Senior Portfolio Manager - Overlay Solutions

Salary Range:

$135,000 USD - $185,000 USD

Specific compensation will be based on candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, commercial considerations, and other job-related factors permitted by law. At Russell Investments, salary is just one part of our compensation package. Our total rewards approach includes an annual performance bonus (subject to eligibility criteria) in addition to participation in our competitive benefits programs including healthcare, retirement, vacation, and wellbeing programs.

Job Description:

Joining Russell Investments’ Customized Portfolio Solutions (CPS) team means being part of an investment organization focused on delivering customized solutions that help institutional clients manage risk, improve portfolio implementation, and achieve their investment objectives.

The Senior Portfolio Manager, Overlay Solutions is a senior investment professional responsible for managing complex client portfolios and contributing more broadly to the investment leadership, evolution, and growth of Russell Investments’ Overlay Solutions capability. The team manages more than $135 billion in client assets and implements customized currency and derivative-based strategies across a diverse range of institutional client mandates.

This role has broader responsibility across Overlay Solutions than a traditional Portfolio Manager position, with an expectation to develop expertise across multiple strategies and client applications rather than operating within a narrowly defined area of coverage. The Senior Portfolio Manager will serve as a senior resource for complex portfolio decisions, client engagements, new mandate implementation, investment innovation, risk oversight, and cross-functional initiatives.

The Senior Portfolio Manager will help elevate the capabilities of the broader team through coaching and mentorship, create connectivity across investment disciplines, lead through influence, and increasingly translate investment expertise into broader team and business impact.

Your Core Responsibilities

Portfolio & Investment Leadership

• Manage complex institutional overlay portfolios across a range of strategies, which may include cash equitization, synthetic rebalancing, currency and liability hedging, portable alpha, downside protection, and other customized derivative-based solutions.

• Develop broader expertise across Overlay Solutions strategies and serve as a senior investment resource for portfolio construction, implementation, rebalancing, and risk-management decisions.

• Exercise independent investment judgment within established client objectives, investment guidelines, and governance frameworks.

• Evaluate portfolio exposures, market conditions, liquidity, implementation alternatives, and transaction costs to determine appropriate portfolio actions.

• Partner closely with Trading, FX, quantitative research, transition management, and other investment teams to develop and implement solutions for complex or atypical client needs.

• Provide leadership during periods of market volatility or portfolio complexity, helping the team identify risks, evaluate alternatives, and make disciplined investment decisions.

Client & Commercial Leadership

• Serve as a senior investment partner to clients, developing a deep understanding of their portfolios, objectives, constraints, and evolving investment needs.

• Lead investment discussions with clients and consultants, translating complex portfolio and derivative concepts into clear, practical recommendations.

• Identify opportunities to enhance existing mandates or develop new solutions that address client challenges and improve portfolio outcomes.

• Play a leading role in prospective client discussions, due diligence meetings, strategic presentations, and new mandate implementations.

• Partner with relationship management, product, and other client-facing teams to strengthen the Overlay Solutions value proposition and support retention and business growth.

Investment Capability & Innovation

• Lead projects to evaluate new investment approaches, instruments, analytics, and implementation techniques that can enhance client outcomes or strengthen the Overlay Solutions capability.

• Identify opportunities to improve portfolio management processes, controls, technology, and analytics with an emphasis on scalability, efficiency, and risk management.

• Partner with Technology and quantitative resources to develop and enhance tools used to manage, analyze, and monitor portfolios.

• Develop investment perspectives, research, position papers, and presentations that advance team thinking and support client conversations.

• Connect ideas and best practices across Overlay Solutions and the broader Investment Division to strengthen Russell Investments’ customized portfolio capabilities.

Risk, Governance & Operational Excellence

• Act as a fiduciary for client assets by ensuring disciplined investment decision-making consistent with client objectives and Russell Investments’ investment philosophy.

• Maintain strong oversight of investment and operational risks within assigned portfolios and proactively identify emerging risks or control enhancements.

• Contribute to investment governance and committee discussions, providing thoughtful analysis and recommendations on portfolio, implementation, and risk matters.

• Partner with Trading, Risk, Compliance, Operations, Technology, and Legal to ensure portfolios operate within established investment guidelines, regulatory requirements, and internal governance standards.

• Help strengthen team practices, controls, and escalation processes by identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Serve as a role model and senior resource for Portfolio Managers, Associate Portfolio Managers, Portfolio Analysts, and other investment professionals.

• Coach and mentor colleagues, helping develop investment judgment, technical expertise, client capabilities, and broader commercial awareness.

• Create opportunities for others to take on greater responsibility and provide thoughtful feedback that accelerates their development.

• Lead through influence across the team and broader organization, building alignment and bringing others together around complex investment or business challenges.

• Demonstrate readiness for broader leadership responsibilities by balancing individual portfolio accountability with the success and development of the broader team.

• Foster an environment of intellectual curiosity, constructive challenge, accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning.

• Help build leadership depth within Overlay Solutions by identifying emerging talent and supporting the development of future portfolio management leaders.

Your Expertise

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

• 10-15 years of experience in institutional investing, portfolio management, derivatives, overlay management, multi-asset investing, trading, or portfolio implementation, with progressively increasing responsibility.

• Demonstrated experience independently managing institutional or customized client portfolios and making investment decisions in changing market environments.

• Strong understanding of derivatives, portfolio construction, asset allocation, risk management, market structure, and investment implementation.

• Experience working across multiple investment strategies, portfolio types, or client applications, with the ability and interest to develop broad expertise across Overlay Solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives and influence outcomes across teams without relying on formal authority.

• Evidence of successfully coaching, mentoring, or developing other investment professionals.

• Strong client presence with the ability to communicate sophisticated investment concepts clearly to clients, consultants, and senior internal stakeholders.

• Strong diagnostic, quantitative, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Ability to balance investment judgment, client needs, risk considerations, and commercial priorities.

• High degree of adaptability, intellectual curiosity, and comfort operating in an evolving investment environment.

• CFA designation or progress toward the charter preferred; advanced degree in a relevant discipline is also valued.

This role is not eligible for employment-based immigration sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Russell Investments is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all associates and employment applicants regardless of race, religion, ancestry, creed, color, gender (including gender identity which refers to a person's actual or perceived sex, and includes self-image, appearance, behavior or expression, whether or not different from that traditionally associated with a person's biological sex), age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, medical condition, military status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation,  past or present unemployment status , or any other characteristic protected by law.