Head of Group Client Accounts

Human Capital Partners are partnering with a leading Estate and Letting Agency that are significantly growing through acquisition. With revenues of more than £100m, we seek an experience Head of Group Client Accounts (Client Money) to manage the Groups, complex client accounts. The company has 40,000 properties under management across the UK, through various brands. Through acquisition the Group have inherited 30 different client money accounts across 10 different banks. The regional client accounts can hold anything from £500K to £4m in client money at any time, with 3 - 20 people administering the client accounts per region.

Therefore, we seek a highly motivated candidate with experience gained from a property or regulated environment to manage 30 client accounts, ensuring compliance, governance and controls are in place to protect client money, achieve regulatory compliance and minimise fraud.

The successful candidate will also work to simplify to complexity of various banking relationships to one bank, achieving better transaction fees and simplification.

Other areas of responsibility include:

• Oversight of the regional Clients Accounts teams ensuring appropriate routines are in place
• Monthly review of key compliance and exception reporting for all client accounts
• Ensure group wide compliance with existing client account internal policies and external requirements such as client money protection, PCI compliance, record keeping, etc.
• Management of landlord and tenant debt.
• Undertake due diligence on lettings client accounts for potential acquisitions.
• Work with the Acquisitions team to ensure the seamless transition of new client accounts into the Group structure and standardised client banking operations for reporting and monitoring purposes.
• Work with the CFO and COO team on delivering and maintaining client accounts with appropriate controls, processes and oversight with particular focus on cost tracking, anti-fraud controls, and debt recovery.
• Maintain accurate records, and where possible improve KPI reporting with a view to setting clear goals and objectives aligned with overall business strategy
• Take ownership of the day-today relationship with key third parties such as banking partners, card terminal suppliers, auditors etc.
• Work with Finance to ensure accurate annual audits of group client accounts in accordance with Propertymark membership requirements, and industry best practise procedures.
• Proactively seek ways to improve current policies and processes to streamline recurring client accounting activities, and identity new opportunities for strategic improvements.
• Identify and implement effective methods to improve operational efficiencies whilst simultaneously minimising risk.
• Perform any other duties which from time to time may be required to ensure the smooth running of the group.