Associate- Private Specialty Strategies

Church Pension Group Services Corporation•New York, NY

4d•$130,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Church Pension Group (CPG) is a ﬁnancial services organization that serves the Episcopal Church, located in Midtown Manhattan. CPG was founded in 1917 to provide pension beneﬁts to eligible clergy of the Episcopal Church. The Private Specialty Strategies (PSS) Associate supports the monitoring and execution of the Church Pension Fund’s private specialty strategies portfolio. This portfolio holds a variety of asset-related investment strategies. The Associate distills both quantitative and qualitative information to support the decision making and monitoring of a global portfolio of diverse positions designed to provide low correlation returns and strategies with idiosyncratic risk to the overall CPF portfolio. The Church Pension Fund’s private specialty strategies allocation was created to hold the non-real estate strategies in what had traditionally been a broader real assets portfolio. Over the past ten years, the portfolio has evolved from mostly energy and commodity-based strategies to include renewable infrastructure, royalties, and other cash-flowing assets. The Associate will work closely with the Managing Director in monitoring the overall portfolio more broadly as well as evaluating specific managers, markets and strategies. The Associate will also participate in the broader CPF investment process with the opportunity to review and understand investments across all asset classes. The role requires strong research and analytical skills and an interest in researching and understanding a wide dispersion of investment drivers and risk. An inherent curiosity about new strategies as well as an open mind are also essential. Successful candidates will be able to draw meaningful insights from often imperfect or incomplete data and participate actively in open investment discussions and debate. Outputs include quantitative financial and portfolio analysis as well as qualitative evaluation of managers, markets and strategies. The Church Pension Fund has a long history of growth from within and a focus on career development. High performing Associates will have opportunities for development and promotion.

Requirements

Demonstrated proficiency in institutional-quality investment research and data analysis
Proficiency in MS Office with emphasis on Excel
Willingness to research and develop expertise in new investment strategies, multiple industry sectors and other novel investment opportunities
Sector specific interest and understanding of key innovation areas such as extraction industries, sustainable infrastructure, or idiosyncratic risk strategies
Strong communication skills and an ability to reach conclusions and communicate them effectively both internally and externally
3+ years of relevant experience
BA/BS required, in Finance preferred

Nice To Haves

Experience with Business Intelligence tools such as Tableau, Domo, Microsoft Power BI
MBA or MS in Finance preferred
CFA or CAIA candidate preferred
Experience in investment performance evaluation and attribution
Familiarity with private investment fund structures is a plus
Experience or familiarity with statistical analysis

Responsibilities

Support the management of the private specialty strategies portfolio, helping to monitor existing managers and evaluate a portfolio of often unrelated strategies
Compile and analyze comparative performance metrics and draw conclusions in the evaluation of existing investment managers
Work to find innovative methods for understanding and measuring risk and return correlations in the private specialty strategies portfolio
Drive investment due diligence processes with oversight from senior team members
Contribute to investment recommendations with input from senior team members
Provide oversight of internal and external reporting and analysis
Measure, model, and evaluate various portfolio attributes; tasks include model development and use of an array of portfolio management tools
Attend meetings with investment managers with or without senior staff, actively participate in discussions with managers, and summarize meetings to communicate conclusions about investment managers or other service providers
Work on ad hoc projects as needed
Participate in and contribute to investment discussions and oversight for all CPF asset classes, including equities, fixed income, hedge funds and private equity
Effective performance of the essential functions of this position requires regular in-person, on-site interaction with colleagues, both for purposes of relationship building and meaningful collaboration

Benefits

Medical (including Vision)
Dental
Employer funded defined benefit pension plan (five year vesting)
Employee Life Insurance
Spouse and Dependent Life Insurance
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
Short-Term Disability (STD) coverage
Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage (elected as either pre-tax or after-tax)
Business Travel Accident Insurance
Worker’s Compensation
Employee Assistance Program
Retiree health insurance (eligible after 10 years)
Retiree life insurance
401(k) with matching contributions (immediate vesting)
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
Commuter Benefits
New York’s 529 College Savings Program (NY State residents)
Educational Assistance Program available to eligible employees
Parental Leave available to eligible employees
Vacation, Sick, Personal and Holidays
You may also be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.