Asset manager to investment fund manager
An asset manager already meets 60% of what the investment fund manager role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.6/ 100
1 How much of what an investment fund manager is expected to do is already part of an asset manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the investment fund manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment fund manager role treats 21 of its required skills as things an asset manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- actuarial science
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment fund manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an asset manager background worth leading with.
- already held negotiate loan agreements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held negotiate on asset value communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held credit control processes business, administration and law
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held enforce financial policies management skills
All 29 carried skills, including the 21 the investment fund manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held debt classification optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- still to learn develop financial products required
- still to learn control financial resources required
- still to learn make investment decisions required
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn monitor stock market required
- still to learn perform stock valuation required
- optional, not held prepare credit reports optional
- optional, not held analyse loans optional
- optional, not held consult information sources optional
- still to learn trade securities required
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment fund manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop financial products practise this
- 02 investment analysis study this
- 03 control financial resources practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 29 skills that carry over
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held enforce financial policies skill
- already held financial analysis knowledge
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held manage financial risk skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held credit control processes knowledge
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held negotiate loan agreements skill
- already held negotiate on asset value skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held liaise with board members optional
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held prepare credit reports optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held analyse loans optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held consult information sources optional
- optional, not held debt classification optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
11 held skills the investment fund manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role apply credit risk policy skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role consult credit score skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role identify clients' needs skill
- not needed by the target role perform asset recognition skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role review closing procedures skill
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held debt classification optional
- optional, not held debt systems optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
Common questions about this move
Can an asset manager become an investment fund manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An asset manager already covers 60% of what an investment fund manager is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 21 of which the investment fund manager role treats as required.
What skills does an asset manager need to become an investment fund manager?
9 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is develop financial products.
How hard is the move from asset manager to investment fund manager?
Its learning distance is 49.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.