Puma Growth Partners are looking for a Portfolio Director to join our team in London, with regular monthly travel to Manchester and Edinburgh.
Puma Growth Partners (PGP) was launched as division of the Puma Capital Group in 2018. We are on an exciting growth journey in our own right and are focussed on expanding our portfolio and assets under management. The portfolio currently stands at about 23 companies accounting for about £150m of invested capital, with considerable additional discretionary funds available for investment. The PGP team currently stands at 15 people working across London, Manchester and Edinburgh, who you will work with extremely closely. That team spans both investment and portfolio management, plus we draw in other Puma functions to support our portfolio, such as our People team to support with leadership, organisational structure and recruitment, and our Marketing team to support on PR and messaging.
We have a strong record of fundraising, consistently adding discretionary investable funds in excess of £50m per year. We plan to grow the portfolio by adding five to ten new positions a year, whilst exiting two to three a year. We have a strong and growing origination platform, led by our Origination Manager who coordinates activities and leads on direct outreach.
We are focused on investing into high potential businesses to deliver long-term value to shareholders. We typically invest £5m to £15m per round, investing into technology businesses, scalable business services, and consumer brands with the genuine potential to be market leaders. We focus on companies with a proven product, strong management teams and clear growth plan.
We operate an intensive, hands‑on approach to portfolio management. Helping our portfolio companies to grow is the single best way for us to add value for all our stakeholders. By supporting our portfolio, we generate value for our investors, increase our fundraising potential, expand our expertise, and in turn help build value for the management teams we have backed. We invest at a stage where there is sufficient trading data available to run a meaningful diligence process on the companies we back, but there is still enormous scope to influence their strategic trajectory and growth potential. It is a highly dynamic and rewarding part of the market to work in.
The Role:
This newly created senior role represents a rare opportunity for an experienced Portfolio Director to shape and lead our portfolio and value acceleration function. You will work closely with founders, CEOs, and leadership teams across our portfolio, as well as with the broader Puma Growth Partners (PGP) and Puma Capital Group (PCG) teams. You will play a pivotal part in safeguarding and driving portfolio performance, intervening early where issues arise, and ensuring each business is effectively supported to deliver against its investment plan.
The position requires a decisive, commercially astute operator who thrives in dynamic environments, is comfortable making judgement calls under uncertainty, and can balance short‑term pressure with long‑term value creation. You will also participate in the Investment Committee process and lead or significantly influence strategic decisions relating to exits, follow‑on funding, and portfolio construction.
This role is a Certified role under the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR). This means you will be subject to some regulatory background checks before you start in role and evidence of your qualifications will also be required where necessary.
Role Responsibilities:
Leadership & Team Development
* Build a market‑leading portfolio and value acceleration team, leading, and continually enhancing the team, ensuring clarity of purpose, strong execution, and high performance.
* Mentor and develop team members, instilling a rigorous but supportive culture that emphasises accountability, insight, and operational excellence.
* Allocate portfolio team resources to clearly scoped value creation projects, monitor outcomes, and determine next steps.
Portfolio Performance & Governance
* Take direct accountability for overall portfolio performance, ensuring responsibilities across the PGP team are clearly defined and consistently delivered.
* Identify underperformance early and act decisively to prevent value erosion; lead turnaround efforts on the most challenging portfolio situations, working closely with the MD and relevant Investment Directors. Formulate realistic and timely funding strategies for portfolio companies, whether via third‑party debt, third‑party equity, follow‑on capital from Puma, or strategic sale.
* Implement the reporting architecture, governance structures, dashboards, and cadence required for effective oversight and decision‑making.
* Manage the internal monitoring cycle and ensure the timely delivery of high‑quality reporting to the Puma Growth Partners MD, Puma Capital Group CEO, Puma VCT boards, and other stakeholders.
Value Creation & Onboarding
* Develop and ensure delivery of company‑specific growth plans, ensuring actions are prioritised, resourced, and executed effectively.
* Guide management teams on strategy, operations, organisational design, and commercial execution to accelerate value creation.
* Build and maintain a network of specialist recruiters, fractional experts, advisors and “fixers” who can be rapidly deployed across the portfolio.
* Actively embed AI within portfolio processes—whether in reporting, forecasting, operational analytics, or value creation methodologies.
Exit & Fundraising Strategies
* Oversee exit readiness and bring views on optimum timing in order to drive exits, maintain a balanced portfolio and deliver consistent returns for investors.
* Oversee fundraising and exit processes, assessing risk‑reward trade‑offs and determining the optimal timing and strategy.
Experience Required:
* Demonstrable experience of working with a wide variety of companies through their growth journeys, with broad experience including navigating challenges, fundraising and exist processes
* Proven ability to utilise strategic foresight and sound judgement
* Proven ability to influence others, and shape outcomes effectively
* A strong network of operational experts, interim executives, and specialist consultants, with a proven ability to deploy them effectively.
* Experience overseeing complex operational, financial, and commercial situations across multiple businesses simultaneously.
* Exceptional ability to synthesise large volumes of information into clear, actionable insights, balancing detail with strategic perspective.
* Skilled in applying a rigorous, evidence‑based approach: challenging assumptions, interrogating incentives, and accurately diagnosing situations.
* Strong intuition for people and leadership team dynamics, with the ability to assess management capability and influence behaviour constructively.
* A persuasive and credible communicator capable of building trust and engaging effectively with founders, senior leadership teams, investors, boards, and internal stakeholders.
* Able to deliver difficult messages with clarity and empathy, fostering alignment even in complex or ambiguous circumstances.
* Comfortable representing PGP at board level and acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders across the portfolio.
Personal Attributes:
* Trustworthy
* Values‑driven
* Excellent communicator
* Adaptable and willing to get stuck into whatever needs doing
* Depth of character and gravitas but operating with humility
* The drive and attitude to excel in a high performing environment whilst maintaining high levels of integrity
* Energy, dynamism, and passion for complex business challenge
* Organised, rigorous and disciplined
* Pragmatic and practical
About Us
Founded in 2012, Puma Capital Group is an award‑winning investment manager operating within the tax efficient space and is a leading provider of growth capital to UK SMEs and property finance to developers and real estate investors.
The Puma Capital Group comprises four businesses focused on delivering long‑term sustainable growth for our investors and partners:
* Puma Investments
* Puma Property Finance
* Puma Growth Partners
* Puma Public Markets
Collectively the Group has over £1 billion in assets under management, supports over 14,000 investors, and has funded over £3 billion in property developments across the UK. We are proud to have assisted dozens of businesses across the UK elevate and build to deliver on their brilliant ideas.
In the years since we were set up, Puma Capital Group has grown significantly. We are now around 140 people across the Group, with our staff working from our head office in London, and regional offices in Manchester and Edinburgh.
It is an exceptionally exciting time for our business. Combining our already very strong track record with ambitious growth strategies, we have already developed our market share substantially and are looking to build further on our success.
At Puma, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, family or parental status, national origin, veteran status, neurodiversity, or disability status.
We strive to provide a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Our commitment to equal opportunity extends to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and development.
Importantly, research shows that men typically apply for roles when around 60% of the criteria is met, however, women and other underrepresented people often only apply when they tick every box. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point outlined in the role description, please do still get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
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