Senor Associate – Strategic Asset Allocation - Public Markets - SWF

We are partnering with a leading sovereign wealth investor to hire a Senior Associate into its Public Markets team. This is a strategic asset allocator seat: the core of the role is selecting, appointing and overseeing best-in-class external fund managers across global public markets, rather than managing positions actively on a day-to-day basis.

The mandate is built around long-term, strategic allocation of capital through external managers. You will help decide which managers earn the institution's capital, why, and at what size, then monitor that conviction over time. If you enjoy manager due diligence, allocation decisions and patient, research-led oversight more than running a trading book, this will suit you.

The role

Reporting to the Head of Public Markets, you will support the full external manager lifecycle across equities, fixed income, liquid alternatives and multi-asset strategies.

What you will focus on:

Mapping the investable external manager universe across asset classes, styles and geographies using databases, consultant networks, conferences and industry contacts.

Screening strategies on performance, risk, factor exposures, drawdowns, liquidity, capacity and fees to shortlist managers for deeper due diligence.

Leading qualitative and quantitative due diligence, including meetings with portfolio managers, analysts and risk officers, to assess philosophy, process, portfolio construction, alpha drivers and team stability.

Applying analytics to distinguish genuinely active, skilled managers from market beta, and testing whether fees and compensation are justified.

Coordinating operational and risk due diligence with risk, legal and compliance teams.

Preparing manager selection reports and investment memos, and presenting hire / retain / redeem recommendations to investment committees.

Negotiating mandate terms, fees, performance structures, liquidity terms and side letters to align manager incentives with the institution's objectives.

Monitoring appointed managers against benchmarks and peers, maintaining conviction ratings, and supporting rebalancing and allocation sizing decisions.

What we are looking for

5–7 years in public markets investing, with a clear emphasis on external manager selection, including Hedge Funds, oversight and monitoring (from a pension fund, consultant, family office, SWF or asset manager).

Demonstrable hedge fund and liquid alternatives manager selection experience is important for this mandate.A genuine orientation toward long-term, strategic allocation through external funds rather than active, day-to-day position management.

Strong manager research depth: the ability to judge whether a manager's past results are repeatable.

Solid quantitative evaluation skills across performance, factor/style and risk analysis.

Structured decision-making, sound risk awareness and the judgement to make clear hire/retain/terminate calls.

Confident written and verbal communication, with the ability to defend recommendations to investment committees.CFA or an advanced degree in finance, economics or a related field.

High integrity, a fiduciary mindset and an entrepreneurial, self-starting approach.

What is on offer:A high-visibility seat with one of the region's most respected institutional investors, direct exposure to senior decision-makers and global external managers, and a long-term, conviction-led approach to public markets investing, based in Dubai.