Retirement Investment Analyst I

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); Hybrid; USD 109,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Telework

Salary advancement

Job summary

County of Sonoma is seeking a Retirement Investment Analyst I to perform detailed investment analysis and data gathering to support SCERA management and the Board of Retirement. The role offers a clear path toward Analyst II with mentorship from senior staff and exposure to fiduciary responsibilities.

Ideal candidates have 1+ year of relevant investment experience, strong Excel skills, and an interest in public pension investing and quantitative analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, or business with quantitative coursework.
• One year of financial/investment analysis or related experience preferred.
• Knowledge of financial markets and institutional investing desirable.

Responsibilities

• Conduct financial, economic, and investment analyses under supervision.
• Assist with monitoring portfolios, managers, and market conditions.
• Prepare recurring investment reports, materials, and minutes for boards.

Skills

Investment analysis

Financial analysis

Economic analysis

Data analysis

Microsoft Excel

Communication

Public pensions investing

AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance/economics/business

Master's degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Job description

Bring your financial analysis experience to the County of Sonoma as a Retirement Investment Analyst I.

Starting salary up to $57.98/hour ($121,011/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

The Sonoma County Employees' Retirement Association (SCERA) is currently recruiting to fill a Retirement Investment Analyst position at either the I or II level, depending on qualifications. If you are interested in being considered at the II level of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitment being conducted for that level.

SCERA is a small office that values customer service, collaboration, professionalism, consistency, proactive planning, flexibility, and innovative problem solving. We are committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where individuals from all backgrounds are welcomed, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.

This is the entry level class in the Retirement Investment Analyst series characterized by the responsibility to conduct detailed data collection and analysis for use by SCERA management and the Board of Retirement in evaluation of the Investment Program. The incumbent will initially work under close supervision of a higher-level Investment Officer and is expected to require less guidance and supervision as experience, knowledge, and skills are gained. The incumbent is expected to gain the knowledge and skills to progress to the Retirement Investment Analyst II level.

Strong Retirement Investment Analyst I candidates will have one or more years of investment experience in a public agency or financial institution which involved financial analysis, investment analysis, economic analysis, and/or investment reporting or performance measurement.

This position requires prolonged concentration while analyzing detailed financial, economic, and investment information. You will be working with large datasets, complex spreadsheets, and technical investment data. In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Conducting research and performing financial, economic, and investment analyses under the guidance of senior investment staff
• Learning to and assisting with monitoring investment portfolios, investment managers, market conditions, and compliance with the Investment Policy Statement
• Learning to and preparing recurring investment reports, presentation materials, agendas, meeting minutes, and supporting documentation for the Board of Retirement and Investment Committee
• Compiling, validating, and analyzing investment performance, portfolio holdings, benchmark, proxy voting, and market data
• Learning to and assisting with compliance monitoring, exception reporting, and portfolio rebalancing activities
• Tracking investment manager and consulting fees and assisting with investment due diligence activities
• Attending monthly Board and Investment Committee meetings, events, and educational conferences to develop knowledge of institutional investing
• Performing special analytical projects and providing administrative support for Investment Division operations
• Exercising judgment in gathering, validating, and analyzing investment information
• Consulting regularly with higher-level investment staff regarding analytical methods, recommendations, and unusual findings
• Escalating investment concerns, compliance issues, and policy questions to senior staff

Note: This position has standard weekly business hours with occasional early morning, evening, or extended hours to accommodate Board and Investment Committee meetings, events, or travel. There will be periodic travel for conferences, educational programs, and investment manager due diligence visits.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a collaborative team member with the ability to explain technical information clearly. They will be receptive to coaching and continuous learning with an interest in public pension investing and fiduciary responsibilities. In addition, they will possess many of the following:

• An academic background in finance, accounting, economics, business administration, statistics, or quantitative analysis
• A completed internship or professional experience involving financial analysis, investments, banking, accounting, or economics
• An understanding of financial markets and institutional investing
• Strong analytical and quantitative reasoning skills
• Interest in public pensions investing and fiduciary responsibilities
• Continuing education in institutional investing, financial markets, economics, and investment analysis
• Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills including formulas, pivot tables, charts, and data analysis
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills with internal and external stakeholders
• The ability to prepare clear written reports and presentations
• Experience using AI tools to improve research, data analysis, and productivity
• The ability to balance multiple assignments with recurring reporting deadlines and changing investment priorities
• Progress toward Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), or similar designation is a plus

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Retirement Investment Analyst II (up to $67.04/hour)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions- 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement- County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement- A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation - 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits- Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Retirement Investment Analyst I position in SCERA. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Experience and Education

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include possession of a Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in economics, finance, accounting, business/public administration which includes significant coursework in economics, quantitative analysis, financial accounting, and statistics, or a closely related field AND one year of experience which involved financial analysis, investment analysis, economic analysis, and/or investment reporting or performance measurement; OR a Master's degree, or equivalent, with an emphasis in any of the above listed areas.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Knowledge of: the principles and practices of institutional investing; financial analysis; benchmarking; administrative analysis; and statistics.

Ability to: perform complex financial analysis; prepare and write reports and present conclusions and recommendations; establish and maintain effective working relationships; effectively communicate verbally and in writing; interpret and explain laws, regulations, and policies; make presentations to Boards, management groups, department representatives, and others as needed; utilize personal computers to generate investment management analyses and presentations; analyze and evaluate systems; exercise appropriate judgment in answering questions and releasing information.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination: An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Please note: Department Selection Interviews are anticipated to be held during the first week of November 2026.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: DP

HR Technician: VH