Senior Associate, Risk Management (Portfolio Risk)

Introduction

The Senior Associate (SA) sits within the Portfolio Risk team, working alongside Market Risk, Credit Risk, and Investment Review teams. Reporting to and supporting the Assistant Vice President (AVP), the SA plays a critical role in executing the firm’s risk framework. While the AVP leads the development of complex models and independent analysis, the SA is responsible for the independent execution of established procedures, providing robust analytical support on complicated topics, and ensuring the operational integrity of the portfolio risk framework.

Responsibilities

Support and Execute the Stress Testing Framework

• Scenario Execution: Assist the AVP in the qualitative and quantitative articulation of scenarios. Independently run and maintain standardized stress tests following established procedures.
• Model Maintenance: Support the build-out of risk models and take ownership of operationalizing existing models to translate risk drivers into potential impacts across asset classes and the total portfolio.
• Portfolio Reporting: Quantify and prepare reports on the potential impact of stress events, ensuring data accuracy and consistency in output.
  Process Support: Prepare risk assessment data for the portfolio construction process, ensuring that the team has reliable data to inform Senior Management on portfolio actions.  

Monitor Early Warning Indicators

• Indicator Maintenance: Independently update and monitor existing quantitative and qualitative risk indicators to signal rising risk levels or market vulnerabilities.
• Analytical Support: Assist the AVP in deep-dive vulnerability assessments of global financial markets by gathering data and conducting preliminary analysis on cross-market risks.
• Market Monitoring: Stay abreast of current and emerging market developments to provide context to risk indicator movements.
• Reporting: Generate factually grounded risk reports and dashboards that support the AVP in providing decision support to Senior Management.

Contribute to Research and Thematic Analysis

• Thematic Support: Conduct research into emerging macro themes, geopolitical developments, or structural trends as directed, evaluating their potential impact on portfolio assets.
• Analysis Execution: Run bespoke analytical models designed by the AVP to answer management queries, ensuring high quality and timely delivery of data.
• Implication Synthesis: Beyond just reporting model outputs, the SA is expected to analyze and understand the potential implications of the data, providing a thoughtful summary of findings rather than simply repeating report outputs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a highly quantitative discipline.
• 3-6 years of relevant experience in Risk Management, Strategy, or Portfolio Management within a Sovereign Wealth Fund, Asset Manager, or major financial institution.
• Strong understanding and practical experience with valuation methodologies (e.g., DCF modeling). Ability to run and troubleshoot financial models independently.
• Practical working knowledge of financial market databases (e.g., Bloomberg, CapIQ). Programming proficiency (Python, R, or SQL) is a significant advantage.
• Ability to handle "standardized" procedures and frequently performed analyses independently with high accuracy.
• While not required to lead original insights, the individual must possess the depth of thought to understand the "so what" behind the numbers—interpreting potential implications rather than just relying on model outputs.
• A high degree of intellectual curiosity and a proactive drive to understand the evolving risk landscape.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work through ambiguous data sets under the guidance of the AVP.
• A strong team player with the interpersonal skills to collaborate with other teams effectively when tasked.
• Ability to communicate clearly with internal stakeholders when required, representing the team’s data and processes professionally.