Where you fit in

We are looking to recruit an Operational Due Diligence Analyst to join the Operational Due Diligence (“ODD”) team of Shell Asset Management Company B.V. (“SAMCO”).

SAMCo in the Hague is the dedicated in-house asset manager for the Shell plc group, sponsored pension funds and insurance companies and currently manages around USD 100 billion of assets for its clients. SAMCo is supervised by the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB). The company is internationally oriented with clients in 10 different countries and approximately 160 employees.

SAMCo’s objective is to provide high quality and cost-effective investment advice and asset management services to its clients. On behalf of its clients, SAMCo invests in fixed income, equities, and alternative investment categories such as private equity funds and other investment funds, all over the world. Specific parts of these activities are outsourced to external investment managers world-wide.

Continuous change in financial markets and regulations as well as the diversity of SAMCo’s clients and the products they invest in, make it a professionally challenging environment to work in.

SAMCo’s ODD team is responsible for assessing whether external investment managers and other key service providers mitigate their operational risks sufficiently to prevent losses due to operational errors or fraud. For this purpose, the team carries out extensive operational due diligence reviews on new relationships and monitors operational developments at existing relationships.

What’s the role?

As the Operational Due Diligence Analyst, you are responsible for assessing if the operational risk to which SAMCo is indirectly exposed by investing via external asset managers is acceptable.

You will review and assess a broad range of different asset managers including hedge funds, real estate funds, private equity funds, and equity and fixed income funds and managed accounts. 

An Operational Due Diligence review consists amongst others of an evaluation of policies and procedures of external assets managers and of virtual or onsite interviews with key decision makers of the external asset manager. 

The ODD team may also perform due diligence on other external parties, when required.

Your key accountabilities include:

The Operational Due Diligence Analyst will be responsible for:

• Conducting thorough virtual and on-site operational due diligence on existing and nominated new external parties to assess amongst others their organizational structure, governance & control framework, use of service providers (prime brokers, administrator), trade process (from initiation to settlement), valuation, risk management, compliance, technology & information security. On-site visits include interviews with senior management of the company (CFO, Chief Risk officer, Chief Operation Officer, etc.)

• Write clear and well-structured reports about the results of the operational due diligence review and present the results to relevant stakeholders

• Periodically analyse reports provided by the external parties such as financial statements, quarterly reports, control reports (SAS70)

• Monitor developments at existing external parties to assess whether operational risks change through monitoring calls and reviewing ongoing news flow

• Keep up-to-date with market developments related to operational risk and industry best-practices

These tasks will provide you:

• An international work environment with significant opportunities to learn new skills and gain in-depth knowledge of

• market and regulatory developments and their impact on specific investment managers, strategies, and the asset management industry in general

• the differences in operational set-up for a broad range of investment strategies

• An extensive international network of different types of asset managers

• Hard and soft skills in performing due diligence and interviewing people

What we need from you

• Master of Science degree or similar

• Extensive experience within the financial industry gained in a previous operational due diligence role or as e.g., external/internal auditor, senior back/mid office staff member, controller, risk manager

• In-depth knowledge of operational processes at asset management companies and a clear understanding of risk factors in design and execution of these processes

• Strong drive and curiosity to uncover how asset managers perform their processes and what operational risks could be hidden in these processes

• Eagerness to keep on learning how operational risk in the asset management industry develops

• Natural ability to work independently in a structured way

• Excellent communication skills, verbally and in writing (English)

• Excellent interpersonal skills integrating assertiveness with tact and diplomacy

• Excellent analytical skills that create the ability to understand details, their linkage, and the broad picture

Company Description

An innovative place to work

There’s never been a more exciting time to work at Shell. Everyone here is helping solve one of the biggest challenges facing the world today: bringing the benefits of energy to everyone on the planet, whilst managing the risks of climate change.

Join us and you’ll add your talent and imagination to a business with the power to shape the future – whether by investing in renewables, exploring new ways to store energy or developing technology that helps the world to use energy more efficiently.

An inclusive place to work

To power progress together, we need to attract and develop the brightest minds and make sure every voice is heard. Here are just some of the ways we’re nurturing an inclusive environment – one where you can express your ideas, extend your skills and reach your potential…

• We’re creating a space where people with disabilities can excel through transparent recruitment process, workplace adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Feel free to let us know about your circumstances when you apply, and we’ll take it from there.

• We’re closing the gender gap – whether that’s through action on equal pay or by enabling more women to reach senior roles in engineering and technology.

• We’re striving to be a pioneer of an inclusive and diverse workplace, promoting equality for employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

• We consider ourselves a flexible employer and want to support you finding the right balance. We encourage you to discuss this with us in your application.

A rewarding place to work

Combine our creative, collaborative environment and global operations with an impressive range of benefits and joining Shell becomes an inspired career choice.

We’re huge advocates for career development. We’ll encourage you to try new roles and experience new settings. By pushing people to reach their potential, we frequently help them find skills they never knew they had, or make career moves they never thought possible