The opportunity
The CIO will shape the investment proposition and provide the senior investment judgement needed to build a disciplined private-markets fund-of-funds. This is the pivotal investment role: the successful candidate will help translate the concept into a credible, governable investment strategy, with clear allocation principles, risk limits and decision rights.
What you will lead
- Define the investment philosophy, target portfolio construction and strategic allocation across eligible private-market strategies.
- Develop the framework for selecting, sizing, pacing and monitoring underlying GP commitments and secondary investments.
- Establish investment due-diligence standards, underwriting disciplines, valuation challenge and portfolio-risk review.
- Design the investment committee process, decision memoranda, conflicts framework and escalation thresholds.
- Set expectations for liquidity planning, concentration management, vintage diversification and portfolio-level stress testing.
- Work with the operating, structuring and capital teams to ensure the proposed product can be implemented and explained credibly.
Experience and approach
- A substantial track record in private markets, fund-of-funds, secondaries, private equity, private credit or a closely relevant institutional investment role.
- Evidence of actual investment authority and decision-making responsibility; exposure to large or complex portfolios is valuable.
- Strong portfolio-construction, risk, manager-selection and investment-committee skills.
- The judgement to distinguish a compelling narrative from a viable investment proposition, including the willingness to challenge assumptions.
- A collaborative approach to founding a business, with high standards of governance and transparency.
Initial priorities
- Pressure-test the proposed investment universe, portfolio construction and liquidity model.
- Develop a written investment policy, initial portfolio scenarios and a repeatable underwriting framework.
- Identify the investment data, reporting standards and governance required before launch.
- Help determine which strategies are suitable for an initial product and which should remain outside the launch scope.
What success looks like
A clear, investable strategy; credible portfolio and risk frameworks; disciplined decision rights; and a documented investment process that independent investors and advisers can scrutinise.