Launched in July 2017, and with more than $77 billion in assets under management, the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO) is one of Canada’s largest multi-client asset managers, investing funds related to pension, insurance, and endowments. The company was created by the Government of Ontario but operates independently and at arm’s length of the government, guided by a highly experienced and professional Board of Directors. Its purpose is to deliver dynamic, cost-efficient investing solutions for public sector pensions and investment funds in Ontario. Through asset pooling, funds can reduce investment management costs and access a broader range of investment strategies, which help to improve returns and ultimately sustain pension and benefit security for Ontarians.

The founding clients of IMCO were the Ontario Pension Board (OPB) and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), followed by WISE Trust and the Provincial Judges Pension Board. While ensuring the effective and prudent investment management of these clients continues to be a top priority, as the company is mandated to grow, it has also been moving forward with its strategy to attract new clients from the myriad funds that invest on behalf of the province’s public-sector entities. As a result of these efforts, IMCO has recently added Ontario’s Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund, Tarion Warranty Corporation, the City of Ottawa, and the Ontario Clean Water Agency to their client list.

In addition to adding four new clients in 2023, IMCO reported strong investment performance achieving a one-year weighted average net return of 5.6%. Other key highlights include launching Global Credit and Private Equity Pools, investing over $1 billion in clean energy transition assets, and achieving a Greater Toronto Top Employer recognition award for 2024.

IMCO’s new 5-year strategic plan builds on the progress achieved since its inception in 2017, including the establishment of critical foundations. The plan is based on four elements: (1) Achieving Investment Excellence, (2) Delivering Client Success, (3) Evolution of Culture, and (4) Enabling Cost and Operational Efficiency.

CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TEAM

The Client Relationship Management (CRM) team serves as the ambassador and primary relationship lead for IMCO’s institutional clients and prospect relationships. Given the critical importance of client partners to IMCO, the CRM team leads core organizational initiatives and activities to enhance the client experience and serves as the client's voice and advocate within IMCO. The CRM team also builds and cultivates relationships with prospective institutional clients in Ontario’s public sector and oversees the onboarding and integration of new client relationships into IMCO.

The CRM team is accountable for managing the growth and retention of clients, proactively addressing evolving needs, generating new business, and engaging with prospective clients while onboarding and integrating new clients into IMCO. The CRM team is accountable for fostering and managing an enhanced and consistent positive client experience across IMCO and partners with internal functional teams to support a client-centric mindset throughout the organization.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Chief Client Officer the Director, Business Management will lead the Business Management function for IMCO’s Client Relationship Management (CRM) team, enabling this high performing team to achieve its objectives by supporting business planning, coordinating management and board reporting, and overseeing client event coordination and communications. As an experienced professional, the Director will be instrumental in developing and executing client communications and will require strong business writing skills. As a leader on the CRM team, the Director plays an active role in reviewing/finalizing client collateral (including applying a client lens to the review of investment publications and materials), creating and running client education seminars, preparing client newsletters, etc. The Director fosters a client centric tone and serves as a strong advocate for clients across the organization.

This role will lead internal initiatives and activities that impact and support building and strengthening relationships with the organization’s current and prospective clients. The Director is also expected to manage by influence and forge strong relationships with internal stakeholders for the purpose of ensuring client interests are at the forefront and there is ongoing awareness and understanding of client objectives and aligned requirements.

This role enables the CRM team to deliver on their mandates, partners with IMCO stakeholders to deliver process and change initiatives, and identifies and delivers continuous improvement opportunities, building nimbleness and agility into the fabric of the organization and improving the team’s efficiency and effectiveness. This role works in partnership with the CRM leaders to scope and deliver a range of client strategy initiatives.

The Director of Business Management will have a solid track record of structured problem solving, identifying critical business issues, developing structured program plans, driving to strong business outcomes, working across multiple business areas to orchestrate win-win solutions, managing change, and building relationships of trust at multiple levels.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establish and document robust, effective, and repeatable operational processes. This requires leading with partnership across the organization to improve efficiency of IMCO-wide processes that impact the CRM team.
• With the support of internal stakeholders, the Director will lead, plan, design and execute client event management and client communications, i.e., monthly client newsletter.
• In partnership with the CRM leadership team, the Director will architect the client success communications strategy for internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead both the annual and multi-year business planning program for the CRM team, including budgeting and planning.
• Apply strategic oversight to develop a view for general team resource management; create a view for capacity optimization based on annual and program deliverables.
• Act as a conduit to CRM leaders to ensure client deliverables are coordinated with efficiency, meeting and exceeding client expectations, impacting the client experience.
• Program and project management for IMCO’s Annual Client Reporting, ensuring KPIs and SLAs are monitored and managed in time for report production and delivery.
• Program ownership for the team’s client database as well as inquiry management. The Director will play a lead role in identifying efficiency and scale to support client needs.
• Build effective relationships with internal partners and leaders across IMCO, including Investments, Finance, and Operations leaders and colleagues.
• Lead with influence and client centricity as a representative in internal committees (i.e., Management Operating Committee, etc.)
• Oversee, coordinate, and manage CRM cross-functional deliverables to Senior Executive Team and IMCO Board of Directors.
• Apply a growth mindset to identify and implement opportunities to drive nimbleness and innovation across the team, partnering with stakeholders and internal functions across the organization.
• Identify, implement, and deliver results from continuous improvement initiatives for the team.
• Serve as strategic partner and primary contact for all enterprise-wide programs that impact the CRM team, i.e., annual business planning, corporate initiatives, employee program development, etc.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and development to the CRM team.
• Work with senior leaders across IMCO to meet strategic objectives.
• Play a key role in fostering an environment of partnership, caring and inclusivity.

REQUIREMENTS

• Depth of related industry experience working in financial services (especially asset/investment management), management consulting, or other relevant industries.
• Depth of related functional experience working in similar roles such as Chief of Staff, Business Management or Operations.
• Good understanding of financial markets and investment products, experience working for an institutional asset manager is an asset.
• Experience structuring problems, resolving ambiguity, driving to decision and action, getting things done, delivering business results.
• Experience working in complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong analytical skills and business judgement as well as business writing.
• Team player who enjoys a collaborative environment and high-performance culture.
• Exceptional tact, diplomacy, and strong client focused approach.
• Exceptional communication with the ability to articulate complex concepts to a variety of internal audiences.
• Dynamic inter-personal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and engage all stakeholders.
• Ability to develop strategies and implementation plans.
• Role model work ethic, using the highest level of integrity under all conditions.
• Ability to influence others through the appropriate use of listening, persuasion, passion, empathy, and logic when presenting opportunities, issues, and recommendations.
• Demonstrated strength in decision-making, strategic analysis and planning, all with sound judgement.
• A bachelor’s degree in a related field of study.
• An advanced degree in Finance, MBA, or a related field and/or CFA/FRM/CAIA designation is an asset; similarly, a professional designation (e.g. CFA, CA, CPA) is a plus.