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Luis Saenz | General Manager, Deck Operations

Location: Monterrey, Mexico

Compensation range discussed: $2,000 - $2,800 USD/month – Note: The candidate mentioned higher compensation expectations of $4,400 - $5,500 USD/month to consider a change.

LinkedIn Profile | Email: luisaenz88@gmail.com | Phone: +52 81 1666 7797

Quick Recruiter Note: Luis has a significant compensation gap compared to the role's budget ($4.4k-$5.5k ask vs $2.8k max).

Summary

Financial Operations Leader with 10 years of experience specializing in Real Estate Data and Capital Markets at MSCI Inc. He currently directs the US Service Data & Content team, managing a cross-functional group of 40 analysts across Mexico (22 staff) and the Philippines (18 staff). His expertise lies in overseeing the production of high-accuracy real estate indexes and financial reports for US-based institutional investors and asset managers. Luis holds a Master's in Finance and demonstrates strong "zero-to-one" capabilities, notably establishing the Manila operations hub from the ground up, where he handled hiring, training, and process standardization. He is proficient in Salesforce, Copilot, and Excel, leveraging them to ensure strict adherence to timeliness and data quality SLAs.

Meet Luis

This video from our screening interview provides a look into Luis's background and experience.

Candidate Snapshot

US-Based Capital Markets & Data Experience

• 10 years of experience specializing in Real Estate Data and Capital Markets, currently working for MSCI Inc., a prominent US-based finance and investment firm.

• Directs the US Service Data & Content team, overseeing the production of high-accuracy real estate indexes and financial reports specifically for US-based institutional investors and asset managers.

• Ensures strict adherence to data quality Service Level Agreements (SLAs) required by US financial clients, leveraging strong proficiency in data management and reporting.

Operations & Team Leadership Experience

• Large-Scale Team Management: Manages a cross-functional group of 40 analysts distributed globally across Mexico (22 staff) and the Philippines (18 staff).

• Operational Expansion (Zero-to-One): Successfully established the Manila operations hub from the ground up. This scope included handling all hiring, training, and process standardization to ensure the new team met operational standards.

• Workflow & Process Management: Oversees the daily workflow of the data and content teams, utilizing Salesforce and AI tools to optimize strict timeliness and accuracy in financial reporting.

Education

• Master in Finance | EGADE Business School

• B.S. Marketing and International Commerce | Universidad Rafael Landívar

Tools & Technologies

• CRM & Data: Salesforce

• Productivity & Analysis: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Teams

Key Qualifications & Highlights

• International Operations Scaling (Zero-to-One): Demonstrates strong capability in building operations from scratch, evidenced by his leadership in establishing the Manila operations hub. He managed the entire lifecycle of this expansion, from recruitment and onboarding to process standardization, effectively scaling the team.

• Specialized Capital Markets Expertise: 10 years of experience deeply rooted in the financial side of Real Estate (Capital Markets). His work at MSCI Inc. involves complex real estate indexes and financial reporting for institutional investors, aligning directly with the role's high-level data and "knowledgeable operator" requirements.

• Remote Cross-Functional Leadership: Proven ability to manage a large, split-team of 40 analysts across different time zones (Mexico and Philippines), maintaining cohesion and delivery standards.

Screening Interview - Key Observations

• Deep "Zero-to-One" Experience (Philippines Expansion): He provided granular detail on his role in establishing the Manila operations hub. Beyond just managing, he physically lived in the Philippines for a year to build the team from scratch. His work spanned the entire lifecycle: recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and developing training manuals and standard operating procedures (SOPs) where none had previously existed.

• Process Improvement Methodology: His approach to fixing "messy" processes involves direct intervention and "shadowing sessions." He sits in with analysts to observe their workflow step by step and identify bottlenecks (e.g., by eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth emails). He emphasizes that before automating or scaling, the manual process must be "bulletproof" and standardized.

• Technical Literacy vs. Execution: Luis clarified that while he is "not a 100% IT guy" and does not write code (e.g., Python) himself, he understands the logic and concepts well enough to translate business needs to the IT/Engineering teams. He focuses on the "testing" phase—validating that the tools built by IT actually solve the operational problem before deployment.

• Focus on Data Accuracy: Given his background with institutional investors (banks, asset managers), he is highly sensitive to data quality, noting that "an extra zero makes all the difference." He manages performance through strict KPIs on timeliness and data accuracy, ensuring deliverables meet the high standards required for investment decisions.

• Compensation & Benefits Alignment: Luis directly addressed the compensation gap. He acknowledged the posted range ($2,000 - $2,800) but stated his expectation is $4,400 - $5,500 USD to consider a change. He values transparency and wanted to ensure this expectation was known early to avoid wasting time.

Candidate Questions

• Sought clarification on the company's core business model, specifically whether it owns real estate assets or serves as a data/service provider.

• Asked about the full benefits package (bonuses, insurance) since he would be moving from a corporate role with structured benefits to a B2B contractor model.

• Inquired about the day-to-day expectations of the role and potential travel requirements.