Market Data Optimisation - Index Lead (12 month Fixed Term Contract)

Legal & General (L&G) is a leading UK financial services group and major global investor. 

We’ve been safeguarding people’s financial futures since 1836, and strive to build a better society, while improving the lives of our customers and creating value for shareholders. 

We are one of the world’s largest asset managers and provide powerful asset origination capabilities. Together, these underpin our retirement and protection solutions: we are an international player in pension risk transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income. 

Our global asset management business provides our clients and partners with complex, responsible investment solutions, working internationally across public and private markets. 

Who we are 

We are one of Europe’s largest asset managers and a major global investor across public and private markets.

Asset Management is a critical driver of our Group strategy. The business aims to work synergistically with our Institutional Retirement and Retail divisions to benefit our clients and customers, and deliver enhanced shareholder returns.  

Our investment philosophy and processes are focused on creating value over the long term. We believe that incorporating financially material sustainability criteria, when relevant to our clients, can create value and drive positive change. 

We’re currently looking to hire a Market Data Optimisation Index Lead to join L&G Asset Management and our Data Operations team on a 12 month Fixed Term Contract. 

The Market Data Optimisation Index Lead is responsible for managing all aspects of index licensing and commercial relationships with index providers across the firm in a BAU capacity.

This role ensures that the organisation’s use of benchmark and index data is compliant, cost-effective, and aligned with business strategy. The manager will partner with investment, product, legal, and procurement teams to negotiate contracts, rationalise index spend, and support new product launches and regulatory obligations (e.g., EU & UK BMR)

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading end-to-end negotiation and renewal of index licenses including benchmark constituent, and derived-data agreements
• Assessing commercial models, usage rights, and redistribution implications for internal and external use cases
• Maintaining a detailed understanding of index provider fee structures (e.g., AUM-based, per-fund, or enterprise licenses)
• Supporting new product development and new business initiatives by gathering all index data requirements and securing appropriate index rights
• Ensuring compliance with benchmark regulations (BMR, IOSCO principles) and internal data governance frameworks
• Maintaining centralised records of all index licenses, usage rights, and renewal schedules within the Market Data Inventory (MDM/DRM systems)
• Analysing index license spend, identify duplication, and propose rationalisation or enterprise models to optimise total cost of ownership
• Acting as primary liaison between the firm and major index Vendors

Who we’re looking for:

• You’ll have previous experience in market data or vendor management within asset management or investment banking or index providers
• Proven ability to negotiate complex data contracts and manage high-value vendor relationships
• Familiarity with EU/UK market data regulations and data-usage compliance frameworks
• Excellent stakeholder-management and communication skills with the ability to influence at senior levels
• Strong analytical and financial-modelling capability (Excel, Power BI, or equivalent)
• Experience with market-data inventory and rights-management tools (e.g., FITS, MDM, TRG, or EDM Council models)
• Understanding of product development and index-tracking investment processes (ETF, passive, and active)

Whatever your role, we reward performance and behaviour with a package that looks after all the things that are important to you. Here are some of the benefits we offer:

• The opportunity to participate in our annual, performance -related bonus plan and valuable share schemes
• Generous pension contribution
• Life assurance
• Healthcare Plan (permanent employees only)
• At least 25 days holiday, plus public holidays, 26 days after 2 years’ service. There’s also the option to buy and sell holiday
• Competitive family leave
• Participate in our electric car scheme, which offers employees the option to hire a brand-new electric car through tax efficient salary sacrifice (permanent employees only)
• There are the many discounts we offer – both for our own products and at a range of high street stores and online
• In 2023, some of our workspaces were redesigned. Our offices are great spaces to connect and collaborate and have your wellbeing at the heart

At L&G, we believe it's possible to generate positive returns today while helping to build a better future for all. 

If you join us, you’ll be part of a welcoming, inclusive culture, with opportunities to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds, views, and experiences. Guided by leaders with integrity who care about your future and wellbeing. Empowered through initiatives which support people to develop their careers and excel.

We care passionately about outcomes rather than attendance and are therefore open to discussing all kinds of flexible working options including part-time, term-time and job shares. Although some roles have limited flexibility due to customer demand, we accommodate requests when we can. 

It doesn’t matter if you don’t meet every single criterion in this advert. Instead, think about what you excel at and what else you can bring in terms of strengths, potential and connection to our purpose.