Location: UK: London, Leeds, Reigate with flexible working

Opportunity: Supported Hiring into Permanent Role

Apply by:  ASAP

* Applications are now closed *

WTW is looking for an Assistant Portfolio Manager and welcomes professionals who have taken an extended career break to apply. Applicants with a career break of 18 months or more will benefit from Career Returners Coaching Support provided by Women Returners. During your career break you may have been working on a small-scale basis to fit around your other commitments or have not carried out any paid work for a number of years.

Summary of Role

WTW aim to empower institutional investors to achieve their specific objectives by delivering outstanding investment advice and solutions, based on a strong foundation of research, analysis, innovation and trust.

To support this goal this is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative and supportive Investment team. They are looking for an insightful, adaptable and motivated individual to join their Delegated Portfolio Management team. The role of Assistant Portfolio Manager – Sustainable Investment Specialist will play a key part in the continual improvement of the delegated portfolios they manage for clients from a climate and broader sustainable investment perspective. In this role, the successful candidate will work closely with portfolio management teams across all asset classes in the development of robust frameworks to assess and measure material sustainability exposures within both existing delegated portfolios and potential new strategies. The candidate will also be responsible for identifying potential portfolio actions which help either to manage the financial risks arising from material sustainability exposures, or to capitalise on the investment opportunities emerging from sustainability trends.

Although the starting point would be for the candidate to join their team in the UK, WTW are open to applications globally. The role opportunity allows for flexibility in your working arrangements, and they would be happy to discuss this with you further.

The Role

The successful candidate will also be heavily involved in the execution of WTW’s net zero pledge for delegated portfolios, and the achievement of this in a way that intersects the delivery of their financial obligations to clients with generating genuine ‘real world’ impact.

You will also have the opportunity to build your knowledge of their processes by working with a wide range of their internal teams, in particular Portfolio Management and Research, and their broader network of sustainability specialists within WTW’s investment team. You will be supported in the role to develop your portfolio management knowledge, as well as a broad range of consulting and communication skills.

The Portfolio Management team is responsible for managing a wide range of multi-asset and specialist portfolios using multi-manager implementation and is currently responsible for managing more than $180bn globally.

Responsibilities 

• In collaboration with portfolio management teams, and with other WTW sustainable investment specialists where appropriate, play a key role in the improvement of delegated portfolios from a climate and broader sustainable investment (SI) perspective through:
  • Maintaining key climate and sustainability related methodology documents
  • Supporting, and where appropriate leading, SI discussions at portfolio management meetings
  • Leading the development of a structured approach to applying quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess investment strategies from a climate and sustainability perspective, and the potential impact of sustainability-related issues on financial outcomes
  • Leading the process of quarterly and annual SI reviews for delegated portfolios, including identifying potential portfolio actions to improve the SI characteristics of delegated portfolios whilst at least maintaining their expected financial outcomes
  • Ongoing evolution of the methodology and proxies used to represent the various strategies used within delegated portfolios
  • Leading the assessment of the progress of delegated portfolios against WTW’s net zero pledge, and development of the communication and reporting of this to clients and internal stakeholders
  • Ensuring that WTW frameworks for net zero and climate implementation (including interim and long-term targets) are kept up to date with emerging best practice, policies and requirements
  • Identifying potential areas of opportunity for high quality climate solutions for delegated portfolios
• Key subject matter expert and the first point of contact for sustainable investment queries for delegated portfolios
• Training and education of portfolio management colleagues on climate and sustainability content
• Represent WTW in key collaborative initiatives, e.g. IIGCC working groups

The Requirements

• Given the breadth of responsibilities envisaged, WTW would expect candidates to have a reasonable degree of investment industry experience, with at least some of this in the areas of sustainable investment as well as research or portfolio management/portfolio construction
• Critical thinking and an analytical approach to tackling complex issues
• Ability and desire to build relationships and adapt your communication skills to the needs of different clients and stakeholders
• Completion or working towards a professional qualification such as, but not limited to, CFA or actuarial