Operations Graduate - Operations, Asset Operations

Role name:  Operations Graduate - Asset Operations

Application deadline:  1^st December 2026 (applications may close earlier due to demand)

Programme start date:  September 2027

Eligibility:  Final year students graduating in Summer 2027

Who we are:

Rothesay is the UK’s largest pensions insurance specialist, purpose-built to protect pension schemes and their members’ pensions. With over £69 billion of assets under management, we secure the pensions of nearly one million people and pay out, on average, approximately £350 million in pension payments each month.

Rothesay is dedicated to providing excellence in customer service alongside prudent underwriting, a conservative investment strategy and the careful management of risk. We are trusted by the pension schemes of some of the UK’s best known companies to provide pension solutions, including British Airways, Cadbury’s, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Co-Operative Group, National Grid, NatWest, Morrisons and Telent.

At Rothesay, we are striving to transform our industry. We believe deeply in creating real security for the future and our leadership in finding new and better ways to do that is the key to our success. To do that, we need the very brightest original thinkers to bring creativity as well as rigour. Rothesay is a rewarding place to work, where quality people can thrive and prosper. We pride ourselves on the connections our people build, many of whom have been with us for over ten years.

Graduate Programme:

Our UK graduate programme is designed to kick-start careers for ambitious and analytical graduates who want to make an impact. Rothesay is built on a multi-talented, multi-disciplined model, collaborating directly and with singular focus to shape the future. Rothesay’s inclusive and collaborative working environment allows our graduates to build a broad skill-set and shape a strong internal network. We support your development journey, growth in your career, in addition to a competitive salary and tailored benefits.

The programme starts with a fundamentals week for the entire graduate cohort, where you will have in depth networking and insight sessions on Rothesay as a whole. From week two, you will join your team for professional integrated learning and start to make meaningful contributions. Throughout your first year, alongside your permanent role, you will be part of an on-site graduate development programme with both technical and business skills training.  Our teams run lean, giving you excellent visibility and exposure throughout the business, and we will provide continuous training and upskilling for your future.  Rothesay is a rewarding place to work, where quality people can thrive and prosper.

This opportunity is open to summer 2027 graduates who are looking to launch into their career within an entrepreneurial environment where talent can thrive and excel. 

What you’ll do:

Operations is an integral part of the independent control and support structure within the first line whose key mandate is to establish and maintain an effective control environment. Robust risk management is essential for our business.

 The Asset Operations is split into three areas:

• Trade Support
  • Supporting the firms daily hedging and asset deployment strategy.  Working with the Trading desks to ensure accurate booking and management of our asset portfolio, managing the firm’s bond reference data, and ensuring compliance with our swap & repo regulatory reporting obligations.
  • Supporting Rothesay’s day to day execution and funding activities associated with our mortgage businesses, including Riverton, our recently launched in-house mortgage lender, and strategic transactions in non UK jurisdictions including our recent acquisition of a portfolio of French home loans from HSBC
  • Working with Trading, Pricing and Legal teams to set up and manage the transfer of the asset premiums associated with our pension transactions

• Structured Products
  • Work closely with all asset teams in the UK, US & Australia, providing support for our short, medium and long term structured investments across various asset classes, including Commercial Real Estate, Social Housing, Higher Education and Infrastructure.
  • Examples of such investments and direct support for such assets include The University of Manchester’s redevelopment of the Fallowfield campus, investment in UK student accommodation across 15 cities for Unite Group, and the acquisition of the long-term lease of the O2, London’s best-known live entertainment venue.  

• Funding & Collateral
  • Ensuring the firm has sufficient cash to meet all obligations each day through all Group entities, by aggregating all cashflows and subsequently working with our Money Market Fund providers.
  • Providing oversight of our collateral management across multiple products including OTC (swaps), Repo, Reinsurance

In addition, Operations provides solutions to new structures and creates robust and cost efficient processes, increasingly achieved with the use of AI tools.

What we offer

• A meritocratic, driven and stimulating environment where success and achievement are rewarded
• Work with support from leaders in the industry and excellent on-the-job training supplemented with class-based business training where best applied
• A competitive starting salary with a performance related bonus

What we are looking for

• You must have a minimum of a 2:1 or equivalent degree from a leading university in a relevant subject and/or have equivalent work experience
• Strong problem-solving skills and an ability to handle different situations and challenges
• Creative mindset and desire to critically appraise processes with a view to refine / improve
• Basic understanding of risk management and control principles
• Self-Starter, driven, high levels of initiative and drive
• Ability to manage own workload and work as part of a team
• Accuracy and absolute attention to detail
• Strong MS Excel skills

Rothesay competencies:

• Technical Skills - Demonstrates strong technical skills required for the role, pays attention to detail, takes initiative to broaden his/her knowledge and demonstrates appropriate analytical skills
• Drive and Motivation – Be a self-starter; successfully handles multiple tasks, takes initiative to improve his/her own performance, works intensely towards extremely challenging goals and persists in the face of obstacles or setbacks
• Teamwork – Demonstrate evidence of being a strong team player, collaborates with others within and across teams, encourages other team members to participate and contribute and acknowledges others' contributions
• Communication Skills - Communicates what is relevant and important in a clear and concise manner and shares information/new ideas with others
• Judgement and Problem solving - Thinks ahead, anticipates questions, plans for contingencies, finds alternative solutions and identifies clear objectives. Sees the big picture and effectively analyses complex issues
• Creativity/Innovation - Looks for new ways to improve current processes and develop creative solutions that are grounded in reality and have practical value
• Influencing Outcomes - Presents sound, persuasive rationale for ideas or opinions. Takes a position on issues and influences others' opinions and presents persuasive recommendations

Disclaimer :This position description is intended to describe the duties most frequently performed by an individual in this position. It is not intended to be a complete list of assigned duties, but to describe a position level.  The role shall be performed within a professional office environment. Rothesay has health and safety polices that are available for all workers upon request.  There are no specific health risks associated with the role.

Inclusion: Rothesay actively promotes diversity and inclusivity. We know that our success depends on our people and that by nurturing a culture that values difference, we create a stronger, more dynamic business. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.

The collection of applicant diversity data allows Rothesay to map and gain insights into the impact of our DEI strategy for talent attraction. This data is anonymised and is not analysed against individual applications. By requesting mapping our applicants’ demographic profiles, we can identify the under-represented groups. This enables us to identify any barriers to increasing our diversity and take action.