Portfolio and Risk Analyst

Office of the Illinois State Treasurer•Springfield, IL

About The Position

The Portfolio and Risk Analyst provides direct support to the Director and Deputy Director of Portfolio and Risk Analytics in assessing, monitoring and reporting on credit exposure within the internally managed investment portfolios and individual transactions of the Office of the State Treasurer. This individual assesses prospective and existing counterparties for creditworthiness, reports on credit metrics, utilizes best practices of data analysis to ensure results are accurate, summarizes findings, determines duration limits, and presents analyses to management in a clear, concise, convincing, and actionable format. Attendance is an essential function of this position.

Requirements

Read, analyze and interpret business financial statements
Exceptional communication aptitude, both written and verbal
Competence to prioritize effectively
Efficient with database applications and spreadsheets (intermediate MS excel skills required)
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics or a related field with experience in areas of investment risk management, credit risk analysis, statistics, quantitative risk management or a related field; OR any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out the duties of the position.

Responsibilities

Provides immediate, multifaceted support to the Director and Deputy Director of Portfolio and Risk Analytics in executing credit risk operations and completing assigned responsibilities
Conducts credit and risk assessments of both prospective and existing counterparties, including the ability to analyze companies, securities issuers/dealers, industries, and other pertinent entities.
Ability to conduct in-depth company research. Such information will come in the form of SEC reports known as 10-Q or 10-K, financial publications including but not limited to The Wall Street Journal, or proprietary databases that offer business information
Analyzes financial records of counterparties to extract necessary and important data to complete the quantitative analysis
Generates financial ratios to evaluate peer industry group financial performance relating to both historical and forecasted performance
Prepares the qualitative analysis portion of a review that incorporates all significant financial information and operational factors
Designs, develops and maintains credit exposure models/methodologies in conjunction with risk analytic systems to help monitor counterparty risk at regularly scheduled intervals
Prepares written reports and completed reviews on the financial and operational performance of counterparties and broker/dealers
Supports the Director and Deputy Director of Portfolio and Risk Analytics in the development, implementation, and communication of credit risk related policies, procedures and strategies
Assists the IPTIP Portfolio and the State Investments Portfolio in evaluating current and potential investment counterparties of the Office
Assists with the onboarding process of qualified broker/dealers seeking to provide services executing trades and facilitating investment transactions
Maintains a comprehensive understanding of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Procedural Guidelines for Evaluating Risk in Portfolio Investments to ensure effective analysis, reporting, and compliance
Maintains a strong knowledge of credit ratings, investment tools and asset classes, including commercial paper, repurchase agreements, money market funds, and other fixed-income securities.
Maintains a strong knowledge of the investment and securities markets as well as portfolio products, including the rationale for underlying holdings, sector and asset allocation decisions.
Fosters and maintains an up-to-date, highly informed understanding of market developments
Performs other duties as assigned or required which are reasonably related to the duties enumerated above