Senior Client Manager - Institutional

Job Description

Who we are
 

Aberdeen Investments is part of Aberdeen Group plc, one of the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments groups.

Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.

Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders and society.

We are repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand and are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.

As a global business, Aberdeen consists of three divisions: Investments, Adviser, and interactive investor (ii). Each division is dedicated to meeting and adapting to our clients' evolving needs.

Our Asia Pacific Investments business has a large, dedicated and highly experienced investment team which has been investing across the region since 1985, and manages all our Asian products, including regional, country, smaller companies, and sustainable investing propositions.
The team has a strong regional footprint with offices in Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Sydney. This breadth gives us close proximity to the companies we own and the markets we invest in. Our APAC operations have been based in Singapore since 1992. We invest in Asian companies to grow with them and to help them to become better investors.

Vision:

To be the most client focused, responsive, expert, and proficient Client Service team our clients deal with.

Role Purpose

The Senior Client Manager is a senior individual contributor and trusted client partner with accountability for the end‑to‑end service experience of complex, strategically important institutional clients across APAC.

The role goes beyond high‑quality execution to include judgement‑based decision making, proactive risk management, leadership by influence, and contribution to regional strategy, change and service model evolution. The incumbent acts as a senior voice of the client, balancing client advocacy with firm‑wide commercial, regulatory and operational considerations.

Role Description

Client Service sits within the Client Group function of Aberdeen. The Senior Client Manager is a core contributor to regional client retention, satisfaction and reputation, responsible for managing relationships with Aberdeen’s most complex institutional clients, invested via segregated mandates, pooled vehicles and other investment arrangements.

This role not only serves as a day-to-day point of contact for our clients but also the primary escalation point for clients and internal stakeholders, demonstrating professional maturity, sound judgement and the ability to manage ambiguity. The role requires deep product and operational knowledge, strong stakeholder management and the confidence to challenge constructively and drive outcomes.

In addition to direct client responsibility, Senior Client Manager sets standards, mentors colleagues, and contributes to continuous improvement initiatives, regulatory readiness, and service innovation across the APAC Client Service function.

Key Responsibilities

Client Ownership and Service Excellence

• Full ownership of an allocation of high‑complexity, high‑value institutional clients, with accountability for the complete client lifecycle and ongoing service experience.
• Acts as senior day‑to‑day contact and escalation point, independently resolving complex, non‑standard client issues and balancing client, regulatory and commercial outcomes.
• Oversees and governs segregated mandate lifecycle events (onboarding, changes, renewals, terminations), taking ownership of risk, timelines and stakeholder alignment.
• Leads end‑to‑end onboarding for complex pooled fund structures and bespoke arrangements, working across multiple internal teams and third‑party providers.
• Anticipates client needs and emerging issues, proactively engaging clients with insights, solutions and clear communication.

Strategic Client and Stakeholder Management

• Builds and sustains deep relationships with clients, consultants, advisers, custodians and internal stakeholders.
• Acts as a key partner to Business Development, sharing insights on client sentiment, risks, retention and growth opportunities.
• Proactively communicating and interacting with clients by attending and arranging client service review meetings, due diligence meetings and other fact-to-face meetings as required, representing Aberdeen with credibility and authority.
• Represents Client Service on regional and firm‑wide initiatives, ensuring client impacts are well understood and managed.

Risk, Control and Regulatory Stewardship

• Accountable for identifying, escalating and managing material service, operational, regulatory and reputational risks impacting assigned clients.
• Oversees the resolution of breaches, errors and complaints, ensuring root‑cause analysis, client remediation and control enhancements are delivered.
• Exercises judgement when interpreting policies, procedures and regulatory requirements, escalating where appropriate.
• Partners with AML/KYC/CDD teams to manage complex onboarding and review cases, challenging constructively to minimize unnecessary client friction while meeting regulatory obligations.

Change, Digitization and Continuous Improvement

• Creating and maintaining central client records for regulatory and internal purposes to enable accurate reporting and management information.
• Plays an active role in process optimization, digitization and automation initiatives, including Salesforce and other core data and client information systems.
• Identifies recurring issues, trends and inefficiencies, translating these into practical improvement recommendations
• Embraces and champions new technologies, including automation and AI, to enhance client experience and operational effectiveness

Leadership, Knowledge and Team Contribution

• Demonstrates leadership through influence, supporting, mentoring and coaching less experienced colleagues.
• Acts as subject‑matter expert for products, mandates and servicing models, sharing knowledge across the team.
• Contributes to service standards, playbooks, training and onboarding materials for the Client Service function.
• Provides cover and guidance to peers, supporting overall team resilience and quality.

Role requirements

• Bachelor’s degree desirable
• At least 8-10 years of experience in Financial Services, with strong exposure to asset management or institutional servicing.
• Proven experience in managing complex institutional clients and segregated mandates, with high autonomy.
• Deep understanding of investment products, servicing models and regulatory requirements (e.g. AML, KYC, suitability)
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgement, manage risk and handle ambiguity
• Strong relationship management, influencing and communication skills, including with senor stakeholders.
• Track record of contributing beyond own role, including mentoring, change initiatives or process improvement.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and resilient, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Passionate in delivering exceptional client services
• CMFAS Module 3, 5, 6, 8, and 8A or readiness to obtain

We are committed to exploring the possibilities of working smarter. This means we’d like to hear from you, whatever way you like to work.

We have a long-term commitment to building inclusive workplaces; we value diversity in our workforce and welcome enquiries from everyone. If you need assistance or a reasonable adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.