Senior Asset Manager/Distributor Relationship Director

AssetQ is the UK fund industry's leading independent due diligence platform, serving 600+ distributors and 500+ fund manufacturers. We provide the critical infrastructure that enables efficient information exchange between fund managers and allocators, processing over 140,000 DDQ requests annually across £4+ trillion in client AUM. We are a focused, low-politics, and genuinely agile organisation. We move quickly, make decisions based on market insight, and value substance over hierarchy.

We are seeking an exceptional individual who has operated at the critical intersection between asset managers and their distribution partners at the most senior levels. This role is designed to leverage both your extensive relationships and your deep market insights to help us better serve fund manufacturers. You will have been directly responsible for managing distributor relationships within an asset management firm, whether serving retail platforms, wealth managers, institutional allocators, or a combination thereof. You understand, in granular detail, how these relationships work, where the friction points lie, and what truly matters to both sides. You will have deep familiarity on how due diligence portals fit into this picture and how effective they can be when they provide the right combination of distributor support and manufacturer insight.

KEY OBJECTIVES

• Identify and articulate the day‑to‑day challenges asset managers face in servicing their distributor relationships.
• Uncover opportunities for AssetQ to develop or reposition services that address genuine pain points in the manufacturer‑distributor data exchange.
• Help with education and seek feedback on AssetQ's latest product evolution (Atom) and confirm the game‑changing nature of the proposition with both distributor and manufacturer.
• Leverage your network and credibility to open doors with asset management decision‑makers.
• Provide strategic insight into how asset managers evaluate and prioritise technology and service providers.
• Help us understand the nuances of different distributor segments (platforms, wealth managers, institutional) and their varying demands on manufacturers.
• Advise on positioning and messaging that will resonate with asset management leadership.

IDEAL CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

• Senior role within an asset management firm with direct responsibility for distributor or allocator relationships.
• Deep understanding of the operational realities of servicing multiple distribution partners simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and maintain relationships with sophisticated institutional buyers, platforms, or wealth management firms.
• Well‑connected within the UK fund management and distribution community.
• Direct and broad experience of due diligence portals and technologies that support the manufacturers, their advantages and pain points.
• Respected voice in the industry with credibility built on substantive expertise.

HIGHLY VALUED (BUT NOT ESSENTIAL)

• Exposure to RFP/DDQ platforms and processes.
• Experience managing or coordinating responses to due diligence requests at scale.
• Understanding of data exchange challenges between manufacturers and distributors.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements affecting distributor relationships (Consumer Duty, assessment of value, etc.).

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

NETWORK & INFLUENCE

You maintain active, genuine relationships with senior decision‑makers across asset management firms. Your calls get returned. Your insights are sought. When you suggest a conversation, doors open. You understand the nuances that separate good distribution relationships from excellent ones. You can articulate what keeps heads of distribution awake at night, where processes break down, and what would genuinely make their lives easier.

COMMERCIAL ACUMEN

You think commercially about how asset managers evaluate investments in technology and services. You understand budget cycles, decision‑making hierarchies, and what drives prioritisation.

CULTURAL FIT

You're direct, pragmatic, and allergic to corporate politics. You prefer substance over presentation and can work effectively in a nimble, fast‑moving environment where decisions happen quickly.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

We are intentionally flexible about how this role is structured in terms of both remuneration, location and hours. The role is senior and will be renumerated accordingly - specific structure would be discussed with the right candidate.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In the first 3‑6 months, you will have:

• Provided detailed insight into 3‑5 specific pain points that asset managers face in distributor servicing, with clear articulation of the commercial and operational impact.
• Provided specific feedback and engaged with Fund Managers on the Atom product initiative at AssetQ.
• Identified opportunities for AssetQ to enhance or develop services that address genuine market needs.
• Facilitated introductions to senior decision‑makers at asset management firms, resulting in substantive conversations about their requirements.
• Advised on positioning and messaging that demonstrably improve our resonance with the asset management market.
• Helped us understand the decision‑making dynamics within asset managers when they evaluate platforms like AssetQ.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

AssetQ sits at a unique position in the market. We serve both sides of the manufacturer‑distributor relationship, but our heritage and growth has been primarily driven by distributor demand. We have exceptional penetration on the buy‑side. The opportunity now is to ensure we're equally valuable to asset managers. Not through generic product development, but through insight‑driven innovation that addresses real operational challenges. That requires someone who has lived those challenges and understands the nuances of how asset managers think about distributor relationships. You would be instrumental in shaping how we develop and position our services to better serve the asset management community, whilst leveraging a platform that already has extraordinary reach into their distribution partners.

HOW TO APPLY

If this sounds interesting and you are confident you meet the essential requirements listed, then please send us your CV and a few lines about why you think your skills and experience might align. We can then set up a call, tell us more about ourselves, and we can both determine if we are a match.