Associate Director, Portfolio Risk (RS)

AustralianSuper; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

AustralianSuper is seeking an Associate Director, Portfolio Risk, to provide technical risk analysis, modelling and reporting across Investment Options and Building Blocks. The role supports the Senior Director by delivering high-quality risk insights and ensuring risk analytics remain robust and governance-aligned.

You will work with cross-functional teams to improve risk measurement, translate complex data into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders, and contribute to cross-Fund

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level or higher in finance, economics, maths, statistics, engineering or actuarial studies.
• Postgraduate qualifications or CFA/FRM desirable.
• Accreditation in RMIA or GIA, or willingness to obtain after joining.

Responsibilities

• Undertake detailed risk analysis to assess risk settings, constraints, exposures and risk-return trade-offs for each Investment Option.
• Prepare risk analysis for annual strategy reviews and other periodic reviews, including stress testing and scenario analysis.
• Test Building Blocks aggregation into Investment Options and identify inconsistencies with portfolio design.
• Operate and improve investment risk models, analytics and reporting for portfolios and Building Blocks.
• Maintain risk data, assumptions, model inputs, outputs and documentation for governance and auditability.
• Identify data/model limitations and work with teams to improve risk measurement and interpretation.
• Collaborate with Portfolio Strategy & Implementation Integration, Asset Allocation, Liquidity & Implementation and risk colleagues on risk analysis.

Skills

Technical risk analysis

Portfolio risk

Data interpretation

Stakeholder communication

Quantitative modelling

Education

Tertiary qualification in finance/economics/maths/statistics/engineering

Postgraduate qualification or CFA/FRM desirable

Tools

BlackRock Aladdin

MSCI Barra

Job description

At AustralianSuper, we truly care about our colleagues. We know work and life are intertwined. That’s why we support the diverse needs of everyone and have policies that enable us all to thrive and be truly flexible. We ensure diversity is celebrated for the opportunity it provides us all to learn and grow and deliver better outcomes for members.We are dedicated to building a high-performance environment underpinned by a strong risk culture, ensuring we deliver the best outcomes for our members.

Your New Role

Reporting to the Senior Director, Portfolio Risk, the Associate Director, Portfolio Risk provides technical investment risk analysis, modelling, reporting and decision support across the Fund’s Investment Options and Building Blocks.

The role supports the Senior Director by producing high-quality risk insights, maintaining and improving risk analytics, and helping assess whether portfolios are operating in line with intended design, objectives and constraints.

Key duties include but are not limited to:

• Undertaking detailed risk analysis to support assessment of risk settings, constraints, exposures and risk-return trade-offs for each Investment Option;
• Preparing risk analysis for the annual Investment Option strategy review and other periodic reviews, including risk decomposition, stress testing and scenario analysis;
• Testing whether Building Blocks aggregate into the Investment Options as intended and identifying unintended risks or inconsistencies with portfolio design;
• Operating and improving investment risk models, analytics and reporting used to measure Investment Option-level and Building Block risk;
• Maintaining risk data, assumptions, model inputs, outputs and documentation to support strong governance, repeatability and auditability;
• Identifying limitations in data, models or system outputs and working with the Senior Director, Portfolio Risk and relevant teams to improve risk measurement and interpretation;
• Working closely with the broader Portfolio Strategy & Implementation Integration team, Asset Allocation, Liquidity & Implementation, asset class teams and risk colleagues to support practical and consistent risk analysis;
• Contributing technical input to cross-Fund initiatives, including improvements to investment risk taxonomy, reporting, systems, process documentation and portfolio oversight.

What You’ll Need

• Strong technical experience in an institutional investment manager, asset owner, investment consultant or financial services firm, with direct exposure to portfolio risk, multi-asset portfolios or investment analytics;
• Hands-on experience using investment risk systems and analytics tools, ideally including BlackRock Aladdin, MSCI Barra or comparable portfolio risk platforms;
• Demonstrated ability to analyse portfolio risk, exposures, concentrations, downside risk, factor risk, etc. in a multi-asset context;
• Strong understanding of portfolio construction, asset allocation, investment implementation, stress testing, scenario analysis and risk-return trade-offs;
• Ability to convert complex risk data into clear insights, practical implications and well-supported recommendations for senior stakeholders;
• Strong quantitative, data and modelling skills, including the ability to interrogate data, validate outputs, identify model limitations and maintain robust analytical processes;
• Experience preparing analysis, reporting and documentation for investment committees, portfolio review forums or senior investment decision-making processes;
• Good understanding of model documentation, data governance, control processes and the importance of repeatable and auditable investment risk analysis;
• Tertiary qualification in finance, economics, mathematics, statistics, engineering, actuarial studies, data science or another relevant quantitative discipline; postgraduate qualifications or CFA/FRM desirable;
• Hold an accreditation in Risk Management from a recognised body like Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA) or Governance Institute of Australia (GIA), or be willing to obtain one after joining AustralianSuper;
• Demonstrated ability to understand and translate external regulatory requirements to shape business outcomes.

This is a permanent role preferably based in Melbourne.

Life at AustralianSuper

AustralianSuper is committed to colleague development, and we support our people with ongoing learning, coaching and training, as well as career opportunities across our expanding global organisation. We offer generous leave entitlements and promote a blended working environment in which all roles can flex, and we’re happy to discuss what this looks like for you.

We cultivate a workplace that champions safety, respect, inclusiveness and diversity. We are committed to supporting our diverse workforce in a way that is inclusive and embraces diversity in all its forms. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process or the role, please let our recruitment team know.

AustralianSuper uses AI to review resumes and conduct initial phone interviews. This involves processing your resume, cover letter, and voice recording in Australia and the USA to help assess your suitability for the applied role. When invited to an AI phone screening, you may opt for a traditional phone screening instead. For information on how we handle your personal data, please refer to our Candidate Privacy Policy.

https://www.australiansuper.com/careers/candidate-privacy-notice

Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian permanent residency status is required.

Agencies please note: this vacancy is being managed directly by AustralianSuper’s Talent Acquisition team. We will contact our preferred agency partners should we require additional support. Thank you.