Senior Vice President - Family Office (Private Investments)

About the Role
The Senior Vice President – Family Office (Private Investments) is responsible for leading the Family Office and managing the principal’s private investment portfolio. This role involves setting and executing the investment strategy, preserving and growing wealth across generations, and ensuring the Family Office operates with institutional-grade governance, risk management, and reporting. The SVP serves as the principal’s senior investment adviser and trusted counterpart, overseeing direct and fund investments across asset classes, wealth structuring, banking relationships, and the Family Office team, all while maintaining complete discretion and confidentiality.

Key Responsibilities

Investment Strategy and Asset Allocation

• Develop and maintain the Family Office Investment Policy Statement (IPS), detailing objectives, risk appetite, return targets, liquidity needs, and investment restrictions, for approval by the Principal.
• Establish and manage strategic and tactical asset allocation across public markets, private equity, venture capital, private credit, real estate, hedge funds, and other alternative investments.
• Regularly review the portfolio and recommend rebalancing in response to market conditions and the family's objectives.

Private Investments and Deal Execution

• Source, evaluate, and execute direct investments, co-investments, and fund commitments both in the UAE and internationally.
• Lead investment analysis, valuation, due diligence, and deal structuring, supported by the investment team and external advisers.
• Negotiate investment terms, shareholder agreements, and fund documentation, and represent the Family Office on investee boards or advisory committees when appropriate.
• Plan and execute exits to maximize value for the family.

Portfolio Management and Performance

• Oversee the performance of the entire portfolio and of individual investments against approved benchmarks and business cases.
• Select, appoint, and monitor external fund managers, private banks, and investment advisers, reviewing their fees and performance regularly.
• Manage liquidity, cash flow, and capital-call planning to ensure the family's commitments and lifestyle requirements are met.

Wealth Structuring and Succession

• Collaborate with legal, tax, and fiduciary advisers on holding structures, foundations, trusts, and special purpose vehicles (for example, in DIFC or ADGM) to protect and efficiently hold family assets.
• Support the Principal on succession planning, family governance, and the family charter or constitution.
• Ensure all structures are compliant with UAE corporate tax, economic substance, ultimate beneficial owner (UBO), and international reporting requirements (such as CRS and FATCA).

Governance, Risk, and Compliance

• Establish and run the Family Office Investment Committee, including approval processes, delegation of authority, and decision records.
• Implement a risk management framework covering market, concentration, currency, counterparty, liquidity, and reputational risk.
• Ensure compliance of all investment activity with applicable laws, KYC and anti-money laundering requirements, as well as the family's confidentiality and conflict-of-interest policies.
• Maintain clear separation and arm's-length treatment between the family's private investments and the company’s group companies, documenting and approving any related-party transactions appropriately.

Reporting and Family Relations

• Deliver consolidated monthly and quarterly reporting on net worth, portfolio performance, risk, liquidity, and investment activity.
• Present investment recommendations and performance reviews to the Principal and relevant family members.
• Act as a discreet, trusted point of contact for the family on investment and wealth matters.

Banking and External Relationships

• Manage relationships with private banks, custodians, asset managers, co-investors, family offices, and professional advisers.
• Negotiate banking terms, credit facilities, and custody arrangements on behalf of the Family Office.

Team Leadership and Operations

• Build, lead, and develop the Family Office investment and finance team.
• Establish Family Office operating policies, systems, controls, and budgets, overseeing accounting, consolidation, and audit.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field; MBA, CFA, or CAIA strongly preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in investment management, private equity, investment banking, or a single- or multi-family office, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role (Executive Director, Managing Director, or equivalent).
• Senior experience at a tier-one global financial institution, such as J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, or Barclays, or a comparable investment bank, private bank, or asset manager.
• Proven track record of managing a multi-asset portfolio and executing direct private investments.
• Strong knowledge of wealth structuring, family governance, and the UAE (including DIFC and ADGM) regulatory and tax environment.
• Experience working directly with a Principal or ultra-high-net-worth family in the GCC.
• Real estate investment expertise and an established network of private banks, fund managers, and co-investors.