Occupation
Portfolio manager
Portfolio managers decide what a pool of money is invested in, within the mandate and risk limits agreed with clients or trustees. The role carries accountability for outcomes that are not fully controllable, and a large share of the work is explaining positioning and decisions to the people whose money it is.
Also known as: Fund manager · Investment manager · Asset manager · Investment fund manager
Occupation content
Part of Finance, accounting and insurance
What the work involves
- Set and apply an investment approach consistent with the mandate and its constraints.
- Decide allocations and place or approve trades within delegated authority.
- Monitor exposures against risk limits and rebalance when they drift.
- Challenge analyst research and decide what actually changes the portfolio.
- Report positioning, performance, and risk to clients or an investment committee.
- Work with compliance and operations so mandates and rules are observed.
How people commonly enter
- A degree in finance, economics, mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
- Progression from investment analyst or trading roles within an asset manager.
- A professional investment management qualification taken alongside the role.
- A postgraduate finance degree combined with investment experience.
Typical training: Bachelor's degree
Licensing: Regulated in most jurisdictions — confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Typical work context
Desk based · High responsibility · Fast paced · Client sites
Related interests
Enterprising (leading) · Investigative (analytical) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
- Numerical reasoning
- Data interpretation
- Critical thinking
- Management and supervisory judgment
- Problem solving
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Finance, accounting and insurance.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- O*NET OnLine — Investment Fund Managers (11-3031.03) · United States
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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- Canada Job Bank — Explore careers (occupation search) · Canada
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Finance, accounting and insurance in Canada, not a figure for Portfolio manager. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Finance, accounting and insurance family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Finance, accounting and insurance: education pathways
Some roles in Finance, accounting and insurance may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Finance, accounting and insurance: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)