Job: Treasury Officer, Investment Management

Location: Rome 
Deadline: Thursday, 31 October 2013 

Description

1. Organisational Context

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas in developing countries. It does so by financing projects and programmes that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and by advocating at local, national and international level for policies that enable poor rural people to overcome poverty.

The Financial Operations Department (FOD) is tasked with managing IFAD's financial resources proactively and making them available as needed for the Fund's programme of work and budget. As one of the components of FOD, the Treasury Services Division (TRE) has the mandate to: safeguard IFAD's resources through management of investment and cash operations with the aim to preserve capital and maximise returns within the provisions of IFAD's Financial Regulations; formulate and implement investment and cash operations strategies and policies; ensure prompt availability of cash for IFAD operations through prudent liquidity management; oversee the integrity of the Fund's daily investment and cash operations in line with corporate risk management standards and manage the investments and cash of extra budgetary funds, hosted entities and trust funds.

Within the Division, the Investment Management (IM) Team is responsiblefor the operational management of all IFAD's invested assets and those of other funds under IFAD management.

2. Purpose of Position

Under the direct supervision of the Treasury Senior Officer, IM; and the overall guidance and supervision of the Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer the incumbent shall:

1. Participate in the formation and implementation of a coordinated work plan for the Investment Management team with practical advice and support
2. Provide sound technical advice and support to Treasury staff across all functional teams.
3. Ensure that timely responses are provided to internal and external parties.
4. Provide guidance and training to more junior staff wherever appropriate.
5. Represent the Treasury Division on Investment Management matters at internal and external meetings and conferences as requested by the Treasury Senior Officer or Management.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

1. Analyse investment strategies and scenarios, including potential investment guidelines, with particular emphasis on internal investment portfolios of IFAD and related entities.
2. Analyse and recommend securities/counterparties for different fixed income sectors and markets (including banking sector) for internal investment portfolios of IFAD and related entities in accordance with policies, investment guidelines and bank eligibility criteria.
3. Perform follow-up research and analyses on existing holdings, in line with IFAD¿s guidelines and procedures for internal investments.
4. Perform trading of securities for the internally managed portfolios of IFAD and related entities; maintain relationship with counterparties (dealers/banks)
5. Develop and maintain overview reports on internally managed portfolios inclusive of economic outlooks, strategies and performance attribution analysis, as well as detailed monthly individual portfolio reports.
6. Monitor and follow up on cash flows in internal investment portfolios of IFAD and related entities.
7. Review the strategies of external investment managers in relation to internal investments and market views.
8. Actively monitor the key investment portfolio characteristics and financial news through live market information by utilizing at an advance level available specialized financial software (e.g. NT Passport, Bloomberg, Moody's, etc.), and discretionary spread sheet solutions.
9. Perform ad-hoc investment and market analyses on financial topics such as returns, risks and characteristics for internal use and for inclusion in reports and recommendations to management, committees and stakeholders.
10. Support procurement of external financial services through evaluation and analyses relative to technical aspects.
11. Respond to enquiries/requests for information from internal and external auditors.
12. Participate in review meetings and/or conference calls with custodian bank, external investment managers and other service providers.
13. Perform other related duties as required.

4. Qualifications and Skills Required

Education and Experience

• Minimum first degree in business, economics, finance, accounting or related field.
• At least 3 years' post qualification professional experience in investment analysis and trading in global fixed-income markets.
• Proven experience on working independently on assignments, research issues, gathering and analysing relevant data, formulating appropriate recommendations, and presenting to management.
• Proven experience in use of trade management systems is an advantage.

5. Technical/Functional Competencies

• Analytically oriented, able to research and analyse multiple short and long-term impacts of different investment opportunities through advanced use of financial information systems and discretionary spread sheet solutions.
• Effective networker, able to obtain and share relevant information in-house and with different types of financial service providers.
• Strong knowledge of financial instruments including fixed income securities.
• A sound understanding of industry practices and current developments in pricing/valuation/accounting related to multi asset class portfolio.
• Proven ability to develop creative solutions for day-to-day analytical and reporting issues.

6. Languages and other skills

• Full command of English language, with excellent verbal and written communication skills. Knowledge of another IFAD official language would be an asset.
• Strong analytical skills to perform in depth financial analysis,able to analyse facts and data to support sound, logical decisions.
• Strong accounting, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Ability in interface with senior levels of management internally and externally.
• Strong knowledge of financial principles, treasury, and capital markets.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and other software or applications to produce analysis and presentations.

6. Other Information

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD, and should be willing to rotate. IFAD reserves the right to appoint a candidate at the appropriate grade commensurate with experience and knowledge.

Interested candidates are requested to apply by completing IFAD's Personal History Form (PHF) in English. A separate CV may be attached if you so desire, only as a supplement to and NOT a substitute for the PHF. The application should be made through the online system only. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY the instructions in 'How to Apply' before you start.If applicants do not hear from the Human Resources Division within three months from the date of application, they should consider their application unsuccessful. Candidates may be required to take a written test as well as participate in interviews.

IFAD staff who may be appointed against these functions will not have return rights to their former functions.

IFAD is committed to achieving diversity and is seeking a balanced workforce from IFAD's member states.

More Info and Application