Operations Specialist- Operations Vendor Oversight, AVP

Employer:             DWS Group

Title:                      Operations Specialist- Operations Vendor Oversight, AVP

Location:               Madrid

Job Code:              placeholder for LinkedIn job wrapping

About DWS:

Today, markets face a whole new set of pressures – but also a whole lot of opportunity too. Opportunity to innovate differently. Opportunity to invest responsibly. And opportunity to make change.

Join us at DWS, and you can be part of an industry-leading firm with a global presence. You can lead ambitious opportunities and shape the future of investing. You can support our clients, local communities, and the environment.

We’re looking for creative thinkers and innovators to join us as the world continues to transform. As whole markets change, one thing remains clear; our people always work together to capture the opportunities of tomorrow.

As investors on behalf of our clients, it is our role to find investment solutions. Ensuring the best possible foundation for our clients’ financial future. And in return, we’ll give you the support and platform to develop new skills, make an impact and work alongside some of the industry’s greatest thought leaders. This is your chance to achieve your goals and lead an extraordinary career.

This is your chance to invest in your future.

Read more about DWS and who we are here.

Team / division overview

The COO Division is a key enabler for DWS and is integral to the future success of the company by delivering world-class services across a set of key functions. It covers essential Technology and Operations capabilities to deliver a platform which is efficient, scalable, resilient and agile.

Operations Vendor Oversight is part of the COO Division and is responsible for the governance and oversight of strategic service providers across retirement savings accounts, Riester pensions, Transfer Agent and Registrar services, and Fund Administration. The function comprises two teams: Retained Organization MorgenFund, which oversees MorgenFund across Riester, retirement savings accounts, and Transfer Agent and Registrar services; and Fund Admin Oversight, which oversees Fund Accounting and Transfer Agent and Registrar services delivered by other strategic partners. Combining deep operational and regulatory expertise with strong vendor governance, the team promotes stable, transparent, and resilient outsourced services through clear ownership, close collaboration, and continuous improvement.

As part of this agenda, the successful candidate will be expected to actively contribute to automation, AI-enabled process improvement, data-driven controls and smart workflow design, while ensuring that operational risk, auditability and sound governance remain embedded in everything the team delivers.

Your responsibilities –

As our Operations Specialist- Operations Vendor Oversight, AVP you will:

• Oversee outsourced services through a robust governance framework aligned with internal policies, service standards and German regulatory outsourcing requirements, including recurring due diligence throughout the contract lifecycle.

• Develop and maintain service catalogues, Service Level Agreements, management information and Key Performance Indicators, and monitor performance through risk-based controls and regular service reviews.

• Prepare, lead and document service review, due diligence and management escalation meetings, and contribute to annual outsourcing reports for the relevant DWS entities.

• Act as the key interface between DWS Business Owners and service providers, coordinating enquiries, complaints and escalations while ensuring incidents are resolved promptly and outsourcing risks are identified and communicated.

• Support the joint project book of work, including regulatory and strategic initiatives, and continuously analyse outsourced processes to recommend and drive service and control improvements.

• Contribute to annual budget planning, actuals, forecasts and project cost oversight; validate and approve vendor invoices, monitor service credits and maintain a reliable data basis for management reporting.

• Help build and shape the vendor oversight model for DWS’s new retirement savings account platform, applying strong communication, organisation and ownership to establish effective processes and trusted partnerships.

• Contribute to the Smart Middle Office agenda by identifying opportunities to apply AI, machine learning, workflow automation and data analytics to reduce manual intervention, improve exception management, strengthen predictive controls and enhance operational transparency.

• Translate operational pain points into clear automation or AI use cases, working with Technology, transformation partners and operational SMEs to shape practical solutions that are controlled, scalable and aligned to business priorities.

We are looking for:   

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience).

• Solid industry knowledge of wealth management, asset management or retirement savings.

• Experience in service provider management, procurement or finance would be an advantage.

• Good knowledge of German outsourcing regulations would be an advantage.

• Confident written and verbal communication in both German and English would be preferable

• Proven ability to build effective, sustainable relationships with internal stakeholders, external specialists and service providers.

• Strategic and connected thinking, combined with sound judgement in complex situations.

• A high degree of initiative, with thoughtful and confident decision-making.

• Practical understanding of AI, automation and data analytics concepts, with the ability to identify meaningful use cases in an Operations environment and partner with Technology to deliver them responsibly.

• Experience with process automation, workflow design, digital tooling, Python, Power Automate, SQL, data visualisation tools or similar technologies would be highly beneficial.

• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to operate independently as a subject matter expert.

• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive outcomes across a matrix, global organization.

• Proactive approach to identifying control gaps and improving data quality frameworks.

• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills in high pressure environments.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet tight deadlines, and maintain high accuracy.

• Continuous improvement mindset with focus on operational efficiency and scalability.

• Proven ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, optimise workflows to solve business problems, while applying critical judgment to ensure responsible and ethical use of data and AI outputs.

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What we’ll offer you:

At DWS we’re serious about diversity, equity and creating an inclusive culture where colleagues can be themselves sand it’s important to us that you enjoy coming to work - feeling healthy, happy and rewarded. At DWS, you’ll have access to a range of benefits which you can choose from to create a personalised plan unique to your lifestyle. Whether you’re interested in healthcare, company perks, or are thinking about your retirement plan, there’s something for everyone.

DWS’ Hybrid Working model is designed to find the right balance between in-person collaboration and engagement in the office, which is core to our working culture, and working from home. Each business group varies on the split between time spent in the office and at home, but this will be discussed and made clear as part of your application and interview process. We will continue to review and evolve our working environments and methods to ensure that we are working in the best way possible for our people.

If you require any adjustments or changes to be made to the interview process for any reason including, or related to a disability or long-term health condition, then please contact your recruiter and let them know what assistance you may need. Examples of adjustments include providing a change to the format of the interview, or providing assistance when at the DWS office. This will not affect your application and your recruitment team will discuss options with you

Our values define the working environment we strive to create – diverse, supportive and welcoming of different views. We embrace a culture reflecting a variety of perspectives, insights and backgrounds to drive innovation. We build talented and diverse teams to drive business results and encourage our people to develop to their full potential. Talk to us about flexible work arrangements and other initiatives we offer.

We promote good working relationships and encourage high standards of conduct and work performance. We welcome applications from talented people from all cultures, countries, races, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, beliefs and generations and are committed to providing a working environment free from harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

We at DWS are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, one that embraces dialogue and diverse views, and treats everyone fairly to drive a high-performance culture. The value we create for our clients and investors is based on our ability to bring together various perspectives from all over the world and from different backgrounds. It is our experience that teams perform better and deliver improved outcomes when they are able to incorporate a wide range of perspectives. We call this #ConnectingTheDots.