Team Lead, Feature Settlements

This role calls for a dedicated and experienced individual to oversee the critical function of structured settlements within a dynamic financial services environment. The primary responsibility will be to ensure the timely and accurate execution of daily settlements for the Global Markets Trading Desk, adhering strictly to market regulations, internal policies, and established deadlines. This leadership position demands a proactive approach to managing a team, fostering a high-performance culture, and consistently meeting defined targets and quality standards.

About the Opportunity

The position is based in Johannesburg and offers a chance to contribute to a leading Africa-focused financial services group known for its innovative approach to global markets. This organisation prides itself on cultivating career growth and fostering an environment where talented professionals can collaborate and excel. The client base is diverse, ranging from individual consumers to large multinational corporations, underscoring the breadth and impact of the company's operations. A key organisational objective is to drive growth across Africa and deliver tangible value to clients and the communities it serves, providing a strong sense of purpose for its employees.

As the Team Lead for Feature Settlements, your day-to-day activities will revolve around the meticulous planning, coordination, monitoring, and supervision of a team responsible for structured settlements. This includes:

• Ensuring the accurate and timely processing of all settlement activities within specified timeframes.
• Achieving departmental targets for efficiency, accuracy, and service delivery.
• Implementing and maintaining robust controls to mitigate operational risks and address control gaps.
• Driving continuous improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing settlement efficiency, reducing operational breaks, and strengthening overall operational resilience.
• Mentoring, coaching, and developing team members to maximise their potential and performance.
• Effectively allocating work, managing delivery under pressure, and promoting accountability within the team.
• Supporting sound decision-making, especially in a high-volume, time-sensitive operational setting.
• Conducting process reviews and challenging existing methodologies to identify and implement more efficient ways of working.

What They're Looking For

Ideal candidates will possess a strong foundation in financial markets operations, complemented by proven leadership capabilities. Essential requirements include:

• A Diploma in Banking, Finance, or Accounting.
• 5-7 years of practical experience in settlements operations, with demonstrable exposure to bond settlements and payments.
• Extensive knowledge of African market settlement environments, including Central Securities Depositories (CSDs), custodian interactions, market cut-off times, regulatory requirements, and cross-border settlement complexities.
• Familiarity with European markets and international settlement processes, particularly Euroclear settlement flows, and the management of settlement instructions, securities and cash movements, and exceptions across multiple time zones.
• A solid understanding of financial market products, along with JSE and Strate rules and regulations.
• Comprehensive experience across the trade lifecycle, encompassing coupon settlements, claims processing, exception management, reconciliations, and daily risk control.
• Proven leadership skills, with the ability to effectively lead, coach, and develop a team.
• A strong controls and risk mindset, with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing operational risks.
• Excellent behavioural competencies, including a focus on checking details, developing expertise, embracing change, following procedures, interacting effectively with colleagues, seeking feedback, managing tasks and timelines, producing quality output, pursuing goals, and demonstrating teamwork.
• Proficiency in technical competencies such as continuous improvement, understanding trade lifecycles, exception handling, manual trade processing, query resolution, settlement processes, and relevant settlement systems.

In South Africa, leadership roles in settlements operations within major financial institutions typically command competitive salaries, reflecting the specialised knowledge and responsibility involved. This type of position offers a clear career path, often leading to more senior operational management or risk oversight roles within the financial services sector.

Type of Qualification: Diploma
Field of Study: Banking
Type of Qualification: Diploma
Field of Study: Finance and Accounting

Experience Required
Settlements
Operations
5-7 years
Practical experience in payments, settlements, or financial markets operations, supported by strong and demonstrable exposure to bond settlements.

5-7 years
Extensive knowledge of African market settlement environments, including local market conventions, Central Securities Depository (CSD) and custodian interactions, market cut-off times, regulatory requirements, and cross-border settlement dependencies. Exposure to European markets and international settlement processes is also essential, particularly Euroclear settlement flows, settlement instruction lifecycle management, settlement discipline, securities and cash movements, and the management of market, counterparty, and operational exceptions across multiple time zones.

5-7 years
Demonstrate a strong understanding of financial markets products, as well as JSE and Strate rules, regulations, and directives. Experience across the trade lifecycle is required, including coupon settlements, coupon claims processing, trade lifecycle management, exception management, reconciliations, and daily risk control activities.

5-7 years
Proven leadership capability is essential, including the ability to lead, coach, and develop a settlements team; allocate work effectively; manage delivery under pressure; drive accountability; and support sound decision-making in a high-volume, time-sensitive environment.

5-7 years
Possess a sound controls and risk mindset, with the ability to identify operational risks and control gaps, strengthen key controls, conduct process reviews, challenge inefficient ways of working, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. A key focus of the role will be enhancing settlement efficiency, reducing operational breaks, improving service delivery, and strengthening overall operational resilience.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Checking Things
• Developing Expertise
• Embracing Change
• Following Procedures
• Interacting with People
• Inviting Feedback
• Managing Tasks
• Meeting Timescales
• Producing Output
• Pursuing Goals
• Taking Action
• Team Working

Technical Competencies:

• Continuous Improvement
• Deal or Trade Life Cycles
• Exception Handling
• Manual Deal or Trade Processing
• Query Resolution
• Settlement Process
• Settlement Systems