Portfolio Manager | Barclays | Geneva.
We are seeking an experienced Portfolio Manager to manage discretionary client portfolios and contribute directly to investment strategy, asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering strong risk-adjusted investment performance, supporting client relationships, contributing to Investment Committee discussions, and helping grow the firm's discretionary portfolio management offering.
Key Responsibilities
Portfolio Management
- Manage a portfolio of discretionary client mandates across a range of risk profiles.
- Make investment recommendations and portfolio allocation decisions in line with client objectives and investment guidelines.
- Monitor portfolio performance, risk exposures, liquidity, and suitability.
- Execute portfolio changes and rebalancing activities as required.
Investment & Market Research
- Contribute to Investment Committee discussions and investment decision-making.
- Develop investment views across asset classes and identify portfolio opportunities.
- Conduct market, macroeconomic, and investment research to support portfolio positioning.
- Prepare investment commentary, performance analysis, and portfolio reviews.
Client & Business Development
- Participate in client meetings, portfolio reviews, and prospective client pitches.
- Support Relationship Managers and Front Office teams in growing discretionary assets under management.
- Present investment strategy, market views, and portfolio performance to clients and internal stakeholders.
Risk, Governance & Operations
- Ensure portfolios remain compliant with mandates, regulatory requirements, and internal policies.
- Oversee portfolio risk management, cash management, and control processes.
- Liaise with Compliance, Risk, Operations, and Technology teams to ensure efficient portfolio implementation.
Essential Criteria
- CFA Charterholder.
- Strong experience in portfolio management, asset management, or institutional investing.
- Deep understanding of portfolio construction, asset allocation, and investment risk management.
- Experience presenting investment recommendations and market views to clients and senior stakeholders.
- Excellent analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
- Advanced Excel skills; Bloomberg proficiency welcome.
- Fluent English speaker.
Desirable Criteria
- French language skills.
- Experience managing discretionary portfolios for HNW/UHNW clients.
- VBA, Python, or other quantitative/investment analytics experience.
- Degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related discipline.
You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.
This role is based in Geneva.
Purpose of the role
To generate returns, manage risk, and ensure the portfolio’s financial stability and long-term success.
Accountabilities
- Allocation and monitoring of securities within a portfolio, aligned to the banks risk tolerance to framework and changing market conditions, investment objectives and regulatory requirements, utilising specialist software and data analytics tools, to enhance the portfolio management efficiency and effectiveness.
- Execution of research and analysis on various securities (equity, bond, funds) to identify profitable investment opportunities, aligned to the banks risk tolerance.
- Communication of the banks investment philosophy, decision making and investment selection to Clients and other key stakeholders such as Relationship Managers and Investment Advisors.
- Performance monitoring against benchmarks and objectives, analysing risk metrics, and creation of reports for senior colleagues and internal stakeholders.
- Implementation of risk management strategies to identify, assess, and mitigate potential financial risks associated with the portfolio, such as market fluctuations, credit risk, and liquidity risk.
- Conducting of simulations to assess the portfolio's resilience to different market scenarios and economic downturns, identification of potential vulnerabilities and informing on risk mitigation strategies, and communicate key findings to senior executives and board members.
- Monitoring of economic data, industry news, and geopolitical events to anticipate potential impacts on the portfolio and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Research of emerging asset classes, innovative investment strategies, and alternative investments to potentially enhance portfolio returns.
- Stakeholder management of investment banks, market makers, and other external partners as needed for portfolio transactions and information gathering.
Vice President Expectations
- To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
- If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
- If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
- OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
- Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
- Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
- Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
- Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
- Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
- Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
- Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
- Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.
All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.
