Asset Specialist

Client Asset Oversight Specialist

London

12 months contract

£500 per day via Umbrella Company

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone’s chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them.

My client is one of the world's largest custodian bank and securities services company. Businesses, communities and global economies rely on them because they prioritize client experience, collaboration, innovation and resilience. As the “bank of banks,” their unique perspective, informed by one of the largest datasets in the world, powers the financial industry. They understand the best way to succeed at anything is to Consider Everything. Guided by values and behaviours focused on excellence, integrity, diversity and leadership, their global team brings unique perspectives, experiences and skills to pioneer a new generation of financial services.

Role Summary

The Client Asset Oversight Specialist will support the delivery of a targeted programme of work arising from an end-to-end Client asset review, with a primary focus on strengthening the client asset control environment across the Operations Practice. The role will contribute to the execution of review actions, detailed thematic deep dives, and enhancements to the quality, frequency, and automation of client asset control quality assurance activities performed by the Client Asset Oversight team.

This role is suited to an individual with strong client asset, CASS, control oversight, and governance experience who can operate effectively in a regulated environment, identify and assess control weaknesses, and support the implementation of practical and sustainable improvements. You will work closely with stakeholders across Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and related governance teams to help ensure that client asset obligations are met and that the oversight framework continues to evolve in line with regulatory and business expectations.

Based out of the London office you will be hybrid working being in the office 4 days a week, 1 day working from home, standard office hours with the occasional out of office requirement in line with business needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of actions arising from the end-to-end CASS review, ensuring outputs are progressed in a timely, controlled, and well-governed manner.
• Conduct detailed deep dives into client asset processes, controls, incidents, and thematic risk areas to identify weaknesses, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
• Review and challenge operational activities relating to client money and custody assets, including segregation, reconciliations, recordkeeping, exception management, and control execution.
• Help strengthen the quality assurance framework for client asset controls across the Operations Practice, including supporting improvements in methodology, consistency, coverage, and reporting.
• Contribute to increasing the frequency and effectiveness of control QA activities to enable stronger preventative oversight and earlier identification of issues or emerging risks.
• Support the development and implementation of automation opportunities within client asset control QA processes to improve efficiency, scalability, transparency, and control robustness.
• Monitor control performance and identify breaches, control gaps, exceptions, or emerging risks requiring escalation, remediation, or further analysis.
• Assist in the investigation, impact assessment, escalation, and remediation of client asset breaches and related control incidents.
• Track remediation actions to closure, ensuring ownership, timeliness, and effective embedding of lessons learned into the broader control framework.
• Prepare and maintain governance documentation, oversight records, breach logs, QA findings, procedures, and reporting materials to support effective governance and regulatory readiness.
• Support responses to internal audit, external audit, and regulatory review activity relating to client assets and associated controls.
• Track and report control deficiencies, thematic observations, remediation actions, and risk issues to relevant governance forums and senior stakeholders.
• Liaise closely with Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and business teams to ensure effective coordination, transparency, and timely resolution of client asset matters.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives designed to strengthen the client asset oversight framework and enhance the maturity of the control environment.

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in client asset oversight, CASS, custody operations, client money, asset servicing, or a related risk and control function.
• Strong understanding of regulatory obligations and control expectations relating to client asset protection, safeguarding, and oversight.
• Experience supporting control reviews, thematic assessments, deep dives, breach management, remediation tracking, and governance reporting in a regulated financial services environment.
• Ability to identify control gaps, assess operational and regulatory risks, investigate issues, and support effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Experience contributing to quality assurance, control testing, oversight reviews, or control framework enhancements.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple actions in a deadline-driven and controlled environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear, structured governance and oversight documentation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to work effectively across Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and governance teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a banking, custody, asset servicing, or broader financial markets environment.
• Familiarity with CASS and related client asset regulatory frameworks and practical control expectations.
• Prior experience supporting audit activity, regulatory reviews, or large-scale control remediation programmes.
• Experience identifying or supporting automation and process improvement opportunities within oversight or control assurance activities.

Candidates must be able to show evidence of the above in their CV to be considered. Evidence of written work will be requested prior to your application being submitted to the business.

Please be advised if you haven't heard from us within 48 hours then unfortunately your application has not been successful on this occasion, we may however keep your details on file for any suitable future vacancies and contact you.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention.