CIO: Systematic Strategies

Through our client-facing brands and our other specialist brands, Momentum Group enables business and people from all walks of life to achieve their financial goals and life aspirations. We help people grow their savings, protect what matters to them and invest for the future. We help companies and organisations care for and reward their employees and members. Through our own network of advisers or via independent brokers and utilising new platforms Momentum Group provides practical financial solutions for people, communities and businesses.

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Role Purpose
The CIO: Systematic Strategies provides strategic, commercial and investment leadership for the development, implementation and scaling of systematic, factor-based and quantitative investment capabilities within Momentum Investments. This role spans investment-process ownership, team leadership, and business build-out responsibilities, working closely with senior stakeholders to shape the long-term vision for the Systematic Strategies business.

Requirements
Strategic Leadership & Investment Design

• Design and implement, in conjunction with Momentum Asset Management and Momentum Investments leaders, a strategic business case and strategy for materially growing the Systematics offering and business
• Define and drive the research agenda for systematic strategies, factor/smart-beta products, dynamic hedging and cash-flow optimisation.
• Translate quantitative research into investable solutions that deliver measurable client outcomes.
• Ensure solution design incorporates risk, liquidity, cost and implementation considerations and remains robust across market cycles.
• Shape and deliver the broad build-out of the Systematic Strategies franchise.

Research, Data & Technology

• Provide executive leadership in the use of advanced quantitative methods, including factor modelling, optimisation, machine learning, alternative data, and AI-driven research techniques.
• Oversee the adoption, integration and scaling of machine learning and artificial intelligence across investment, research and broader business processes.
• Identify, hire, develop and lead the data, research and quantitative development talent required to support a world-class systematic strategies capability.
• Partner with Data & Technology to design and maintain a scalable, secure and cloud-ready quantitative infrastructure for model development, deployment, execution and monitoring.
• Lead, strengthen and continuously enhance model governance frameworks, ensuring rigorous documentation, independent validation, performance tracking and transparent auditability for all models used across systematic strategies.

Portfolio & Risk Management

• Provide executive oversight of portfolio construction, implementation and continuous enhancement of systematic and factor-based strategies, ensuring alignment with investment philosophy and long-term client outcomes.
• Lead the design and governance of dynamic hedging, risk premia harvesting and liquidity-aware execution frameworks, strengthening portfolio resilience across market cycles.
• Embed ESG, climate and sustainability considerations into investment research, portfolio design and risk management processes where relevant, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations and client mandates.
• Maintain accountability for portfolio performance, risk oversight and investment integrity, engaging regularly with Investment Committees and senior stakeholders.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with business segments, distribution teams and strategic clients to shape commercially differentiated systematic solutions that meet evolving market needs and support business growth.
• Represent Momentum Investments as the executive voice for systematic investing across industry forums, media, conferences and thought leadership platforms.
• Provide strategic input and authoritative oversight to governance structures (Investment Committees, Risk, Compliance), ensuring alignment between investment decisions, risk appetite and regulatory frameworks.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, guiding cross-functional collaboration to advance the Systematic Strategies franchise.
• People Leadership & Culture
• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing quantitative and systematic investment team, ensuring a strong bench of talent across research, portfolio management, data, modelling and technology domains.

Operational & Financial Stewardship

• Oversee the financial sustainability, resourcing and commercial viability of the Systematic Strategies capability, ensuring efficient use of capital and alignment with business priorities.
• Ensure robust operational, risk, compliance and control frameworks underpin all systematic investment processes, supporting regulatory readiness and operational excellence.
• Lead strategic vendor and partnership decisions, ensuring technology, research and data providers meet standards for quality, security, innovation and cost-effectiveness.

Business Build-Out & Executive Accountability

• A clearly defined and executable growth roadmap for the Systematic Strategies business, developed in partnership with senior leadership and aligned to the broader Momentum Investments strategy.
• A strengthened commercial position in the market, reflected through clear value propositions, scalable product offerings, and measurable traction with internal and external stakehold

Duties & Responsibilities
Qualifications And Experience

• Masters in Investments, Finance, Quantitative Finance, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics or related field, postgraduate degree preferred.
• CFA, FRM, CQF, CAIA, ARPM or equivalent professional qualification advantageous.
• Minimum 10 years' investment/portfolio management experience, including 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience in systematic strategies, factor/smart-beta solutions and research-to-live production implementation.
• Experience within life insurance, asset management, hedge fund or banking environments preferred.

Competencies
Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen understanding of client value drivers and competitive landscape.
• Advanced quantitative and modelling expertise (factor modelling, optimisation, machine learning).
• Technology and data fluency (cloud deployment, data engineering concepts, model governance).
• Strong stakeholder and client engagement capability.
• Ability to build and lead high-performing teams.
• Sound understanding of risk, governance and regulatory environments.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to drive innovation