Business Development - Director

Firm Information:

Cambridge Associates is a privately held independent investment advisory firm that seeks to help institutional investors and private clients around the globe meet or exceed their investment objectives. We provide proactive, unbiased advice grounded in intensive and independent research. Widely recognized as an investment advisory firm to sophisticated institutional investors, we place a special emphasis on maintaining independence from money management firms we recommend.

We were founded in 1973 to serve as an external research arm to educational endowments. Our investment advisory practice grew out of this solid research foundation and now serves more than 950 endowment, foundation, private family, pension and sovereign wealth clients. These clients range from endowments with $100mm in assets to some of the largest government entities and sovereign wealth funds in the world. We advise clients on or invest client assets directly in all asset categories, including equities, bonds, non-US investments, real estate, venture capital, hedge funds, leveraged buyout funds, oil and gas partnerships, and many other types of investments.

Firm wide, we have a professional staff of more than 1,400 employees including over 500 investment directors, investment associates and research professionals across 12 global offices located in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, London, Munich, Dubai, Boston, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and Arlington, VA.

Position Overview:

Cambridge Associates is expanding and investing in our business across all of Asia. We have investment, research and client development teams located in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and further afield in Dubai and Sydney to support the client diaspora from the region. As we have grown our business across the continent, we are seeking to hire an entrepreneurial business builder to help steer, grow and evolve our client coverage going forward, with a focus on Southeast Asia and India.

We are seeking to fill an open position with an experienced Client Director, based in Singapore. This position will be part of our Global Client Solutions organization, which is responsible for business development and client engagement and deepening across all client segments. Given the extensive opportunities across the region for Cambridge Associates, this role will focus on building and progressing opportunities with large family offices and institutions in Southeast Asia and India, working in partnership with our investment teams. While the role is based in Singapore, the Client Director is expected to travel extensively across the region.

Cambridge Associates targets single family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and institutions with investment assets over $200 million. The individual will be focused on the Asia region and will identify, prioritize, and partner with investment teams to commercialize relationships with centers of influence and new family offices as well as to grow existing client relationships. The role will include relationship building with single family offices, ultra-high net worth individuals, investment office staff, attorneys, accountants, and family office service providers.

The Client Director's primary responsibility will be to unearth prospective clients through the Cambridge Associates network, and work with investment teams to develop and close these opportunities. The sourcing of new opportunities will come from two areas: 1) the Client Director's efforts to get to know centers of influence and prospects in a key region, and 2) firm-wide programmatic efforts to leverage broader firm networks with our institutional clients, investment managers and global family clients providing additional contacts with whom the business development professional will build relationships. Furthermore, the Client Director will have experience in developing successful go-to-market strategies to suit the buying behaviors and selection criteria of Asia-based families and institutions.

Success will be measured by effective collaboration with investment teams resulting in new AUA/AUM from clients, qualified new leads added to the pipeline of opportunities, and developing, cultivating, and advancing key and strategically important relationships with centers of influence.

The Client Director will leverage Cambridge Associates' colleagues, deep manager research, and thought leadership in marketing and selling the firm's nondiscretionary and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The Client Director will report to the Global Head of Client Solutions and the Head of Asia.

Position Description:

The Client Director will work closely with the Global Client Solutions team, the Head of Asia and our Singapore based investment teams to coordinate coverage of all available opportunities across Southeast Asia and India. The candidate must embody commercial acumen to identify opportunities and align prospective client needs with Cambridge Associates' service offering. Once an opportunity with a prospective family or institution is identified, the Client Director will work closely with Asia leadership and the identified investment team to manage the process. Collaboration and teamwork are essential.

Furthermore, the successful candidate should be capable of handling a large number of clients, prospects and potential referral sources with a variety of needs.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Develop a complete understanding of Cambridge Associates' investment services, processes and philosophy and passionately articulate the firm's capabilities with internal and external constituents and prospective clients.
2. Build the pipeline for the region by identifying and cultivating relationships with prospective single families, institutions, and centers of influence (COIs) who could be in a position to recommend the services of Cambridge Associates.
3. Coordinate closely with Global Client Solutions colleagues and investment teams to execute engagement and outreach plan across clients, prospects, and COIs to deepen relationships, and help elevate the CA brand in the region.
4. Evaluate prospective client opportunities and apply business acceptance criteria to meet business goals for revenue growth and profitability.
5. Prepare and deliver proposal letters to referral sources and prospective family and institutional clients communicating all aspects of the firm and its services.
6. Schedule, plan for, and attend prospective client meetings with investment teams.
7. Be a key contributor to new revenue for the firm through client acquisition and existing client relationships.
8. Track all activity in CA's CRM system.
9. Attend and network at select conferences and events.
10. Work collaboratively and in close partnership with colleagues at Cambridge Associates spanning various groups including Client Solutions/Business Development, marketing, firm & practice leadership, investment directors, legal, and finance.
11. Proactively share industry trends, lessons learned, and information on competitors with colleagues at Cambridge Associates.

The Ideal Candidate:

The right candidate must be commercial, motivated, articulate, polished, organized and disciplined, and act in a manner that is consistent with Cambridge Associates' collegial culture.

A strong networking DNA, business building, organizational skills and the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks with high energy are critically important to the role as is the ability to be flexible and patient. While this role is for an individual performer, the candidate must work effectively within a team environment and always seek to make the professionals around him/her better. The Client Director will enjoy and excel at networking.

Specific Attributes and Qualifications:

1. A proven track record in a business development capacity within the investment industry of at least 12 years, ideally working with UHNW families and/or institutions.
2. Proven experience growing revenue through client acquisition.
3. Ability to sell a service versus a product.
4. Solid knowledge of the institutional investment industry.
5. Outstanding communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
6. Strong listening and organizational skills.
7. Attention to detail.
8. Ability to operate independently with a high level of direct responsibility while also partnering effectively with both fellow business development team members and investment teams.
9. Experience negotiating services and fee levels.
10. The ability to strive for results, setting and achieving goals.
11. Competitive attitude / driven to win for the team.
12. Capable of managing long-term relationships and initiating and cultivating new client relationships.
13. Undergraduate degree is required. An advanced degree and/or CFA/CAIA is a plus.

All applications must include a resume AND a cover letter for consideration.

The firm is committed to the concept and practice of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. It is expected that all employees will follow a similar policy toward their co-workers.