Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Investment Manager

💰 $ - $

FinanceInvestment ManagementPortfolio Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Investment Manager is responsible for developing and implementing investment strategies across public and/or private markets, managing client and fund portfolios, conducting rigorous due diligence, and delivering risk-adjusted returns in line with organizational objectives. This role blends portfolio construction, quantitative and qualitative research, client-facing communication, and operational oversight to optimize asset allocation, implement trade execution, and monitor performance. Ideal candidates bring a strong background in financial modeling, investment research, compliance, and stakeholder management, and often hold or are pursuing professional credentials such as CFA, CAIA, or MBA.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Investment Analyst (equities, fixed income, or alternatives)
  • Senior Financial Analyst or Research Analyst in asset management or wealth management
  • Associate roles in private equity, hedge funds, or investment banking

Advancement To:

  • Senior Investment Manager / Portfolio Manager
  • Head of Investments / Chief Investment Officer (CIO)
  • Director of Asset Management or Fund Manager for multi-billion dollar funds

Lateral Moves:

  • Product Lead for Investment Products (mutual funds, ETFs, SMA)
  • Client-Facing Relationship Manager for institutional or HNW clients
  • Risk & Quantitative Portfolio Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end-to-end investment process for assigned portfolios or strategies, including sourcing opportunities, developing investment theses, creating detailed financial models, and recommending buy/sell/hold decisions that align with client mandates and risk budgets.
  • Construct and manage diversified portfolios across asset classes (equities, fixed income, alternatives, real assets, cash) using strategic and tactical asset allocation frameworks to meet target return and volatility objectives.
  • Perform comprehensive due diligence on prospective investments—reviewing financial statements, management teams, market positioning, competitive dynamics, and legal/operational risks—to support rigorous investment decision-making and committee approvals.
  • Design and maintain quantitative models for scenario analysis, valuation (DCF, relative, LBO), portfolio optimization, stress testing, and performance attribution to inform investment decisions and to quantify risk-return trade-offs.
  • Monitor portfolio performance daily and produce weekly/monthly performance reports and attribution analyses for internal stakeholders and external clients, identifying drivers of returns and deviations from benchmarks.
  • Implement trade execution strategies, working with trading desks and brokers to optimize execution, minimize market impact, and ensure best execution across markets and instruments.
  • Develop and maintain risk management procedures including position limits, concentration guidelines, counterparty exposure monitoring, liquidity management, and compliance with regulatory and internal risk policies.
  • Prepare investment memos, approval packages, and presentations for Investment Committees, Trustees, or client advisory boards that clearly communicate investment rationale, downside scenarios, and expected outcomes.
  • Lead manager selection and monitoring processes for external managers and funds, conducting due diligence, negotiating commercial terms, and overseeing ongoing performance and operational reviews.
  • Coordinate portfolio rebalancing and cashflow management to ensure liquidity needs are met, taxes are managed efficiently, and portfolios remain aligned with strategic targets.
  • Engage proactively with clients and stakeholders—institutional investors, family offices, wealth advisors, or internal business partners—to present portfolio updates, explain performance drivers, and align investment strategies with client objectives.
  • Source and evaluate new investment products and strategies (private equity, venture capital, real estate, structured credit, derivatives, thematic equities) that expand the firm’s capability set or meet unique client mandates.
  • Lead cross-functional projects to implement investment technology, reporting systems, and risk analytics that improve decision-making, transparency, and operational efficiency.
  • Oversee and mentor junior investment team members and analysts—delegating research tasks, providing feedback, reviewing models, and developing team capacity in financial analysis and portfolio management.
  • Maintain up-to-date macroeconomic and market knowledge, integrating macro views into strategic asset allocation and identifying secular and cyclical investment themes that could affect portfolio construction.
  • Ensure strict adherence to regulatory, compliance, and fiduciary requirements, coordinating with legal and compliance teams to maintain documentation, disclosures, and audit readiness.
  • Develop and document detailed investment policies, mandate guidelines, and investment management procedures to ensure consistent implementation and governance across portfolios.
  • Lead capital raising and client development initiatives by preparing pitchbooks, investment strategy decks, performance case studies, and supporting RFP / due diligence questionnaires for prospects and consultants.
  • Manage counterparty relationships (custodians, prime brokers, administrators, custodial banks) to ensure smooth fund operations, timely settlements, and high-quality operational controls.
  • Conduct scenario planning and tail-risk analysis to prepare portfolios for adverse market conditions, implementing hedging strategies (options, futures, swaps) as appropriate to protect capital.
  • Continuously review fee structures and client reporting deliverables to ensure competitive pricing while maintaining margin and transparency of value delivered.
  • Collaborate with tax and legal advisors to structure investments efficiently for tax, regulatory, and jurisdictional considerations, particularly for cross-border and alternative investments.
  • Drive process improvements for research workflows, trade execution, performance reporting, and compliance monitoring to reduce operational risk and scale investment operations as assets under management grow.
  • Represent the firm at industry conferences, client events, and media opportunities when requested, communicating investment philosophy and differentiated capabilities to build brand and thought leadership.

