TRS
The Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, with $65 billion in assets, is searching for an Investment Analyst to join this statewide, public retirement system. TRS is one of the 30 largest public pension plans in the country. The System provides benefits to teachers employed by all Illinois public, common, and charter school districts located outside the city of Chicago. The Illinois Pension Code contains the laws relating to our creation, benefits, and administration.
Working for the Teachers’ Retirement System is a fantastic opportunity for an investment professional looking make a significant, positive difference in the lives of others by building a secure future for Illinois educators. We take great pride knowing that all the work we do is for the benefit of our membership.
Job Summary
The Investment Analyst is an entry level investment professional within the Investments Department. Under the direction of an Investment Officer, the Investment Analyst assists in researching and reporting on the financial performance and structuring of a particular asset class.
The Investment Analyst requires a thorough knowledge of general investment theory. The incumbent must be able to function effectively in stressful situations and possess a high degree of skill in both verbal and written communications. This position requires the incumbent to perform research to validate or invalidate hypotheses that relate to the performance of the fund and its investment partners. The incumbent must be able to work effectively with senior Investment staff, conduct thorough analysis and due diligence, and produce quantifiable recommendations supported by this research. The incumbent for the position may be located in TRS’s Springfield or Chicago offices.
Investment Analysts at TRS work in one of the following asset classes:
- Public Equity – Domestic & International Equities
- Global Income – including public income investments and private credit
- Private Equity – including buyout, venture capital, distressed debt and co-investment program
- Real Assets – including direct real estate, private equity real estate and infrastructure
- Diversifying Strategies – other alternatives seeking low correlation to traditional asset classes
Essential Functions
- Assist Investment Officers and TRS leadership on due diligence of prospective investment managers, as well as monitoring portfolios and performance of existing relationships.
- Work with investment and risk teams to analyze investment portfolio performance, attribution, and risk reports.
- Evaluate performance and portfolio characteristics to assure compliance with the directives of the Trustees regarding investment objectives and constraints.
- Manage the potential investment manager search process by certifying that all proper search related milestones are followed, all contractual agreements are in place and all funding directives occur.
- Assist in the research of the System’s existing asset allocation and specific asset class structures, with a focus on optimizing the portfolio’s risk/return profile.
- Prepare statistical and narrative reports related to the TRS portfolio.
- Evaluate markets and industry trends to provide relevant observations to investment team.
- Assist investment staff in negotiating and interacting at critical levels with external investment managers, consultants, and legal counsel.
- Assist TRS investment accounting and custodian with all steps related to initial investment manager account set-up and ongoing performance calculations, fee assessments, and other related projects.
- Research investment approaches, asset mixes, and portfolio management techniques to provide for incremental return to TRS’s individual assets and at the total fund level.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting or business administration, or quantitative fields such as statistics, mathematics, or engineering, is required.
- Upon employment, credible progress toward earning the CFA charter is encouraged.
Work Location
- The position may be located in TRS’s Springfield or Chicago offices.
Interested candidates may apply online or to: careers@trsil.org