Sr Investment Officer, Private markets P5

Duty Station: NEW YORK

Closing Period: 04 September 2022

Job Opening Number: 22-Investment Management-UNJSPF OIM-185973-R-New York (R)

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Secretary-General is responsible for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF). The Secretary-General has delegated this responsibility to the Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UNJSPF (RSG). The RSG heads the Office of Investment Management (OIM), which manages approximately $70+ billion multi-asset class, global investment portfolio, about 85% of which is actively managed in-house. Asset classes under management comprise of global equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, timber, and commodities. OIM's staff are all based in New York and come from over 30 countries. For more information, please visit OIM's website at https://oim.unjspf.org/.

This position leads the Private Equity and Real Assets Teams within the Private Markets Section of the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF). The incumbent will report to the Director of the Private Markets Section, who reports directly to the Chief Investment Officer (CIO).

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent would perform the following functions:

Invest and manage the assets of UNJSPF ("UNJSPF" or the "Fund") in private equity & real assets (real assets include infrastructure, timberland & agriculture) investments to produce the optimal investment return that avoids undue risk, balancing long-term strategies effective over an investment cycle and short-term tactics to achieve results superior to the benchmarks by:

• Constructing and monitoring the private equity & real assets investment portfolios in conjunction with the Fund's overall investment objectives.
• Taking initiatives in the selection of investment opportunities in order to construct private equity & real assets investment portfolios through dedicated research while complying with risk control parameters as delineated in the Investment Manual;
• Monitoring and evaluating the investment risks and returns and the quality of the selected fund managers, co-investments and separately managed accounts;
• Directing research of private equity & real assets investments through macroeconomic and microeconomic research;
• Recommending, executing and managing private equity & real assets investments in order to achieve results superior to the relevant benchmarks;
• Integrating Sustainable Investing principles into investment consideration, directing and coordinating the preparation of reports on investment returns and strategy for review and discussion in regularly scheduled Investments Committee and portfolio review meetings as well as any ad hoc meetings as requested

Contribute to the decision-making related to the specific private equity & real assets investments, related strategic planning, and other private equity & real assets investments' related tasks in the Private Markets Committee (PMC);

• Presenting private equity & real assets strategic and annual plans for management approval;
• Participating In Investments Committee meetings when requested and preparing the required inputs;
• Ensuring that the Director of Private Markets, Chief Investment Officer of OIM and the Representative of the Secretary-General (RSG) for investments of UNJSPF have accurate and timely reports on investments and related matters for the UNJSPB, the ACABQ and the General Assembly

Manage, supervise and carry out the work programme of the unit under his/her responsibility by;

• Managing and supervising a team of private equity & real asset investment professionals;
• Complying with the Investment Policy, investment and risk guidelines, and all of the UN rules and regulations; ensuring that the investments are in line with the OIM investment;
• Promoting a high standard of transparency and accountability in all aspects of the management of the assets of the Fund through accurate record keeping; directing production of investment data that is accurate and timely;
• Seeking the highest quality and best value for money financial resource management services including, but not limited to, advisors, research providers, database, travel and consultants;
• Interacting effectively with internal and external auditors to ensure that assets are fully protected

Maintain a high level of professional investment expertise and knowledge by:

• Exploring published economic and investment material provided by investment brokers, banks, government sources and financial analysts; participating in seminars on investment topics;
• Planning and conducting meetings with private equity & real assets fund managers;

Carrying out administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the unit, including budgets, conducting evaluation of staff performance (e-PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates, etc;

Perform other duties as assigned.

• Initiate and lead special projects designed to improve the work programme.
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Professionalism: Demonstrated ability and sound knowledge of private investments' markets, private and public equity investment structures as well as portfolio management. Demonstrated ability and sound knowledge of applied macroeconomics, security analysis and portfolio management. Ability to work under pressure and provide accurate, efficient and effective results. Ability to utilise various portfolio management and data processing tools; such as Bloomberg and familiarity with the use of Internet applications and MS Office programmes. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management; Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Managerial Competencies:

• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and to gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; strives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, often with limited or imperfect data in a changing investment environment, and comes to the source of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye toward the impact on others, the Fund, and on the Organization; proposes a course of investment actions or makes recommendations based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Economics or related field is required. A first level university degree in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible investment management experience in global private equity markets is required.
Experience in co-investments/direct investments and other private markets strategies, including infrastructure and/or private debt, is desirable.
Experience in pension funds, public funds, endowments, foundations or sovereign wealth funds is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

For more information on how to apply, please follow: https://careers.un.org/lbw/jobdetail.aspx?id=185973&Lang=en-US