Investments and Portfolio Analyst

State of South Carolina; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public service loan forgiveness

Paid parental leave

Health, dental, vision, long-term-disb

Life insurance

15 days vacation

15 days sick leave

13 holidays

State retirement plan

Job summary

State of South Carolina's State Treasurer's Office seeks an Investments & Portfolio Analyst to coordinate custodian, trading, and compliance operations for the state's investments. This role develops relationships with custodian banks, the STO investment advisor, LGIP participants and internal stakeholders, and resolves SAP accounting issues.

Under supervision of the Division Directors, you will monitor fixed income trading, assess market exposure, perform risk analysis, and ensure CIP alignment

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, business management or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in investment trading, accounting, finance, debt management, securities processing, credit or banking.
• Excellent analytical and written/verbal communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Monitors investment trading activities for all fixed income portfolios managed by the STO. Provides information to Investment Advisor for liquidity and funding.
• Reviews portfolio risk, market exposure, credit quality, and CIP conformity; performs research and risk analysis.
• Manages monthly/quarterly reports; monitors custody valuations and reporting discrepancies.
• Creates and maintains policies and procedures; identifies operational gaps and mitigates business risk.
• Collaborates across divisions; supports training and cross-coverage of division functions.
• Ensures compliance with laws, GASB pronouncements and state regulations relevant to investments.

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, business management or related field

Job description

Job Responsibilities

The State Treasurer's Office promotes a culture that is a fast-paced environment that supports high performance, exceptional work product, accountability and collaboration.

This position will serve as the Investments & Portfolio Analyst for the Investment Trading and Operations Management Divisions in the State Treasurer's Office. Under supervision by the Investment Trading and Investment Operations Division Directors, this role is responsible for coordinating, managing and overseeing the custodian, trading and compliance operations for the Investments of the State of South Carolina. This role will develop and maintain relationships with custodian bank networks, the STO investment advisor, LGIP participants and other internal and external stakeholders. They will also research and resolve complex accounting issues for SAP, along with reviewing and updating complex accounting issues in SAP.

As an Investments & Portfolio Analyst your responsibilities will include:

• Monitors investment trading activities for all fixed income portfolios managed by the State Treasurer's Office. Provides sufficient information to Investment Advisor to ensure liquidity for funding and investment needs. When called upon, assists Staff with security settlement issues and investment accounting.


• Monitors portfolio investment performance, activity and characteristics. Reviews portfolios for appropriate market exposure, credit quality, and conformity with the CIP. Performs research and risk analysis.


• Provides an ongoing review of the CIP including allocations and benchmarks and makes recommendations for CIP modifications. Verifies that the CIP is realistic and in conformity with State law and portfolio management strategies and goals. Reviews compliance reports and communicates concerns with the Investment Advisor. Acts as a source expert for laws, regulations, and GASB pronouncements relevant to the investment portfolios.


• Complete/Review the monthly and quarterly reports to ensure that Investment Manager is capturing all trading activity. Review differences and compare to previous reports to determine acceptable nominal variance. Analyze any significant variance to determine reporting discrepancies between Investment Manager and the Custodian Bank. Review the monthly Custody Valuations provided by the custodian. Complete/Review the report in order to monitor the impact of interim sales of investments and related gains and losses. Assist in the preparation of the Division's "Monthly Report".


• Creates and maintains policies and procedures associated with operational issues and compliance. Identifies operational gaps or weaknesses and suggests areas of improvement to operational procedures as needed. Effectively identifies and manages the business risk. Provides solutions to address risks associated with operations oversight.


• Communicates effectively with supervisor and STO staff across divisions. Provides a timely response to needs or inquiries of other agencies or entities as requested. Works collaboratively with all team members and participates in cross training to ensure functional coverage across the division. Continuously develops and maintains a productive working relationship within the Investments Division and the STO. Fully commits to all assigned training requirements and strives to meet related goals and objectives. Continuously reviews and updates work procedures (Desk Procedures, User's Guides, etc.) so that these documents will be maintained in an accurate and usable manner to promote quality outputs and facilitate ongoing cross training.

This Position Also Includes An Excellent Benefits Package

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility.


• Paid parental leave.


• Health, dental, vision, long-term disability, and life insurance for employees, spouses, and children.


• Fifteen days of annual (vacation) leave per year.


• Fifteen days of sick leave per year.


• Thirteen paid holidays.


• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.

Minimum And Additional Requirements

Agency Minimum Qualifications*

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, business management or related field. 3-5 years of experience in investment trading, accounting, finance, debt management, securities processing, credit or banking.

Additional Requirements

Experience in investments or relevant program experience in public finance, financial or economic analysis is preferred. Excellent analytical skills and the ability to perform investment analysis. Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Ability to communicate effectively with executive level management including investment, legal and banking professionals. Must be able to think and act quickly and be adaptable and focused. Excellent time management and interpersonal skills. Ability to identify and recommend strategies and initiatives that improve an agency's financial programs/systems. Ability to analyze and interpret complex financial data and reports and to interpret and apply rules and regulations. Ability to draw upon the analysis of others and make recommendations that have a direct impact. Must be a critical thinker who can reason through issues and provide solutions. Ability to establish and maintain excellent working relationships with other employees, management, and executive level staff within and outside of state government and be able to comprehend and logically analyze situations before rendering decisions. Ability to make presentations and prepare reports. Ability to effectively plan and organize work activities and prioritize task completion to meet schedules and deadlines.

May be required to work outside of normal business hours; must have a flexible schedule. Must be able to safely lift and carry files, books and reports weighing up to 20 lbs. Must be able to sit, stand, and walk for intermittent periods of time. Must be able to reach, bend, and twist at the waist to perform filing, desk work and operate general office equipment.