Head of Manager Research and Portfolio Manager

About Q Wealth

Q Wealth is one of Canada's fastest-growing investment platforms, integrating wealth management and asset management under a single platform designed to align the interests of clients, advisors and investment solutions.

As one of Canada's fastest-growing wealth managers, Q Wealth is approaching $10 billion in Assets Under Administration, while its asset management business, Q Wealth Asset Management, has quadrupled in size over the past four years and is approaching $4 billion in Assets Under Management.

With ambitious plans to become one of Canada's premier asset managers, QWAM offers an opportunity to join a rapidly growing organization where your contributions will directly influence the future of the firm's investment platform and help shape the next generation of investment solutions.

Position Overview

Q Wealth Asset Management is seeking a Head of Manager Research and Portfolio Manager to lead the firm’s manager research and approved-product functions. The successful candidate will also serve as the primary gatekeeper for alternative and private-market investment products made available to Q Wealth advisors.

The successful candidate will identify and evaluate leading investment managers globally across equities, fixed income, liquid alternatives and private markets. They will also serve as a Portfolio Manager or Associate Portfolio Manager for QWAM’s fund-of-funds mandates, with responsibility for manager selection, portfolio construction, ongoing oversight and investment communication.

The role will serve as the lead spokesperson for QWAM’s fund-of-funds mandates and play a growing role in developing the firm’s private-markets capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead manager research, due diligence and approved-product oversight across equities, fixed income, liquid alternatives and private markets.
• Use eVestment and other institutional research resources to screen the global manager universe, analyze peer groups, support multi-manager portfolio construction and maintain a target list of prospective strategies.
• Organize, lead and document due-diligence meetings for current and prospective managers.
• Monitor existing managers through regular performance, portfolio, organizational and investment-process reviews, including formal annual due diligence.
• Evaluate managers based on their organization, investment team, philosophy, process, performance, risk, portfolio construction, fees, liquidity and alignment of interests.
• Serve as the gatekeeper for alternative and private-market investment products used by Q Wealth advisors, maintaining the approved-product list and leading the initial review, ongoing monitoring and recommended removal of products.
• Maintain manager research, watchlists and recommendations, and present proposed manager additions, changes or removals to the appropriate investment committees, supported by analysis of diversification, risk-adjusted return potential and cost.
• Build strong relationships with external managers and negotiate competitive fees and investment terms where appropriate.
• Serve as a Portfolio Manager or Associate Portfolio Manager for QWAM’s fund-of-funds portfolios, participating in manager allocations, portfolio construction, rebalancing, liquidity management, risk oversight and performance reviews.
• Work with the investment and operations teams to establish new funds, open investment subaccounts and onboard new strategies.
• Work closely with the private-markets due-diligence team and play a growing role in the investment oversight and portfolio management of QWAM’s private-market funds and the continued development of its broader private-markets capabilities.
• Develop fund collateral, presentations, portfolio commentary and educational materials, and serve as the lead spokesperson for the fund-of-funds mandates with partners, advisors, clients and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to broader investment research, asset allocation and portfolio-construction initiatives within the Office of the CIO.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of eight years of experience in institutional manager research, investment consulting, portfolio management or fund selection.
• Previous experience leading or overseeing a manager-research function at a bank, investment dealer or asset manager, or conducting manager research within an institutional investment consulting firm, is preferred.
• Experience evaluating investment managers across multiple asset classes, including equities, fixed income, alternatives or private markets.
• Strong proficiency with eVestment, including manager screening, peer-universe analysis and multi-manager portfolio construction.
• Strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative manager assessment, capital markets, portfolio construction and investment risk.
• Experience managing or supporting fund-of-funds or other multi-manager portfolios is preferred.
• Experience negotiating manager fees and evaluating different investment vehicles and implementation structures is considered an asset.
• A proactive self-starter who takes ownership, identifies opportunities and issues independently, and drives initiatives from research through implementation.
• Eligibility for registration as a Portfolio Manager or Associate Portfolio Manager in Canada is preferred.
• Strong analytical, writing, presentation and public-speaking capabilities.
• A CFA or CAIA designation, Master of Finance degree or MBA is preferred.

Why Join Q Wealth Asset Management

• Join one of Canada's fastest-growing integrated wealth and asset management firms.
• Help shape the firm’s manager research, approved-product and fund-of-funds platforms.
• Search the global investment universe for leading managers across public and private markets.
• Take on a visible portfolio-management and spokesperson role while helping build QWAM’s future private-markets capabilities.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and the opportunity to participate in our employee ownership program.