How to Apply: Interested and qualified? Go to ICEA Lion Group on career55.sapsf.eu to apply.
Winning Institutional Mandates: What Hiring Managers Probe
This role sits at the sharp end of asset management growth, where trustees and investment committees buy on trust, track record, and clarity. Your CV and interview answers must show you can originate, structure, and close mandates that move AUM.
1. Prove your pipeline discipline: In your CV, give a concrete example of a pipeline you built and converted, with numbers like deal size, conversion rate, or AUM growth. Hiring managers want to see you can manage a funnel, not just chase leads.
2. Show you can handle RFPs and tenders: Be ready to walk through a tender you led from start to finish, including how you structured the proposal, coordinated inputs, and defended it before a committee. They are looking for someone who can think on their feet and present with authority.
3. Demonstrate stakeholder gravitas: You will engage trustees, board members, and investment committees. Prepare a story that shows you can build trust with senior stakeholders, perhaps by explaining how you navigated a complex governance or approval process.
4. Know the Kenyan institutional market: Brush up on the local landscape: pension schemes, trusts, NGOs, and private entities. Mention any specific segments you know well, and be ready to discuss current trends like the income drawdown solution or umbrella funds.
5. Quantify your AUM impact: If you have grown assets under management, put a number on it. Even if it was a percentage, it shows you understand the commercial driver of this role.
6. Prepare for case studies: Expect to be asked how you would approach a new mandate or turnaround a struggling relationship. Practice a structured answer that covers research, stakeholder mapping, and a tailored pitch.
7. Highlight your professional edge: If you have CISI, ICIFA, CFA, or similar, make it prominent. If not, show how your experience compensates and your commitment to continuous learning.
8. Show resilience and integrity: Institutional sales has long cycles and tough negotiations. Share an example where you stayed patient, kept the relationship warm, and eventually closed a deal. Integrity is non-negotiable in this sector, so let your track record speak.