Director, Alternatives Strategy
About The Position
New York Life’s Office of the Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) is seeking a seasoned investment professional to serve as Director within its Alternatives Strategy team. Reporting to the Managing Director, Head of Alternatives, this role will serve as a senior owner within the Alternatives platform, with responsibility for shaping strategy, leading investment execution, and exercising judgment across a large, long-duration insurance portfolio. The Director will have a leadership role in designated alternative strategies and manager relationships, with responsibility for end-to-end diligence, recommendation, governance, and ongoing oversight. The role requires embedded alternatives expertise, strong commercial judgment, and the ability to operate effectively across investment, risk, and enterprise stakeholders.
Requirements
- Bachelors degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field
- 8+ years of experience in alternative investments, private markets, or institutional asset management
- Demonstrated experience sourcing, analyzing, structuring, and executing private market transactions
- Strong understanding of portfolio construction, capital allocation, risk-adjusted return, and downside risk frameworks
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders
- High degree of professional maturity, judgment, and ability to operate independently in a fast-paced environment
- Occasional travel as required
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) and/or professional designation (CFA, CAIA) strongly preferred
- Experience with insurance-based investing, liability-aware portfolio management, or capital-sensitive balance sheets is highly desirable
Responsibilities
- Serve as primary investment lead for designated alternative strategies and manager relationships, with responsibility for end-to-end diligence, recommendation, and ongoing oversight
- Generate, evaluate, and lead execution of new alternative investment opportunities, including diligence, underwriting, structuring, and negotiation
- Provide thought leadership on the strategic role and portfolio fit of alternative investments within the General Account
- Assess opportunities through the lens of risk-adjusted return, capital efficiency, correlation, liquidity, and balance-sheet impact
- Lead commercial structuring and negotiation of investment terms to optimize alignment, downside protection, and capital efficiency
- Support portfolio construction/management, allocation decisions, and asset allocation discussions involving alternative investments
- Evaluate downside scenarios, stress outcomes, and liquidity implications of alternative investments within an insurance balance-sheet context
- Oversee monitoring of active investments to ensure adherence to strategy, risk limits, governance standards, and performance expectations
- Lead preparation of materials and serve as a key discussion partner in Investment Committee and various governance forums
- Partner closely with Business Development, Portfolio Solutions, Portfolio Management, Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Operations teams to ensure seamless execution and oversight
- Engage with external managers, sponsors, and counterparties to evaluate pipeline opportunities and maintain active market dialogue
- Represent New York Life in external meetings, conferences, and industry forums to strengthen sourcing relationships and maintain market insight
- Prepare and present investment recommendations, portfolio updates, and strategic perspectives to leadership team
- Mentor and develop OCIO team members, providing guidance on investment analysis, judgment, and professional growth
- Contribute to hiring decisions, team structure, and long-term capability development within the Alternatives platform
- Support the continued evolution of investment processes, governance frameworks, and best practices across the Alternatives team
Benefits
- We provide a full package of benefits for employees – and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs.
- employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
