Senior Analyst / Portfolio Manager – Equity Long/Short Portfolio Construction & Risk

We are working exclusively with a London based buy side firm looking to hire a senior portfolio construction and management specialist into a sophisticated equity long/short strategy.

This is a highly influential role working directly alongside the lead investor, effectively acting as the second set of eyes across the entire portfolio.

The successful candidate will not be hired primarily to generate stock ideas. Instead, they will take ownership of how those ideas are translated into a live portfolio — ensuring that positioning, hedging, factor exposures, implementation and execution are all working together as intended.

The role sits at the intersection of investing, portfolio construction, risk and markets. It requires somebody who understands not only what the portfolio owns, but why it is making or losing money, where unintended exposures are emerging and how the portfolio should evolve as market conditions change.

This is not a traditional risk-management position and it is not a pure quantitative role. The client is looking for a genuine markets person with the judgement and experience to sit alongside a senior investor, challenge constructively and take meaningful ownership of the portfolio.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Taking a leading role in portfolio construction across an equity long/short strategy

• Translating investment ideas into appropriate portfolio sizing, positioning and implementation

• Managing portfolio-level hedging and understanding the interaction between individual positions and the wider book

• Monitoring factor, sector, style and market exposures

• Identifying unintended or external risks within the portfolio

• Understanding the drivers of portfolio performance and individual P&L

• Helping determine whether returns are being generated by the intended investment thesis or by broader market exposures

• Working closely with the lead investor on gross and net exposure, concentration and portfolio balance

• Supporting market execution and implementation of investment decisions

• Using data and quantitative analysis to improve portfolio decision-making without becoming overly model-driven

• Acting as a trusted sounding board to the lead investor on positioning, risk and portfolio behaviour

We are looking for candidates with:

• Significant experience within sophisticated equity long/short investing

• Deep practical knowledge of portfolio construction and portfolio management

• Strong understanding of hedging, factor exposures and portfolio risk

• A strong grasp of market execution and how trading decisions impact investment outcomes

• The ability to diagnose why a portfolio is performing in a particular way

• A data-driven or quantamental mindset combined with strong investment judgement

• A genuine understanding of markets rather than a purely quantitative or risk-management background

• The confidence to challenge senior investors constructively and back up their views

• Strong commercial judgement and an investor-first mentality

• An energetic, engaged and highly collaborative personality

Candidates are likely to have built their experience within a hedge fund, sophisticated asset manager, family office or comparable investment environment and should have spent meaningful time working directly with portfolio managers and live investment portfolios.

The opportunity should particularly appeal to somebody who enjoys being close to the investment decision-making process, but whose edge lies in understanding how to build and manage the portfolio around those ideas.

You will have significant exposure to the lead investor and considerable influence over how the strategy is implemented, positioned and ultimately scaled.

For the right individual, this offers the opportunity to become a central part of the investment team and play an important role in the long-term development of the strategy.

Please contact quanttrading@octaviusfinance.com for a confidential discussion.