexible and tailored to client needs.

2.    Onboarding Process & Project Management:

a)    Fund Setup and Onboarding: Co-manage the end-to-end process of onboarding new funds, including system setup, data integration, take-on and initial NAVs, and handover to operations. Ensure smooth data migration and full alignment with client expectations.

b)    Project Management: Assist Project lead with systems onboarding for new private equity fund launches and “transition-in” from other fund administrators.

c)     Client Interaction: Act as a contributing liaison between external clients and internal teams (Operations, Product, Client Experience, and Relationship Management) to ensure the onboarding process aligns with both the client’s expectations and Catalyst’s service offerings.

d)    Ensure that the onboarding timeline and deliverables are met as per the agreed SLA.

3.    NAV & Reconciliation Process Incubation Support & Documentation: 

a)    NAV Calculation and Support: Manage the process of performing initial and catch-up NAV calculations when needed before handing over the process to the Operations team. Provide ongoing support for NAV processing to ensure smooth operations post-handover.

b)    Initial NAV and Process Handover: Ensure smooth handover from onboarding activities, including parallel periods and initial NAV reconciliations, to the operational team for ongoing processing.

c)     Process Development: Take responsibility for identifying and suggesting process improvements related to client deliverables such as NAV and allocation reporting, ensuring that these processes are documented and scalable.

d)    Process Handover to Operations: Develop clear, detailed documentation for internal staff and clients regarding the handover of processes to ensure long-term success. Assist in the development of training materials for operational teams to ensure smooth execution.

e)     Knowledge Transfer: Provide ongoing training and knowledge transfer to the Operations team to support the successful implementation and maintenance of onboarding processes.

4.    Cross-Functional Collaboration:

a)    Client Onboarding Coordination: Collaborate with internal teams such as Product, Client Experience, and Relationship Management to ensure that the client onboarding process is completed on time, meeting agreed timelines and expectations.

b)    Intra and Interdepartmental Collaboration: Work with the intra-departmental teams in Development and Product IS team and inter-departmental Operations, Client Experience, and Relationship Management teams to ensure that all required tasks are executed correctly and efficiently.

c)     Continuous Improvement: Identify potential improvements to the product onboarding process and suggest solutions for optimization, ensuring a streamlined and efficient workflow for all stakeholders.

5.    Development of New Products & Solutions:

a)    Product Development: Contribute to the development and enhancement of products and solutions, identifying new opportunities that can address changing client demands or improve business efficiency.

b)    Innovation: Actively seek out innovative solutions that can improve existing processes or create new avenues for revenue generation, ensuring the organization remains competitive and responsive to client needs.

c)     Cross-Functional Product Design: Assist product lead to work with Operations, Technology, and Sales teams to create new products and enhance existing solutions that can support both current and prospective clients.

6.    Industry Awareness & Continuous Learning:

a)    Market Trends: Stay informed about the latest industry trends, regulatory updates, and technological advancements in the fund administration and investment management sectors, ensuring that Catalyst’s products and services remain competitive and compliant.

b)    Ongoing Professional Development: Actively pursue opportunities for professional development to enhance your skills and knowledge, contributing to both personal growth and the continued success of the team.

7.     Risk and Compliance Responsibilities:

a)    Compliance Tasks: Perform routine compliance checks and adhere to company risk and compliance processes and policies.

b)    Control Testing: Participate in testing of operational controls and report findings.

c)     Compliance Culture - Working in tandem with Manager and Risk and Governance colleagues to instill a culture that is centered around good governance and compliance.

d)    Documentation Review: Review documentation to ensure compliance with policies.

e)     Support Investigations: Assist in compliance investigations and gather necessary information.

Before we get too carried away, there are a few requirements you’ll need to check off before you can apply for the position:

·       Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting

·       A professional accounting designation (e.g., CPA, CA) would be a plus.

·       3-5 years of experience in fund accounting or related private equity back office and/or operations.

·       Experience with private equity fund products and NAV processing is strongly preferred.

·       Intermediate knowledge of PE fund accounting and allocation systems such as Investran, Geneva, or similar
accounting systems.

·       Experience PE distribution waterfalls and allocations.

·       Familiarity with NPV, cash flow valuation and other valuation models would be advantageous

·       Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft 365 applications for analysis, reporting, and communication.

·       Ability to co-manage projects and drive tasks to completion with attention to detail and efficiency.

·       Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and resolve complex issues across systems and processes.

·       Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact with clients and internal stakeholders at various levels.

·       Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure while meeting deadlines.