Senior Analyst (Funds)

Job Description
Job vacancy: Senior Analyst (Funds) within Securities Supervision in Grade 6 
Job code: SMS/004/2022

About Securities Supervision:
Securities and Markets Supervision is responsible for overseeing investment services license holders, trading venues, central securities depositaries, recognised private collective investment schemes, etc. The Function is also responsible for the regulation and oversight of activities in capital markets including the processing of applications for admissibility to listing on Regulated Markets and the prevention of financial market abuse. The Funds Team is responsible for the supervision of collective investment schemes, fund managers, custodians and recognised fund administrators. The Team conducts both desk-based reviews through the review of financial documentation and data analysis, as well as supervision through onsite interactions. The off-site compliance involves engaging with licence holders on a daily basis and monitoring ongoing developments in the operations of the licence holders. Onsite interactions involve the analysis and evaluation of processes, procedures and internal controls maintained by the licensed entities depending on the scoping of the visit, which may vary from broad scope general visits to thematic ones. In particular, the Team is responsible to supervise compliance with the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMD) and the Undertaking for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directives (UCITS).

The Team also undertakes enhanced supervision of licence holders who either have a history of non-compliance or require close monitoring. In addition, the Team is highly involved in policy matters by providing technical feedback on new legislative proposals.

The Role:
The candidate will form part of the Funds Team, which is responsible for the onsite and offsite supervision of fund managers, collective investment schemes, recognised persons and custodians. The individual will be expected to carry out the following tasks:

• Act as a reference point and lead a dedicated team of analysts responsible for a portfolio of licence holders. The candidate will also be directly responsible for a portfolio of licence holders;
• Actively participate (and lead, if so required) in onsite compliance visits, ensuring that they are delivered with high regulatory standards. The candidate is expected to deliver high-quality post-visit reports and in a timely manner and escalate any serious matters as required;
• Assume responsibility in the drafting and delivery of high-quality reports in relation to offsite work, in a timely manner and evidencing analysis of any weaknesses identified, major findings and recommending any actions;
• Communicate and liaise directly with licence holders to resolve issues and queries, national and foreign regulators as well as representing the unit in meetings as necessary;
• Manage and supervise the reviewing of financial documentation on an on-going basis as well as overseeing the compilation of a risk monitoring system for fund managers, collective investment schemes, fund administrators and custodians;
• Implement risk-based supervision and liaise with senior managers to identify and address supervisory gaps;
• Undertake other supervisory work as delegated by line management.

About You:

• We are looking for candidates with a solid academic background in Law, Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Economics or Public Policy or in another finance-related area, to increase the current pool of internal expertise in the team. Potential candidates should be familiar with the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive and UCITS Directive;
• The role calls for an academic qualification in a relevant field of study at National Qualification Framework Level 6 or better, duly certified by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) or a widely recognised professional qualification at a comparable level

The candidate should possess the following skillset:

• Leadership skills with the ability to lead, coach, mentor and manage his direct reports to work effectively as a team;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to cope with a large volume of work, prioritise and deliver under pressure;
• Sound analytical, numerical and judgemental skills; 
• A drive to enhance technical knowledge and expertise in the field; and
• Ability to analyse large volumes of information, establish the salient matters and decide on the way forward.

You will also possess a minimum of five (5) years of working in the area of financial services and/or compliance with financial services regulations. Candidates with longer working experience relevant to the role will be preferred. If you do not have the necessary academic or professional qualifications but you have at least ten (10) years of relevant experience, we would still be interested in speaking with you.

How to apply or query further information:
Candidates are to forward a copy of their Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) and an accompanying covering letter providing the motivation for the application.

Other Important Information:
The MFSA is an Equal Opportunities Employer as certified by the NCPE (National Commission for the Protection of Equality) and is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will take care to avoid any form of discrimination in its recruitment procedures. The MFSA reserves the right to withdraw this call at any time and not to select any of the Candidates. It is the responsibility of applicants in possession of qualifications awarded by Universities and other similar institutions outside Malta to produce a recognition statement on the comparability of qualifications issued by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC). Applicants should do so preferably at the application stage or otherwise at the preliminary interview should an applicant be selected for such an interview. Details can be obtained by accessing the National Commission for Further and Higher Education website on under MQRIC heading. The MFSA shall ensure that any processing of personal data is in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation), the Data Protection Act (Chapter 586 of the Laws of Malta) and any other relevant European Union and national law. For further details, you may refer to the Data Protection Policy on the MFSA webpage. Candidates are to note that the submission of any false statement/s or omission, even if unintended, may lead to the cancellation of their application and may render the candidate's appointment liable to termination. Furthermore, please note that candidates may be asked to submit any documentation in support of the information provided, including but not limited to, proof of qualifications and Police Conduct Certificates.

*Public Call Permit: 896/2019