Retirement Investment Officer - Compliance

State of Iowa; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension plan

Generous vacation and holidays

Job summary

The Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) is seeking a Retirement Investment Officer to drive critical operations and portfolio analysis of IPERS’ private markets assets, including private credit, real assets, and private equity. You will evaluate opportunities, support deal execution, and present findings to the IPERS Investment Board.

Ideal candidates have CFA or CAIA, advanced analytical skills, and a collaborative, low‑hierarchy mindset.

Qualifications

• Ideal candidate has direct private market investment experience and advanced analytical skills.
• Designations such as CFA or CAIA are preferred and strong communication abilities are essential.
• Collaborative mindset in a low-hierarchy environment with advanced degrees or professional credentials.

Responsibilities

• Manage IPERS' private markets portfolio across private credit, real assets, and private equity.
• Source new opportunities and co-investments in line with IPERS' strategy.
• Develop financial forecasts, perform cost‑benefit analyses, and draft investment memos/presentations.
• Analyze private market performance metrics and validate management fees using specialized software.
• Lead deal underwriting, select investments, and negotiate terms.
• Represent IPERS on external Advisory Boards and monitor assigned investment accounts.
• Contribute to asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management.
• Prepare portfolio updates for the IPERS Investment Board.

Skills

Private markets

Portfolio analysis

Financial modeling

CFA/CAIA designation

Boardroom communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance/ economics/ business or quantitative field

Tools

Investment software

Job description

Retirement Investment Officer

The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) is the fiduciary responsible for administering the IPERS Trust Fund. IPERS members represent most of Iowa’s hard-working public sector employees, including educators, first responders, law enforcement and more. IPERS’ mission is to support its membership – Iowa’s public workforce – with the prudent management of the IPERS Trust Fund.

At the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS), we believe that every employee plays an integral role in our success. We take pride in maintaining our status as one of the nation’s most well-funded public retirement plans.

IPERS is seeking a highly motivated, experienced professional to join our private markets team as a Retirement Investment Officer. In this role, you will drive critical investment operations and perform high-level portfolio analysis. You will directly manage and evaluate private market assets to secure and optimize long-term financial returns for our members.

If you are a driven, forward-thinking leader looking to make a meaningful, lasting impact on the financial security of thousands of public servants, we want you on our team.

What You’ll Do:

Our Investment Division seeks experienced institutional allocators with deep expertise in private market assets, including private equity, credit, and real assets. Candidates should possess advanced analytical skills, relevant designations such as CFA or CAIA, and strong communication abilities for boardroom presentations.

• Manage Portfolio Assets: Assist in overseeing IPERS’ $14B+ private markets portfolio across private credit, real assets, private equity, and co-investments.
• Sourced New Opportunities: Research emerging investment themes and identify high-potential primary investments and co-investments.
• Conduct Deep Analysis: Develop precise financial forecasts, execute cost-benefit analyses, and draft comprehensive investment memos and presentations.
• Evaluate Performance Metrics: Analyze private market returns, rigorously validate management fees, and maintain specialized investment software.
• Lead Deal Execution: Collaborate on deal underwriting, select investments, and negotiate strategic business terms.
• Represent the System: Monitor assigned investment accounts and actively participate on external Advisory Boards.
• Optimize Portfolio Strategy: Contribute directly to asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management, and annual investment planning.
• Brief Executive Leadership: Prepare and present detailed, high-level portfolio performance updates directly to the IPERS Investment Board.

Candidates are encouraged to include detailed information about their relevant experience in their application or submit a cover letter and resume in addition to their application.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate for this role possesses direct private market investment experience, strong analytical skills for evaluating complex alternative asset metrics, and excellent communication abilities. Furthermore, they are required to have a collaborative approach to low-hierarchy environments and hold advanced degrees or professional designations such as CFA or CAIA.

Final candidates will be subject to a background check.

Hours:8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel.

A successful candidate will bring or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Allocating Across Private Markets: Hands‑on experience or structural knowledge regarding alternative investments, specifically targeting private credit, real assets, private equity, and co-investments.
• Complex Financial Modeling: Advanced capabilities to forecast asset metrics, execute cost‑benefit analyses, and validate performance fees.
• Institutional‑Grade Data Analysis: Proficiency in maintaining specialized investment software and leveraging quantitative metrics to build actionable investment summaries.
• Strategic Deal Negotiation: Aptitude for reviewing and structuring complex business terms, making formal pitches, and monitoring institutional accounts.
• Low‑Hierarchy Collaboration: Adaptability to work fluidly within a flat corporate environment, actively leading peer‑driven due diligence and cross‑team projects.
• Boardroom Communication: Skills to synthesize complicated financial data into polished presentations for high‑level brief sessions with executive leadership and the Investment Board.
• Continuous Industry Education: Commitment to pursuing or maintaining elite professional credentials (such as CFA or CAIA) and advanced market research trends.

Why you’ll love this role:

• High‑Stakes Impact: Directly help manage and optimize IPERS' massive $14B+ private markets portfolio to secure the financial future of over 400,000 public servants.
• Flat Organization Culture: Work closely with senior leaders in a highly collaborative, low‑hierarchy environment where your ideas are valued and your professional growth is prioritized.
• Diverse Asset Exposure: Gain comprehensive, institutional‑grade experience allocating across private credit, real assets, private equity, and co‑investments.
• Global Perspective: Stay ahead of market trends through strategic research and conduct periodic out‑of‑state travel for asset due diligence.
• Top‑Tier Retirement Stability: Secure your own future with enrollment in IPERS’ revered defined‑benefit pension plan, recognized as one of the healthiest and most stable public funds in the nation.
• Excellent State Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive, highly affordable state health insurance and dental package along with strong work‑life balance policies.
• Reclaim your personal time with massive paid time off packages, including generous vacation accrual, separate sick leave, and 9 paid statutory holidays every year.
• Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
• Competitive salary and benefits package:

https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/hr/documents/employment/Benefits_Beyond_the_Paycheck.pdf (Download PDF reader)

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification.

1. 1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.), and experience equal to three years of full-time work in investment portfolio management or research for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pension system, or treasurer's office.
2. 2) All of the following (a and b): a. Three years of full-time work experience in investment portfolio management or research for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pension system, or treasurer's office; and b. A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in finance, economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.) equals one year of full-time experience.