Who We Are
St. James's Place (SJP) is a leading Wealth Management company which works in partnership to plan, grow and protect our clients' financial futures. We deliver personalised, face-to-face financial advice to our clients, who trust us to manage their money to reach their goals.
*The Fund Operations Graduate Programme:
Assessment Centre:*
Friday 5th December 2025
The Fund Operations Graduate Programme within our Chief Operating Office (COO) Function is an 18-month programme during which you will gain exposure to the full operational lifecycle of our unit trust range, contributing to the resilience and integrity of our investment platform.
This is an exciting opportunity for a graduate with an interest in both the financial markets and operations within one of the UK's largest wealth management organisations.
Based in our offices in London, you will rotate across the department's four core operational teams; Fund Lifecycle Management, Fund Accounting Oversight, Middle Office Oversight and Governance, Risk & Controls.
You'll work closely with experienced individuals, gaining exposure to real projects and responsibilities that build your confidence and capability in a commercial environment.
During the programme you will complete the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) to support your technical skills development, from there we will work with you to assess the requirement for any further qualifications.
All graduate positions are offered on a permanent contract. Upon successful completion of the programme, individuals continue in their roles within the organisation, equipped with the experience and insight gained throughout the Graduate Programme.
*About the team:*
Fund Operations sits within Partner & Client Operations and plays a vital role in safeguarding clients' assets. The team oversees delegated activities such as fund administration and custody, ensuring that everything from daily unit trust valuations to financial and regulatory reporting is accurate, timely, and well-controlled. We also operationalise changes to SJP's unit trust range, whether launching new funds, updating structures, or supporting product evolution. A key part of our role is overseeing the operational activities of SJP's delegated fund managers, making sure they meet our standards and regulatory obligations. Fund Operations works closely with the trustee of the unit trusts and collaborates across SJP, acting as subject matter experts on product, technology, and change initiatives. We bring deep operational insight to help deliver safe, scalable, and client-focused outcomes.
*Key responsibilities:*
During your programme you will undertake four six-month rotations across the team. This programme is designed to give you experience in and understanding of the operational lifecycle of UK unit trusts, fund accounting principles and Net Asset Value (NAV) controls, Middle office functions and third-party oversight, along with the governance, risk and regulatory principles and frameworks associated with UK investment funds and project management and process improvement methodologies.
During these rotations you will have the following responsibilities:
Fund Lifecycle Management
* Support the launch, amendment, and closure of unit trusts;
* Maintain project plans and liaise with internal and external stakeholders across Legal, Investment Management, Investment Product, and other areas of Operations; and
* Document processes and contribute to continuous improvement when delivering fund change.
*Fund Accounting Oversight*
* Oversee daily Net Asset Value (NAV) production and pricing activities and unit trust financial and regulatory reporting;
* Investigate pricing exceptions and discrepancies; and
* Prepare reports and regular oversight materials to support the oversight of key service providers.
*Middle Office Oversight*
* Monitor the operational activities of fund managers and custodians;
* Oversee reconciliations between fund managers and the fund administrator;
* Liaise with fund managers, custodians, other service providers, and internal teams to resolve trading and reporting issues; and
* Assist with unit trust regulatory reporting and investment risk monitoring.
*Governance, Risk and Controls*
* Primary risk contact within the department;
* Coordination of our oversight groups and communications to SJP governance forums, including legal entity executive committees and boards.;
* Management of RCSA process, ensuring key risks within the department are mitigated;
* Management of team governance, including internal control reviews and policy and procedure maintenance.
*What we're looking for:*
* Minimum 2:1 degree (or predicted) in a Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Business, or Data Science related discipline
* Minimum B at Mathematics A-level (or equivalent)
* An interest in the financial markets and an understanding of basic economics and financial constructs
* Strong analytical skills including a level of comfort in analysis of large amounts of data
* Ability to interpret data, spot patterns, and assess risk implications
* Interest in control frameworks, risk registers, and incident management
* Ability to map processes and identify control gaps or improvement opportunities
* Advanced Excel, PowerQuery and PowerBI skills would be advantageous
* Excellent verbal communication skills: able, through storytelling, to communicate complexity in a way that is easy to understand to stakeholders
* Excellent written communication skills: clear, concise writing for minutes, papers, and stakeholder updates
* Teamworking skills and able to work collaboratively
* Good problem solving and critical thinking skills
* Attention to detail
* Organised, able to prioritise competing demands, adaptable and proactive.
*Special Requirements:*
You will be based at our offices in London but may be required on occasion to travel to our offices in Cirencester, Gloucestershire where some of the team are based.
To be eligible for this vacancy, all candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
We accept applications from those who will have recently obtained a Graduate Visa at the point they start our programmes in 2026. Upon expiry we would consider sponsorship based on the eligibility criteria in place at the time and therefore cannot guarantee permanent employment beyond the Graduate Programme.
Any offer of employment is conditional upon this requirement being satisfied.