Portfolio Risk Manager

COMPANY OVERVIEW  

Cercano Management LLC (“Cercano”) is an SEC-registered investment manager focused on ultra-high net worth clients and the entities associated with those clients, such as family foundations and family offices. Cercano is based in Bellevue, WA, with offices in Wayzata, MN, Atlanta GA and Singapore. Cercano invests globally for its clients, commonly operating as the family office Chief Investment Officer. The team has extensive experience in direct investing in all stages of venture capital, private equity, private credit, and public equities on a global basis. This position is based in our Bellevue, WA office.

POSITION MISSION  

The Portfolio Risk Manager will provide coverage for our traditional and alternative/hedge fund investment strategies and will be focused on identifying top investment themes and risks in our portfolios - analyzing how they are expressed, sized and managed. 

They will be responsible for risk oversight, monitoring the appropriateness of risk levels and exposures across the Research portfolios and helping investors use quantitative tools to inform their portfolio construction and investment processes. The Risk Manager should be sufficiently confident in their analyses to proactively challenge the thinking of investment teams directly and present areas of concern. 

A successful Portfolio Risk Manager will leverage Cercano’s risk modeling and analysis platform to enhance the risk-taking and portfolio construction efforts of the investment teams. An important part of the role’s active engagement with investors includes helping them adopt best practices in the use of quantitative perspectives in portfolio management and helping the teams use technological tools directly, rather than relying upon risk managers to produce reports. It is therefore incumbent on the Risk Manager to continually enhance the risk platform itself to deliver against the evolving needs of our investors and our clients. S/he will also create or enhance clear, engaging reports and shared dashboards that identify material portfolio risks or risk-related potential enhancements to portfolios under coverage. This is a hands-on role in terms of technical work, research, and working with data.  

Responsibilities  

The Portfolio Risk Manager will be an integral part of the investment team and responsible for: 

• Assessing portfolio strategies including reviews of risk positioning relative to client risk and return objectives. 

• Developing and maintaining the risk program, process, and communication channels to enable transparency to key stakeholders. 

• Collaborating with portfolio managers in the review of portfolio construction and concentrations. 

• Engaging with portfolio managers and credit analysts in analyzing investment risks and identifying potential risk scenarios. 

• Constructing stress test scenarios and providing analysis of tail risks in portfolios. 

• Utilizing analytical tools to understand portfolio betas and to identify correlated positions. 

• Creating and overseeing the preparation of analytics needed to evaluate portfolio trends and risk exposures, and proactively detect early warning signs of deterioration. Report and recommend changes and or actions based on findings. 

• Partnering with internal teams such as reporting, analytics and technology to improve and extend existing tools and capabilities. 

QUALIFICATIONS  

• 5-10 years of relevant risk management / portfolio risk experience applicable to Asset Management / Hedge Fund portfolios 

• Experience in assessing risk across multiple asset classes including global equities, fixed income, foreign currency, futures, options, and other listed/OTC derivatives 
• Experience in assessing risk within the alternative investments including, private credit, private equity, venture capital and LP investments 

• Advanced knowledge with Excel, SQL and Bloomberg. Programming skills in coding languages such as Python or VBA preferred 

• Candidate must have deep knowledge of risk platforms (Bloomberg PORT, Blackrock's Aladdin, or other platforms)
  

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills. Attention to detail, ability to multi-task and process large amounts of information 

• Strong communication skills and ideally prior experience of forming effective partnerships with Portfolio Managers and other internal stakeholders 

• Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, meet deadlines, and deliver high quality, accurate work in a fast-paced business 

• Ability to work well in a team environment and to work with different departments including technology, financial engineering, operations, trade processing and portfolio management 

• Outstanding analytical skills with a proven track record of problem solving in a timely basis 

 Education/experience/certifications 

• BS or BA with a concentration in engineering, science, math, finance, economics or other related quantitative/analytical field.  

• Strong academic credentials: post-graduate degree in a quantitative field and/or FRM/CFA/CAIA preferred  

SALARY RANGE: $160,000 – $250,000 on an annual basis.  

SALARY DETAILS: 

Pay will be based on multiple factors, including, and not limited to location, relevant experience/level and skillset while balancing internal equity. Our discretionary bonus program is in addition to the base compensation range listed above. Cercano is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate. 

TOTAL REWARDS: 

Cercano offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, Health Savings Account with generous annual employer contribution, Flexible Spending Accounts for health and dependent care, vacation and sick time off, paid holidays, paid parental leave, and the opportunity to participate in a 401(k) plan with a generous employer match of 50% of your own contributions up to the standard annual IRS limit, company paid life insurance, and a Health and Wellness Benefit.  Employees are also eligible for reimbursement for approved professional development activities. 

Cercano is an equal opportunity employer. Every qualified applicant will be considered for employment. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, sex, disability, political ideology, or veteran status, or other protected class.