Investment Accounting Systems Manager

Key Responsibilities

Investment Accounting System Leadership

• Serve as the enterprise business owner and subject matter expert for PAM across the organization.
• Provide strategic direction and recommendations for PAM enhancements, operational priorities, stakeholder requirements, and process improvements, while partnering with senior leadership on final investment and budgetary decisions.
• Ensure PAM functions as the organization's ABOR and provides accurate, timely investment accounting, performance, and management information.
• Maintain the integrity, reliability, and effectiveness of PAM data, processes, and controls.
• Partner with Accounting, Investments, Risk Management, IT, and other stakeholders to identify and implement system enhancements and process improvements.
• Manage upstream and downstream system integrations supporting investment operations, financial reporting, management reporting, and regulatory requirements.

Team Leadership & Support

• Manage one direct report, including coaching, work allocation, and performance support.
• Provide functional leadership and support across global accounting and operational teams that rely on PAM data, reporting, and processes.
• Act as the point of escalation for PAM-related production issues, system defects, and business process concerns.
• Coordinate issue resolution across internal teams and external vendors to reduce operational risk and disruption.

Vendor Relationship Management

• Manage the strategic relationship with State Street to maximize value and benefits for Fairfax users.
• Negotiate vendor contracts, manage service-level agreements (SLAs), monitor vendor performance, and provide ongoing feedback to support continuous service improvement.
• Lead or support service reviews, product roadmap discussions, operating model improvements, and vendor escalation management.
• Advocate for business requirements, functionality requests, and new business needs on behalf of PAM stakeholders.
• Evaluate opportunities to improve vendor services, platform functionality, and technology value.

Project & Change Management

Lead and support major investment systems initiatives, including:

• Enterprise-wide investment accounting system projects impacting head office and subsidiary operations.
• Annual systems upgrades and technology implementations.
• New PAM functionality implementations, including review of business requirements, testing, planning for upstream and downstream impacts, user communication, training, and post-production support.
• Investment accounting integration activities for newly acquired subsidiaries, including :
• Loading and validation of acquisition-date positions to establish accurate opening records in PAM.
• Training and knowledge transfer for new PAM users, including guidance on system navigation, processes, controls, and reporting expectations.
• Coordination with subsidiary teams, Accounting, Investments, IT, and State Street to resolve onboarding issues and ensure new entities are integrated effectively.

Reporting, Governance & Controls

• Perform and oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual investment accounting activities, including bulk data processing, user access reviews, reconciliations, NAIC classification reviews, and financial statement disclosures to ensure operational accuracy, compliance, and timely reporting.
• Coordinate access provisioning, access changes, and deprovisioning activities as required.
• Support SOX and internal control requirements by performing periodic user access reviews, segregation of duties assessments, and control validation activities within PAM.
• Produce user access control review evidence and supporting documentation for internal and external audit requirements.
• Assist with internal and external audit queries by providing documentation, explaining PAM processes and controls, and coordinating responses and remediation activities.
• Develop and maintain procedures, control documentation, and operational support materials for PAM processes.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting investment accounting platforms, investment operations, securities processing, reconciliations, and financial reporting processes.
• Direct PAM experience is not required; experience with equivalent investment accounting platforms is acceptable.
• Strong understanding of investment accounting, portfolio reporting, data controls, and system integrations.
• Experience managing third-party vendor relationships, software contracts, SLAs, vendor performance feedback, and service delivery expectations.
• Proven project management and change management experience, including requirements gathering, testing, implementation, user training, and post-production support.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, documentation, stakeholder management, and control-focused skills.
• Experience supporting investment accounting within an insurance company environment is strongly preferred. Experience in asset management, investment operations, or broader financial services environments is considered an asset.

Key Success Measures

• Timely resolution of PAM production issues and stakeholder requests Successful delivery of system upgrades, enhancements, and strategic initiatives.
• Effective onboarding and integration of newly acquired subsidiaries, including accurate acquisition-date position loads.
• Delivery of accurate and timely regulatory, financial, and management reporting support.
• High levels of stakeholder satisfaction across Investment Accounting, Finance, Risk Management, IT, and subsidiary teams.
• Positive audit outcomes and effective support of SOX and user access control reviews.
• Continuous improvement of PAM functionality, automation, controls, and operational processes.
• Achievement of vendor SLA commitments and effective vendor relationship management.