Gain insights into what it’s like to work as a consultant at Phi, with our ‘meet our consultants’ series.

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Meet Imane Jalal, who works as a Sophis / Fusion Invest Developer at Phi. Imane brings 3 years of experience in C#, SQL, and data transformation using XSLT. Her experience also includes debugging complex logic flows and ensuring systems are optimized for performance and accuracy.  

On the technical side, Imane’s experience includes a range of technologies such as Fusion Invest, Sophis toolkit, XSLT, Oracle SQL, Excel VBA, C#, XML, Git, AI/ML and Jira. 

On the functional side, she has worked across a wide range of asset classes including equities, fixed income, derivatives, bonds, FX and Islamic Finance. Her expertise spans trade capture, reconciliation, reporting, and settlements within capital markets, Investment and Treasury management. 

Explore the article below for a window into Imane’s journey and contributions to our clients at Phi Partners. 

Tell us about your role 

My role involves developing and maintaining financial systems such as Fusion Invest, ensuring smooth data reconciliation, and optimising processes for efficiency. I collaborate with different teams, including business analysts and client-facing teams, to implement solutions that align with business needs while improving overall system performance. I’m currently working on the transformation of SWIFT MT messages into ISO 20022 pacs.009 format. In parallel, I’m contributing to a reconciliation project where we’re using AI to process and match MT299 and MT300 payment messages efficiently.  

I tailor solutions that fit each client’s architecture and goals. I adapt by first understanding each client’s environment, constraints, and business priorities. For example, with one client, I focused on performance tuning due to their high trade volume, while another prioritized compliance, so I emphasized audit traceability. One of my proudest moments was successfully leading a project that streamlined a reconciliation process, significantly reducing manual work and errors. Seeing how much time and effort it saved the team was incredibly rewarding.  

I combine technical expertise with a strong understanding of business workflows. For example, when automating a reconciliation process, I not only focused on clean code but also ensured it aligned with how the operations team reviewed and processed breaks. I also bring initiative—often identifying inefficiencies and proposing automation before being asked.

Tell us what you like about working at Phi 

I got started with Sophis / Fusion Invest through Phi, where I was trained on the platform and gradually took on development and integration tasks. Over time, I became deeply involved in custom development, data transformation, and system optimization. This was my first full-time role after a few internships, where I had exposure to development, support, and analysis tasks. It felt like a good environment to grow quickly and gain hands-on experience. So far, I have really enjoyed solving real-world problems with clean, scalable solutions. It’s rewarding to see how even small improvements in systems can create big efficiencies for the business. I enjoy the technical challenges, the chance to own important projects, and the learning opportunities that come with working on complex financial systems.  

I love the challenge of problem-solving—whether it’s debugging a tricky issue, improving an existing process, or finding innovative ways to automate tasks. Seeing the impact of my work and knowing that I’m contributing to something bigger keeps me motivated.  I am leading the transformation of SWIFT MT messages into ISO 20022 pacs.009 format for a major client.  This has been particularly engaging. The client needs to align with ISO 20022 standards without disrupting existing payment and settlement processes.  I implement XSLT transformations to convert MT messages into pacs.009 format. The solution streamlines message processing and supports compliance with evolving standards.

I’m the main developer responsible for building and maintaining the transformation logic, which requires deep knowledge of both formats and close coordination with business users. The complexity and strategic impact of the project make it both challenging and exciting. 

From my experience, Phi combines deep technical skills with a practical, solution-oriented mindset. The team doesn’t just deliver code—we focus on outcomes that actually improve the client’s operations, often going beyond the brief to suggest smarter, more scalable solutions and I enjoy being a part of that.

Do you have any personal observations on the industry?  

One common challenge is the lack of clear ownership and documentation in complex system setups. This can slow down development and increase dependency risks. Encouraging better knowledge sharing, consistent standards, and clearer roles can improve long-term efficiency and reduce bottlenecks.  

In addition, I think that IT will continue to move from being a support function to a strategic driver. Automation, interoperability, and data integrity will be central, and IT professionals will need to bridge both tech and business fluently.  

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Would you like to work with Imane or with our wider Sophis / Fusion Invest Team, either as a client or as a colleague?  Check out our careers page for the latest open roles or contact us for further information on relevant services: sales@phipartners.com