Portfolio Transition Implementation Consultant

Result of Service

• Successful evaluation and selection of a ‘Transition Manager’ and/or Broker(s) for implementing a portfolio transition.
• Provided a written plan for all the aspects of the portfolio transition agreed by all parties.

Work Location

New York

Expected duration

The project should take a total of 6 months starting as soon as possible. There will not be any travel required.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Information Systems Officer, the consultant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Work with the UNJSPF/OIM’s Investment Management teams, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Procurement, Business Apps, Operations and IT to implement the project
• Liaise with external entities (Brokers, Risk platforms, Bloomberg, Yieldbook, Custodian) to provide any information and assistance required for the successful implementation of the overall program
• Analyse and evaluate requirements while providing functional expertise and guidance throughout the implementation project
• Define the scope of the project in collaboration with business teams and overall project manager
• Create a detailed work plan which identifies and sequences the activities needed to successfully complete the project
• Gather and document requirements from key stakeholders
• Work with functional business teams to define end-to-end, future state workflows and associated roles and responsibilities
• Develops detailed plan and specifications as well as user documentation for the new Portfolio
• Determine the resources (e.g., time, people) required to complete the project and work with project leaders to ensure the appropriate resources are allocated to the project
• Develop and monitor a schedule for project completion that effectively allocates the resources to the activities
• Determine objectives and measures upon which the project will be evaluated at completion
• Execute the project according to the project plan
• Set up files for project documentation based on PMO templates and ensure that all project information is appropriately documented and secured
• Set up Project Dashboard and keep up to date
• Monitor the progress of the project and adjust as necessary to ensure the successful completion of the project
• Identify risks to project scope, schedule, and budget
• Track risks and issues until they are resolved
• Establish a communication schedule to update stakeholders on progress of the project
• Review quality of work completed with project team on a regular basis to ensure that it meets the project standards
• Evaluate outcomes of the project as established during planning phase
• Conduct post-implementation reviews of the project to incorporate lessons learned

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a business such as finance, Economics, or related field. A postgraduate financial professional certification offered internationally is a strong plus. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• The Senior Consultant is expected to have a minimum of 5 years of experience managing and leading the implementation of Investment Management Transition projects (Multi-Billion upsizing, downsizing, Index rebalancing, and Strategic Asset Allocations) with substantial complexity specifically relating to Global Equity and Fixed Income (including EM) as well as DM Private Assets.
• Experience with Buy side – preferably on large Long only Investment Management firms/pension/retirement funds/asset managers
• Experience with large and program trades as well as ETFs
• Experience with all various types of Fixed Income including Treasuries, GSEs, MBS/ABS and Corporate Bonds for the US and EM markets
• Experience gathering client portfolio requirements (Asset classes, sub-classes), inbound reconciliation; portfolio and financial setup
• Experience in developing/implementing/optimizing business processes
• Strong leadership skills and supervisory experience
• Analytical and integration experience involving complex data sets
• Extensive public/private Investment Management experience, primarily in Equities and Fixed Income with knowledge in the Private Assets space
• A strong record of customer service. The implementation consultant must understand customer needs and build effective relationships. The candidate must be able to convey plans, issues and concerns to clients and team members in a clear, logical and concise manner
• Be a strong team player who exhibits excellent communication and written skills
• Strong time management and problem solving / analytical skills
• Capacity to communicate fluently with different stakeholders and UN staff members
• Computer skills: Microsoft Office 365 products, SharePoint, MS project, Bloomberg (AIM OMS, PORT PMS), ITG TCA, MSCI

Language: Excellent knowledge of English, including the ability to set out a coherent argument in presentations and group interactions.

Additional Information

The consultant will report to the Business Applications IT Project Manager at the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) and work under their overall guidance. Through this reporting arrangement, the contractor will implement the deliverables described in the Terms of Reference (TOR) in consultation with the IT Project Manager.

The contractor will not provide any substantive or operational information regarding this implementation project to any persons and/or entities without the written consent of UNJSPF. The contractor will not accept any request from any other persons and/or entities to upload any information on this programme.

This consultancy will be administrated by the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), and all relevant UNJSPF rules, policies and procedures will apply.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.