Operational Due Diligence - Associate Director

This individual will contribute to the execution of UTIMCO’s Operational Due Diligence (“ODD”) program, focusing on new and existing external investment managers across multiple asset classes, including hedge funds, domestic and international public equities, private equity, venture capital, real estate, and natural resources.

Broad Responsibilities Include:

• Responsible for aspects of operational due diligence including managing and training team members and coordinating reviews of external managers with investment teams
• Completion and review of ODD reports on external managers, providing feedback to team members as needed to ensure a thorough review has been completed
• Conducting business and ODD reviews on new and existing external investments including calls and/or onsite visits and interviews with senior management of the firm
• Evaluating business structure, operational processes, valuation procedures, trade flow and internal controls, disaster recovery procedures, technology infrastructure, service providers, the compliance environment, and other aspects of operations or controls
• Evaluate the overall quality of external investment managers’ operational processes, systems, controls and personnel in order to identify risks/issues relevant to the overall investment decision
• Providing candid feedback to external managers, where appropriate, inclusive of proposed solutions to correct deficiencies identified during the ODD process
• Assisting with the development and implementation of an annual plan for manager reviews and site visits based on an assessment of risk factors
• Ongoing monitoring of existing manager and investment relationships for notable risk items
• Educating internal employees on various operational areas to increase UTIMCO knowledge
• Maintain ODD policies and procedures in line with industry best practices and develop future enhancements to UTIMCO’s ODD program, leveraging technology solutions where possible
• Collaborate across various UTIMCO teams to drive internal strategic initiatives and organizational improvements
• Preparation of written reports to succinctly detail a manager’s operational framework and to highlight potential risks
• Completion of various scheduled projects and special ad hoc reporting requests

Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 7-10 years of related job experience, preferably with an asset manager (traditional or alternative) or investment consultant. In lieu of this, at least five plus years of experience in evaluating and/or auditing traditional/alternative investment products and managers (hedge funds, private equity, alternative mutual funds, and/or fund-of-funds)
• Elevated attention to detail as well as strong verbal/written communications skills and presence to communicate effectively with senior levels of management both internally and externally
• A strong interest in the investment industry and intellectual curiosity about the operational, accounting, compliance, and technology issues faced by asset managers
• A background in analyzing external investment managers or hedge funds of funds
• Familiarity with back-office operations and systems
• Unquestioned honesty, integrity, and transparency
• Constructive, “can do” attitude committed to consistently doing what is best for the organization
• Extensive knowledge of financial markets and various security types (including derivatives, repo, etc.)
• Understanding of investment strategies and fund structures
• Proficiency with Microsoft programs (Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel, Power BI, etc.)
• Superior analytical skills and work ethic
• Availability to travel (up to 30%)

Preferred Qualifications:

• CFA, MBA, CAIA, CPA, or FRM certifications

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