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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Investment Assistant

💰 $50,000 - $80,000

InvestmentFinanceOperationsPortfolio Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Investment Assistant supports portfolio managers and investment teams by executing day-to-day investment operations, producing accurate client and internal reporting, coordinating trade lifecycle activities, performing investment research and analysis, and maintaining compliance and data integrity across systems. This role blends technical proficiency (Excel, portfolio accounting systems, Bloomberg/Refinitiv), attention to detail, and clear communication with internal stakeholders and clients.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Investment Operations Analyst
  • Junior Portfolio Analyst / Research Assistant
  • Client Service Associate in wealth management

Advancement To:

  • Portfolio Analyst
  • Investment Operations Manager
  • Associate Portfolio Manager
  • Client Solutions Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Risk & Compliance Analyst
  • Fund Accounting Specialist
  • Client Relationship Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Coordinate and execute trade lifecycle tasks including trade capture, confirmation, settlement monitoring, and exception resolution to ensure accurate and timely trade settlement across custodians and counterparties.
  • Prepare, reconcile, and maintain daily and monthly portfolio valuations, NAV calculations, and position reconciliations to support portfolio managers and fund accountants with up-to-date holdings and performance data.
  • Produce client-facing reports and investment statements, including performance attribution, holdings schedules, transaction reports, and customized presentations, ensuring accuracy and adherence to branding and regulatory requirements.
  • Support portfolio managers with quantitative and qualitative investment research by gathering market data, generating comparable company analyses, building financial models, and summarizing research findings into concise investment memos.
  • Perform performance attribution analysis and calculate time-weighted and money-weighted returns; investigate drivers of performance and prepare narratives for investment committees and client meetings.
  • Maintain and update portfolio management systems, CRM databases, and data warehouses with accurate client mandates, restrictions, benchmark definitions, fee schedules, and account-level metadata.
  • Monitor cash flows, margin requirements, corporate actions, income events, and distributions; coordinate with custodians and product providers to execute necessary actions and communicate impacts to portfolio managers.
  • Manage KYC, AML, and onboarding documentation for new clients and accounts by coordinating with compliance teams, verifying documentation completeness, and tracking remediation items to closure.
  • Assist in fund accounting and investor servicing processes including capital calls, distributions, subscription/redemption tracking, and investor reporting for pooled vehicles and separate accounts.
  • Conduct pre- and post-trade compliance checks against portfolio constraints, regulatory limits, and client mandates using compliance systems and manual reviews, and escalate potential breaches to compliance and PMs.
  • Reconcile broker statements, custodian reports, and internal ledger entries; investigate and resolve discrepancies in pricing, quantity, or corporate action postings in partnership with middle and back office teams.
  • Support risk monitoring and operational controls by preparing exception reports, reconciliations, and operational KPIs; implement corrective action plans and document process changes to reduce recurring issues.
  • Build, maintain, and automate recurring processes and reports using Excel (advanced formulas, Power Query, VBA), Python scripts, or BI tools to increase efficiency and reduce manual error.
  • Coordinate with external counterparties (brokers, custodians, prime brokers) and internal stakeholders (traders, compliance, legal, operations) to resolve trade fails, fee disputes, and settlement problems in a timely manner.
  • Prepare materials for investment committee meetings, client reviews, and advisory boards including slide decks, data packets, risk metrics, and supporting analytics to drive informed investment decisions.
  • Run scenario analysis and stress tests on portfolios to evaluate sensitivity to market movements, interest rate changes, and concentration risks; summarize results and recommended mitigants for PMs.
  • Track and report on portfolio exposures by asset class, sector, geography, currency, and factor through systematic reporting and ad-hoc queries to support allocation decisions and risk limits.
  • Manage and document operational procedures, policy updates, and audit trails to support internal controls, audits, and regulatory examinations while ensuring SOX-compliant process adherence where applicable.
  • Assist with client queries relating to portfolio holdings, transaction history, performance calculations, and fee reconciliation, providing timely, clear, and documented responses.
  • Support product and strategy launches by coordinating legal documents, operational setup, accounting feeds, reporting templates, and training for relationship managers and client service teams.
  • Participate in ongoing process improvement initiatives, technology implementations, data migrations, and system upgrades by testing deliverables, validating data integrity, and training end users.
  • Maintain market intelligence by monitoring news flow, economic releases, analyst reports, and market commentary to proactively inform portfolio teams and support ad-hoc research requests.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Excel proficiency (pivot tables, INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP, array formulas, Power Query) for reporting, reconciliation, and modeling.
  • Familiarity with portfolio accounting and OMS/PMS systems (e.g., Advent Geneva, BlackRock Aladdin, SimCorp, Charles River).
  • Experience with market data terminals and research platforms (Bloomberg, Refinitiv Eikon, FactSet) for pricing, news, and analytics.
  • Basic financial modeling and valuation techniques including DCF, multiples, and scenario analysis.
  • Understanding of trade lifecycle, settlement processes, trade matching, and prime brokerage mechanics.
  • Knowledge of performance measurement methodologies, attribution analytics, and benchmark construction.
  • Practical exposure to KYC/AML processes, regulatory reporting, and compliance controls relevant to investment management.
  • Ability to write and maintain SQL queries or basic Python scripts to extract, transform, and load portfolio and transaction data (preferred).
  • Experience creating and maintaining client reporting packages using PowerPoint and business intelligence tools (Tableau, Power BI).
  • Strong reconciliation and accounting capability including NAV calculation basics and general ledger awareness.
  • Familiarity with CRM systems for tracking client interactions and onboarding workflows (Salesforce, MS Dynamics).
  • Understanding of fee schedules, billing mechanics, and investor servicing for pooled funds and separate accounts.

Soft Skills

  • Meticulous attention to detail and high standards for data integrity and operational accuracy.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills tailored to both technical teams and senior client audiences.
  • Proactive problem-solving mindset with the ability to identify root causes and recommend sustainable process improvements.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to handle competing deadlines in a high-volume trade and reporting environment.
  • Team-oriented collaborator who can work across investment, operations, compliance, and client service teams.
  • Client-centric approach with professional presence when responding to investor inquiries and preparing client deliverables.
  • Adaptability and eagerness to learn new tools, systems, and evolving regulatory requirements.
  • Critical thinking and the ability to synthesize complex financial information into clear, actionable summaries.
  • Discretion and understanding of confidentiality requirements when handling sensitive client and market information.
  • Initiative to document processes, create training materials, and mentor junior team members.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Business, Mathematics, or a related quantitative discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree (MFin, MSc Finance, MBA) or progress toward professional designations such as CFA (Charterholder or Level II/III candidate) or CA/CPA for accounting-focused roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Economics
  • Accounting
  • Mathematics / Statistics
  • Computer Science / Data Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–4 years in investment operations, portfolio administration, wealth management operations, or financial services support roles.

Preferred:

  • 2+ years supporting portfolio managers or investment teams with demonstrated experience in trade support, reconciliations, client reporting, or fund accounting. Prior experience with institutional clients, alternative investments (private equity, hedge funds), or multi-asset strategies is a plus.
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