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.
  • Assist with back-office coordination for onboarding new investment vehicles, including documentation, KYC/AML reviews, and fund registrations.
  • Help prepare annual and ad-hoc compliance reporting, audits, and operational due diligence questionnaires from consultants or investors.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced proficiency in financial modeling and valuation techniques (DCF, comparables, LBO, option pricing).
  • Strong quantitative skills in portfolio construction, optimization, mean-variance analysis, and factor analysis.
  • Expertise in asset allocation across public equities, fixed income, alternatives, and derivatives with tactical adjustment capabilities.
  • Experience with performance attribution, risk analytics, stress testing, and scenario analysis using tools such as Barra, Axioma, or internal risk engines.
  • Proficiency in Excel (advanced formulas, VBA/macros), and familiarity with Python, R, or MATLAB for data analysis and model automation.
  • Hands-on experience with portfolio management and order management systems (e.g., Bloomberg AIM, BlackRock Aladdin, Charles River, SimCorp).
  • Strong understanding of custody, prime brokerage, fund administration, and trade settlement processes.
  • Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements (SEC, FCA, MiFID II, ERISA, AIFMD depending on market).
  • Experience conducting manager due diligence and operational due diligence on external fund managers and service providers.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and implement hedging strategies using futures, options, swaps, and structured products.
  • Track record in preparing investment committee materials, investor presentations, and RFP responses.
  • Experience with reporting tools (Tableau, Power BI) and data warehousing to streamline client reporting and performance dashboards.

Soft Skills

  • Strong communication and presentation skills for articulating complex investment ideas to clients, boards, and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Excellent judgment and decision-making under uncertainty, with demonstrated ability to balance conviction and risk management.
  • Leadership and mentoring ability to develop analysts and associates and to lead cross-functional project teams.
  • Client orientation and commercial acumen — ability to tailor solutions and build long-term relationships with institutional and HNW clients.
  • Intellectual curiosity and continuous learning mindset to stay current on markets, products, and regulatory changes.
  • Attention to detail and organizational skills to manage multiple portfolios, deadlines, and compliance requirements.
  • Collaborative approach to working with trading, research, compliance, operations, and distribution teams.
  • Resilience and adaptability to perform effectively during periods of market stress and changing client needs.
  • Ethical mindset and integrity consistent with fiduciary responsibilities and regulatory obligations.
  • Strategic thinking to translate macroeconomic views and investment themes into actionable portfolio decisions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (e.g., MSc Finance, MBA) or advanced quantitative degree.
  • Professional credentials such as CFA, CAIA, FRM, or relevant industry certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Economics
  • Accounting
  • Mathematics / Statistics
  • Engineering / Computer Science (for quant roles)
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years in investment analysis, portfolio management, asset management, private markets, or institutional investing, depending on seniority.

Preferred:

  • Proven experience managing discretionary portfolios or institutional mandates.
  • Demonstrated success in public markets (equities/fixed income) or alternatives (private equity, real estate, credit) with measurable performance outcomes.
  • Prior client-facing or consultant-facing experience for roles with external relationship responsibilities.
  • Experience using institutional portfolio and risk systems and a track record of leading investment committees or internal decision forums.
Explore More Careers