Description

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Job Title:                     Investment Officer
Location:                     Peoria, IL (preferred)

About IPOPIF
The Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund (“IPOPIF” or “Fund”) is a public pension investment fund responsible for consolidating, managing, and investing the assets of 357 participating police pensions funds. The Fund began investment operations in 2022. The Fund operates as a unitized investment pool and was recently valued at $15.5 billion.  IPOPIF is governed by a nine-member Board.  Investments are managed by a 4-person investment team with support from General Investment Consultant, Cerity, and Private Markets Consultant, Albourne.  

Opportunity for Investment Officer
IPOPIF is seeking an experienced investment professional to complement the existing team, with a focus on public equities and risk mitigation asset classes. Leadership, oversight, and support across investment operations, administration, and compliance functions will be a substantial aspect to this role. This position will work closely with and report directly to the CIO and may include supervisory responsibilities.  IPOPIF will consider a modified role focused on investment administration and operations for candidates with relevant experience.

IPOPIF is headquartered in Peoria, IL and the ability to work from the Peoria office is preferred.  However, hybrid work arrangements may be considered for high caliber candidates. 

Initial Role Objectives:

• Work with the CIO and incumbent investment officer to organize management and monitoring of the public equity and risk mitigation asset classes.
• Work with CIO to develop and implement investment operations strategic plan, including:  

o   Compliance review and reporting process

o   Proxy management solutions

o   Processes and screens to objectively determine organizations that engage in Anti-Police Activity or Anti-Pension Activity

o   Litigation monitoring

o   Administration of direct international exposure including market access and tax reclaims, including consideration of outsourced servicing  

Essential Job Duties:
Investment Management

• Provide technical support to the CIO in developing and carrying out the Investment Policy, strategies, objectives, procedures, and processes for the Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund.
• Maintain oversight of compliance of Board-approved strategies, portfolio guidelines, and investment policies.
• Perform on-going review of investment policies, strategies and portfolio guidelines and make recommendations to CIO for any changes, as needed.
• Ensure portfolio re-balancing and portfolio transitions in accordance with the Board approved Investment Policy Statement.
• Recommend, analyze, and monitor chosen investment managers in regard to performance, risk, and return.
• Provide written and verbal recommendations if termination or addition of investment managers is warranted.
• Review, critique and assess performance of portfolios, to determine risk attribution.
• Collaborate and assist with pension investment consultants pertaining to long-term investment strategy.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Regularly monitor investment managers to assess performance, risk and return and evaluate any strategy modification. May recommend termination of an investment manager for reasons articulated clearly in oral and written analyses.
• Review individual manager performance and multi-manager portfolios to assess return and risk attribution and prepare reports, as required.
• Assist the CIO in preparing materials for Board of Trustee and Committee meetings with assigned primary responsibility for one or more sections or segments.  
• Prepare and fluently present entire reports and memoranda before investment governance bodies.
• Assist the CIO in monitoring compliance with Board approved policies and all applicable laws and regulations.
• Provide periodic reporting in accordance with Board policies to the participating police pension funds.

 Administration

• Serve as primary staff contact or liaison with external service providers such as consultants and advisors and take the lead in monitoring such providers’ reports, data interfaces, and information systems.  
• Work effectively with Legal Fiduciary Counsel to address legal issues with contracts as needed.
• Communicate and respond to legislative and regulatory agencies as well as financial auditors to provide complete information requests.

Qualifications:

• Graduation from an accredited university or college with a bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, accounting, business, or related field of study preferred, and
• MBA preferred but not required.
• Five to seven years of investment work experience, or three years of such experience with public funds, or a combination of education, training and/or experience that could likely provide the desired knowledge and abilities.
• Demonstrated investment management success.

Knowledge of:

•  Investment concepts, terminology, styles, models, and strategies including portfolio theory, asset allocation and performance measurement, and a solid understanding of capital markets.
• Principles and practices of institutional investment management and specifically public pension fund management.
• Modern portfolio theory and application to public pension funds.
• Institutional real estate, private equity, hedge funds and other non-traditional investment areas, including advanced knowledge of and prior experience in the functional areas to be assigned to this position.
• Analytical techniques and tools commonly utilized in the management of equity and fixed income portfolios in a pension fund environment.
• Statistical concepts, methods and models, and their application to investments.

Skills and Abilities to:

• Establish and maintain professional relationships with members of the Board of Trustees, IPOPIF management and professional staff, and consultants.
• Interact with external service providers such as: actuarial and investment consultants, money managers and custodians.
• Prioritize conflicting timelines and ensure that projects are completed as required.
• Analyze data with a high level of detail.
• Clearly, concisely, and effectively communicate both orally and in writing.  
• Perform job functions with a high degree of independence and in an ethical and objective manner.
• Use computer software to compose spreadsheets, graphs, flowcharts, calculations, and time reports, etc.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited university or college with a bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, accounting, business, or related field of study preferred, and
• MBA preferred but not required.
• Five to seven years of investment work experience, or three years of such experience with public funds, or a combination of education, training and/or experience that could likely provide the desired knowledge and abilities.
• Demonstrated investment management success.