Head, Program Management at Optiva Capital Partners

• The Head, Program Operations Unit (Head Program Analyst) is responsible for leading Optiva’s Program Analysts Subunit to ensure every investment-immigration application received from Service Management is accurately reviewed, quality-controlled, interpreted, and advanced to partner/government submission efficiently and in compliance with all regulatory requirements.
• The role oversees country-program expertise, first-pass file readiness, partner liaison management, issue escalation, operational reporting, and analyst team performance across all active programs. The successful candidate will ensure high submission quality, minimal preventable defects, and turnaround timelines that meet or exceed program benchmarks.
• This role requires strong leadership, technical review capability, cross-border documentation expertise, and operational discipline within a compliance-sensitive environment serving high-net-worth individuals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership & Operations Management

• Lead and supervise the daily activities of the Program Analysts Subunit across all active country programs.
• Allocate workloads effectively to ensure balanced coverage, timely delivery, and operational continuity.
• Coach, mentor, and develop Program Analysts to strengthen technical expertise, communication quality, and escalation judgment.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, file audits, and coaching sessions to improve quality standards and delivery discipline.

Technical File Review & Quality Control

• Ensure all files received from Service Managers undergo detailed review for completeness, consistency, accuracy, and country-specific readiness within agreed SLAs.
• Guide analysts on source-of-funds interpretation, due diligence reviews, documentary deficiencies, and submission strategies.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex case issues, partner concerns, financial-document queries, and borderline file-readiness decisions.
• Monitor defect logs and implement corrective actions to reduce preventable errors and rework.

Program Expertise & Compliance

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of all assigned country-program requirements, submission rules, documentation standards, and partner expectations.
• Update and manage the internal program-requirements matrix across jurisdictions.
• Collaborate with Compliance teams to ensure AML/KYC, data privacy, and control standards are met before external submission.
• Identify, escalate, and resolve operational bottlenecks before they impact client timelines or partner relationships.

Partner & Stakeholder Coordination

• Manage communication with international partners regarding submissions, additional documentation requests, clarifications, and status updates.
• Work closely with Service Managers, Processing Officers, Compliance, Finance, and Leadership teams to ensure seamless case progression.
• Coordinate with Processing Officers on certifications, legalizations, packaging, and shipment readiness for physical documentation processes.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare weekly and monthly operational reports covering file volume, turnaround time, defect trends, delayed cases, partner queries, and program risks.
• Track KPIs and operational performance metrics across the Program Analysts team.
• Recommend and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and stronger documentation controls to improve efficiency and quality.
• Support strategic planning, resource allocation, and country-coverage initiatives within the Program Operations Unit.

REQUIREMENTS/EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in either Law, International Relations, Business Administration, Finance, or a related discipline.
• A Master’s degree or professional certifications such as PMP, ICA, AML, or related certifications will be an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of 7–10 years’ experience within compliance-sensitive or document-heavy operational environments.
• At least 5 years’ experience in investment immigration, immigration-law operations, visa/legal processing, residency/citizenship advisory, or cross-border documentation/compliance operations.
• Minimum of 3 years’ leadership experience managing analysts, case-review teams, compliance reviewers, or documentation operations staff.

Preferred Exposure

• Caribbean CBI Programs
• EU Residency-by-Investment Programs
• North American immigration pathways
• AML/KYC review operations
• Private-client documentation management

Required Skills & Competencies Technical Skills

• Program Interpretation & Regulatory Understanding
• Document Quality Control
• Source-of-Funds Review
• Partner & Government Liaison
• Workflow & Escalation Management
• Dashboard Reporting & KPI Tracking
• SharePoint/CRM Management
• Formal Business Writing