Operations

A $10bn AUM, sub-50-person equities hedge fund mandated us to appoint a London-based Head of Operations.

The successful candidate would manage a small team while overseeing the firm’s full operations and middle office function. The role also involved managing multiple external service providers, supporting strategic initiatives in a shadow COO capacity, remaining hands-on with day-to-day operational responsibilities, and leading a continuous pipeline of operational and technology projects.

The search required identifying candidates capable of operating at a senior leadership level while retaining a highly hands-on and technical approach — a combination that is increasingly difficult to find within the hedge fund market. We conducted a targeted search across the London hedge fund landscape, assessing Heads of Operations from a broad range of fund strategies and AUM profiles. Rather than focusing solely on title or firm size, we prioritised candidates with demonstrable hands-on operational capability, technical expertise, and the adaptability required for a lean investment platform. Many of these attributes were identified through our existing relationships and direct market knowledge.

Following a rigorous yet efficient search process, and a five-stage interview programme, we delivered three final-stage candidates, all capable of successfully transitioning into the role. The successful hire has since been identified internally as a future COO successor for the business.

A leading multi-strategy hedge fund engaged us to support a critical build-out of its US middle office function. The mandate focused on hiring a Head of US Middle Office to establish and scale the platform, supporting a rapidly growing investment business across multiple strategies and asset classes.

The role required an individual capable of operating at both a strategic and operational level, with responsibility for building processes, managing key stakeholder relationships across trading and investment teams, and helping define the long-term operating model for the business. In addition to deep middle office and operations expertise, the client maintained a particularly high bar around cultural alignment, intellectual caliber, and academic pedigree.

Given the importance of the hire, we conducted a comprehensive market mapping exercise across the hedge fund and broader financial services landscape. This included senior middle office and operations leaders from leading multi-strategy hedge funds, as well as high-performing middle office professionals from top-tier US investment banks. Through a highly targeted and rigorous search process, we successfully delivered a senior operations leader with extensive experience managing complex investment operations environments and scaling institutional middle office infrastructure.