Portfolio Director

At Rathbones, we help people invest their money well, so they can live well. That means more than financial returns – it’s about helping people feel confident in their decisions and supported in their future. We don’t just manage money, we guide people through life’s big moments, helping them stay on track and focus on what matters most.

We’re proud to be one of the UK’s leading wealth managers, with over £109bn* in assets under management and 20+ offices across the UK and Channel Islands. We’re a FTSE 250 company with national reach and a local feel – and we’re growing.
*As of June 2025

Role Title: Portfolio Director

Division: RIM

Location: London or Liverpool

Contract: Permanent            

Working pattern: Hybrid

About the Role

Being a senior member of the MPS team responsible for the management and governance of model portfolios (MPS) while acting as the technical investment specialist and primary investment-facing contact for advisers. This role ensures robust investment process, scalable distribution support, and exemplary client communication—driving model performance and adviser adoption, and retention.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Portfolio Management, Investment Strategy, Portfolio Construction and technical expertise
• Market and performance monitoring
• Risk management
• Client engagement
• Business performance and growth
• Team contribution and leadership

Investment Strategy, Model Management & Technical Expertise

• Using systems, tools and knowledge to define and implement investment strategies based on model risk profiles
• Maintain investment process documents: AAC minutes, model change rationales, and regulatory evidence (suitability, PROD, Consumer Duty outcomes).
• Oversee risk management: tracking error, drawdown, volatility targets, and cost budgets (OCF + transaction costs); ensure platform parity of models.
• Ensure timely implementation across third party platforms (e.g., Aviva, Quilter, AJ Bell, , etc.) and resolve exceptions with operations.
• Collaborate with PM & Risk Teams to provide holdings data to verify model riks ratings
• Collaborate with marketing to produce monthly factsheets, quarterly reports and TAA model changes notes,

Client Engagement

• Provide portfolio updates to advisers: performance drivers, risk metrics, positioning, and suitability against client objectives
• Provide adviser training & develop training materials to support the proposition
• Originate and author content: thought leadership, market outlooks, and Consumer Duty evidence linking features → benefits → outcomes.
• Gather adviser/market feedback; feed insights to PMs, product, and risk to evolve the proposition (e.g., income range, ESG overlays, tax efficiency).

Market and Performance Monitoring

• Continuously monitor financial markets, economic trends and geopolitical events to ensure informed investment recommendations can be made.
• Track the performance of aligned portfolios and recommend / make adjustments as needed (such as rebalancing to maintain the desired asset allocation).
• Where properly communicated by investment managers, make appropriate adjustments to the management of a portfolio to reflect a client-directed bespoke requirement, where still deliverable within the client's current risk profile.

Risk Management

• Identify, assess and manage risks associated with investments.
• Possess a working knowledge of the Front Office Process Guides and Operating Model Summary and Investment Risk procedures.
• Use performance and health check data to assess portfolio risks and take action to manage accordingly.

Team Contribution & Leadership

• Mentor and support junior team members, sharing expertise and fostering development.
• Actively participate in internal forums and be prepared to contribute and or lead committees and business projects as required.
• Promote a collaborative culture and uphold the firm’s values and standards

About you

• Systems: FactSet/Morningstar Direct, FE Analytics
• Content creation: ability to produce clear, insightful investment communications.

• Significant experience of managing portfolios at scale and complexity.
• Demonstrated excellence in client service and proven contribution to business performance.
• Level 7 qualification CWM or CFA (CWM preferred)
• Experience in client administration and regulatory compliance

Our offer to you

We want everyone at Rathbones to fulfil their potential, in an environment where you are proud to work and feel like you belong.

We offer a comprehensive remuneration package, which we review regularly, and benefits include:

• A company pension - 9% non-contributory or 10% if you contribute 5%
• Private medical insurance – Individual on joining, family after 1 year’s service
• Life assurance  - 8 x salary
• Income protection – 75 % salary
• Company share scheme
• Discretionary bonus
• Flexible holidays – purchase up to 5 additional days
• Green Car Scheme
• Family friendly policies – enhanced family leave for parents & carers
• Study support – study days and funding for courses and qualifications
• Season travel ticket loans
• Volunteering days
• Gym discounts
• Other voluntary benefits you can choose to suit you 

Our employees can choose to take part in various social groups and communities to support their wellbeing, growth, development and sense of community. These include:

• Sports & Social Committees, such as cricket, football, netball, running, yoga, quiz nights, charity bake sales and much more.
• Inclusion Networks that help us drive change within the organisation such as Gender Balance, Multicultural, Abilities Count, Pride, Social Mobility, Generations, Menopause Matters@Rathbones’ and Armed Forces. 
• The NextGen IM Network, which brings together a community of trainees from across the UK, who are all at the early stages of their careers and offers development opportunities, exposure across the business as well as peer support and connection.

Life at Rathbones

We aim to become an employer of choice for the wealth management sector, to achieve this we are working hard to build a diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace that motivates, develops and embraces the strengths of all our colleagues. Being part of Rathbones means you will join a team of passionate professionals in a successful culture that cares for its people. At Rathbones, we provide meaningful work, opportunities, and a voice to all.

We are committed to building a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities and encourage applications from all backgrounds. We welcome individuals who share our values.

We’re a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer under the UK Government scheme. This means we’ve signed up to a set of commitments around how we recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities. Find out more about the Government Scheme online.

If you feel there are any reasonable adjustments that would make the process easier for you and help you to perform at your best whether that is due to disability, neurodiversity or other protected characteristic, just let us know by emailing us at recruit@rathbones.com

Mission

We believe in playing the long game. That means building consistent results, earning trust and doing the right thing — for our clients, our colleagues and the communities we’re part of.

Our values shape how we work:
- We aim high
- We get it done
- We show we care
- We do the right thing

These aren’t just words on a wall. They guide how we treat each other, how we make decisions and how we build relationships that last.

We will close this advert once we have received enough applications for the next stage. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure you don’t miss out.