Client Services Manager

Client Services Manager

Location: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai

Experience: 5–10 years

DIFC Experience is preferred

About the Firm

Our client is an independent, DFSA-regulated investment management and advisory firm based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), founded by seasoned investment professionals with a track record of managing more than USD 150 billion in assets under management.

The firm provides a select client base with access to high-quality investment opportunities, including top-quartile funds and tailored investment solutions across a diverse range of asset classes.

Their clients include family offices, private clients, sovereigns and institutional investors, with a strong focus on delivering best-in-class investment opportunities alongside a consistently high standard of client service.

The firm's investment and advisory capabilities span Outsourced CIO (OCIO) Services, Private and Public Markets, Sharia'a-compliant investment solutions, Wealth Management, top-quartile funds and Capital Introduction.

Role Overview

They are seeking an experienced Client Services Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day servicing and administration of the firm's existing clients and investors.

The role is a central coordination point between clients and the firm's Investment, Operations, Compliance and Finance teams, with responsibility for ensuring that client instructions, servicing requirements and investor activities are coordinated accurately, efficiently and through to completion.

The successful candidate will support clients across both the firm's managed investment funds and OCIO mandates, with responsibilities spanning onboarding, agreements and documentation, subscriptions and redemptions, capital calls, distributions, client and investor reporting, client communications and ongoing administration.

Key Responsibilities

Client Servicing & Coordination

• Act as a primary day-to-day contact for existing clients and investors in relation to servicing, reporting and administrative matters.
• Manage client enquiries, instructions and information requests, coordinating with Investment, Operations, Compliance and Finance as required.
• Take ownership of client servicing requests from receipt through to completion, ensuring there is clear responsibility, status and follow-up at each stage.
• Ensure client instructions and requests are complete, accurate and appropriately approved before progressing.
• Maintain clear records of outstanding client matters, owners, deadlines and status.
• Proactively follow up with internal teams and external service providers to ensure client deliverables are completed within agreed timescales.
• Identify bottlenecks, delays, discrepancies and incomplete requests and escalate these appropriately.
• Provide clients with timely and consistent updates on the status of operational and administrative matters.
• Coordinate regular and ad hoc client meetings, including scheduling, preparation and circulation of materials and follow-up of agreed actions.
• Maintain accurate records of client communications, instructions and documentation.
• Ensure clients receive a consistently professional, responsive and high-quality service.

Fund Investor Services

• Support and coordinate the full investor servicing lifecycle across the firm's managed funds.
• Coordinate investor onboarding, including subscription documentation and associated KYC/AML requirements.
• Coordinate subscriptions, redemptions, transfers and other investor transactions, as applicable.
• Coordinate agreements and investor documentation, including issuance of approved documents, tracking execution and maintaining complete records.
• Ensure documentation is complete and appropriately executed before progressing for processing.
• Coordinate capital calls, including validating investor and commitment details against approved information, issuing approved notices and tracking acknowledgement and due dates.
• Monitor capital call funding status with Operations and follow up on outstanding matters or exceptions.
• Coordinate investor distributions, including approved notices, payment or reinvestment instructions and associated communications.
• Track completion of distributions and resolve or escalate outstanding matters as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate records of investor commitments, subscriptions, capital calls, redemptions and distributions.
• Coordinate NAV statements, capital account statements, fund reports, financial statements and other periodic investor communications.
• Respond to routine investor queries relating to fund administration, reporting and documentation.
• Liaise with fund administrators, custodians, banks, auditors and other service providers in relation to investor servicing matters.
• Coordinate the resolution of funding discrepancies, documentation issues and other investor servicing exceptions.

OCIO Client Services

• Provide day-to-day servicing and administrative support for the firm's OCIO clients.
• Act as the central coordination point between OCIO clients and the Investment team for servicing and administrative matters.
• Coordinate regular portfolio review and investment meetings, including scheduling, agendas, investment materials and follow-up actions.
• Work closely with the Investment team to coordinate the preparation and delivery of portfolio reports, performance information, asset allocation materials and other client reporting.
• Coordinate responses to client requests for portfolio and investment-related information.
• Support the preparation and circulation of investment presentations, portfolio reviews and other client materials.
• Maintain schedules of recurring reporting, meetings and other agreed client deliverables.
• Track requests and actions arising from portfolio review and investment meetings through to completion.
• Coordinate with custodians, administrators, banks and other external service providers where required in relation to client portfolios.
• Maintain accurate client mandate information, agreements, records and documentation.
• Support the implementation and administration of approved changes to client mandates and investment arrangements.
• Escalate delays, discrepancies or other servicing issues to the appropriate internal team or senior management.

Client Onboarding, KYC & Documentation

• Coordinate the end-to-end onboarding of new fund investors and OCIO clients.
• Establish and maintain a clear onboarding status for each new client or investor.
• Issue approved KYC, subscription and onboarding documentation and track outstanding requirements.
• Liaise directly with clients and investors to obtain required corporate, identification and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate Compliance review and approval of KYC/AML documentation.
• Track updated and expiring KYC documents, identification, bank details, tax forms and other required client documentation.
• Coordinate the preparation, issuance and execution of client agreements and other documentation.
• Track signatures and effective dates and maintain an accurate executed-document register.
• Ensure documentation is complete before submission for processing.
• Support periodic KYC reviews and refreshes.
• Coordinate updates to authorised signatories, contact information, bank details and other standing client information.

Reporting, Controls & Management Information

• Maintain a comprehensive calendar of recurring client and investor deliverables, including reporting, capital calls, distributions, portfolio reviews and documentation renewals.
• Maintain central trackers covering active onboarding, outstanding agreements, pending client actions, capital calls, distributions and other client servicing matters.
• Maintain an exception and escalation log, ensuring unresolved matters have a clear owner, deadline and escalation path.
• Monitor outstanding client requests and ageing items and proactively drive them through to resolution.
• Prepare regular management reporting on client servicing activity, outstanding matters and exceptions.
• Monitor agreed service levels and identify recurring delays, errors or process weaknesses.
• Ensure approved client communications and documentation are issued accurately and on time.
• Support the development and maintenance of Client Services SOPs, workflows, checklists and controls.
• Contribute to the standardisation of client communications and servicing processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls and the overall client experience.

Internal & External Coordination

• Work closely with the CIO, Investment, Operations, Compliance and Finance teams to coordinate client-related activity.
• Maintain visibility across outstanding client and investor matters and ensure appropriate internal follow-up.
• Provide client-related support to the CIO, Investment team and senior management.
• Coordinate with fund administrators, custodians, banks, auditors, legal advisers and other external service providers.
• Ensure relevant internal stakeholders are kept informed of material client servicing matters and outstanding issues.
• Escalate delays, discrepancies and control exceptions to the appropriate decision-maker.
• Support continuous improvement of the firm's client servicing infrastructure as the business and client base grow.

Experience & Qualifications

• 5–10 years' relevant experience within asset management or investment management, with substantial experience in Client Services, Investor Services, Client Operations or a comparable function.
• Previous experience working within the DIFC is mandatory and is a prerequisite for consideration.
• Experience within a DFSA-regulated asset management, investment management or advisory firm.
• Strong practical understanding of the asset management industry and the client/investor lifecycle.
• Hands-on experience with investor onboarding, subscription documentation, capital calls, distributions, redemptions and investor reporting.