Asset & Wealth Management · related to Portfolio Manager Assistant

Investment Product Specialist

BriefYour role

L3 salary: Not published yetSalary figures open with the salaries section.
Upcoming dated changes: 2 changes aheadNext: 31 Jan 2027
Where the changes come from
Each change in the Regulatory calendar comes from an official text, linked on its page.
A change affects this role directly when it names a process that is one of the role's main tasks.
Top critical skills: Portfolio construction and allocation
Performance measurement and attribution
Financial markets knowledge

What the role does

Investment Product Specialist is a role in Asset & Wealth Management. The family covers portfolio, fund and private client roles in investment management. The core skill is portfolio construction and allocation, and the main work is fund accounting and NAV and portfolio and investment management.

This is a brief profile written from the catalogue. A full profile with a day in the life, level descriptions and the effect of AI is being written.

Levels

L1 Starting out 0-2 years
L2 Independent 2-5 years
L3 Senior or specialist 5-9 years
L4 Leads a team or an area 8-14 years
L5 Leads the function 12+ years

Full level descriptions and job titles

The EFO level names are the common scale; job titles differ between employers.

Levels of Investment Product Specialist
Level	What the work looks like	Typical years	Typical job titles
L1 Starting out	Learns the job; executes defined tasks with supervision	0-2	Banks: Analyst, Junior Analyst, Associate (asset servicing), Trainee, GraduateAsset servicers: Junior, Specialist (entry), Officer
L2 Independent	Owns a process end to end; trains L1; first contact for the team's clients	2-5	Banks: Analyst / Senior Analyst, AssociateAsset servicers: Specialist, Senior Specialist, Senior Officer
L3 Senior or specialist	Deep expertise; handles exceptions and change; represents the function in projects	5-9	Banks: Senior Associate, AVP, Assistant ManagerAsset servicers: Senior Specialist, Expert, Team Lead (small team)
L4 Leads a team or an area	Manages people or a large process; owns budgets or controls; escalation point	8-14	Banks: VP, Manager, Senior ManagerAsset servicers: Team Lead, Manager, Head of Section
L5 Leads the function	Accountable for the function in a legal entity or region; sets priorities and standards	12+	Banks: Director, Executive Director, Managing Director, Head of functionAsset servicers: Head of Department, Director

Skills

The percentage is the skill's share of the role; the bars are drawn relative to the anchor skill, which is shown full.

Critical 5

The job cannot be done without these.

Portfolio construction and allocationWeight 13.3%Anchor skillExpected level: expertRelevant to you
Performance measurement and attributionWeight 8.9%Expected level: expertRelevant to you
Financial markets knowledgeWeight 8.9%Expected level: expertRelevant to you
Net asset value calculationWeight 8.9%Expected level: expertRelevant to you
Product marketing and messagingWeight 8.9%Expected level: expertRelevant to you

Important and supporting skills 17

Important 8

Needed in most positions.

Company valuation (DCF, multiples)Weight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Derivatives and how they workWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Advanced Microsoft ExcelWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Bloomberg Terminal / market dataWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Fund regulation and structures (UCITS, AIFMD, US 1940 Act)Weight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Professional written communicationWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Descriptive statistics and distributionsWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Assessing the quality of sourcesWeight 4.4%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you

Supporting 6

Help in many positions.

ESG frameworks and rating criteriaWeight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Risk measures and sensitivitiesWeight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Attention to detailWeight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Querying data with SQLWeight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Verbal communication and presentingWeight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Conduct and investor protection rules (MiFID II, FINRA, SEBI)Weight 2.2%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you

Useful 3

Occasionally useful.

Python for data analysisWeight 0.7%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Working to tight deadlinesWeight 0.7%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Stakeholder managementWeight 0.7%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you

Processes

The work the role takes part in.

What each process covers

Fund accounting and NAVMainCalculating the daily value of funds and keeping their books.
Portfolio and investment managementMainBuilding portfolios, measuring performance and investment risk.
Corporate finance and dealsSupportingM&A, capital markets, valuation and due diligence.
Depositary oversightSupportingIndependent checks that a fund follows its rules and holds its assets.
Market risk measurementSupportingMeasuring sensitivities and potential losses on trading positions.
P&L and valuation controlSupportingProducing and explaining daily P&L and independently checking prices.

Dated changes for this role

31 Jan 2027Retail Investment Strategy: final adoption expectedRelevant to you
16 Apr 2027AIFMD II and UCITS changes: reporting standards due 2027Relevant to you

Worth knowing

Changes that touch a process this role takes part in as a secondary task.

5 Dec 2026Listing Act: multiple-vote share structures for SME growth markets

See all 3 in the Regulatory calendar

Salary snapshot

Salary figures are not published yet

The L3 salary range for this role, with its sources, will appear here when the salaries section opens.

Certifications

CFA Program Level I CFA Institute
CFA Program Level II CFA Institute
CFA ESG Investing Certificate CFA Institute

Concepts to know

All 15 concepts

Neighbouring roles

Roles that need many of the same skills, by weighted skill overlap, with the skills you would need to add.

Your role

Portfolio Analyst

69% skill overlap

Your role

Do this job? Suggest a correction

Sources

The EFO role catalogue, with skills, levels and processes. How it is built
ESCO classification of the European Commission (external site) for job titles