Job description

Hedge funds operate a diverse range of investment activities - for example buying and selling shares, derivatives, commodities, debt (bonds) and foreign exchange - with the aim of maximising returns on investments. In fact, it has been said that hedge fund managers will invest in anything that they judge will make a profit. In recent times, hedge funds have come under public scrutiny for short selling - the practice of selling assets that they do not own (and have ‘borrowed') with the aim of buying them back at a later time at a cheaper price (and therefore at a profit) than that at which they were sold. By predicting that certain shares - for example banks - would drop in value, hedge funds were seen to be profiting from the recent banking crisis as the value of shares in banks plummeted.

Hedge Fund Managers are typically given free rein to invest funds as they see fit - as private companies open to limited groups and individuals they are free from many of the regulations faced by public companies investing the public's money. Hedge Fund Managers typically approach investments using the following four strategies:

• Long/short share dealing.
• Relative value trading.
• Event driven trades.
• Trading strategies.

Hedge funds are seen as high risk/high reward investment vehicles.

Qualifications

Qualified accountants can find rewarding roles managing the accounting requirements for hedge funds. Hedge Fund Managers are typically very experienced investment professionals with excellent track records in the City.

Salary Snapshot

Recent salaries advertised on TopFinancialJobs (February 2010) include:

• £60-80,000 per annum for a qualified (ACA, ACCA, ACMA) accountant working as a Hedge Fund Financial Controller working for a hedge fund in the City of London.
• £100-150,000 + significant bonus for a qualified (ACA, ACCA, ACMA) accountant working as the Chief Operating Officer for a hedge fund in London.
• £70-120,000 for an Emerging Markets Equities Analyst with a Middle East/North Africa focus working for a hedge fund in the City of London.

Do you work for a hedge fund? Would you like to contribute to our "Day in the Life of..." series? Email us at info@topfinancialjobs.co.uk for more details.