Associate Investment Director at 27560-Bioengineering

Special Instructions to Applicants: In PDF form, applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application. 

About Rice

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in how we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary

The Rice University endowment is approximately $8 billion and ranks in the top 20 endowments of private research universities, and is critical to the university’s ability to achieve its goals. The annual distribution from the endowment funds nearly half of the university’s annual operating budget, which includes providing access to students regardless of ability to pay. The Rice Management Company (RMC) is a division of Rice University and is responsible for asset allocation, the selection and termination of investment managers, monitoring performance of the portfolio, and reporting to the Rice Management Company Board of Directors. 

The Associate Investment Director is actively involved in all aspects of investment and manager research for the Rice University endowment. They will be responsible for leading one or more asset classes or sub-asset classes, such as Co-Investments or Private Investments, and directing special projects on the investment team. They will report to the Managing Director assigned to the related asset class and work closely with the Chief Investment Officer. This role requires advanced investment analysis and reporting, a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and quantitative skills. They must have the ability to work in teams, be self-motivated, have strong verbal and written communication skills, have experience with computers, and have an interest in investing.

Workplace Requirements

 This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis. 
• Four or more (4+) years of experience in investment management 
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills: 

• Strong interpersonal skills, high moral character, and team-orientation
• Ability to oversee investment management relationships
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to manage investment professionals
• Strong quantitative skills with demonstrated ability to plan, initiate, and execute complex financial and analytical studies
• Ability to review legal investment documents and knowledge of common legal terms and fee structures
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, and familiarity with other investment management software tools
• Strong interest in supporting the work of a university endowment 

Preferences

• Seven or more (7+) years of experience in investment management
• Master's Degree and/or CFA
• Strong preference for someone with 10+ years’ experience
• Experience in private equity, co-investments, and company underwriting 

Essential Functions

• Conducts ongoing monitoring of the existing portfolio, including meetings with managers, analysis of returns, holdings, and sectors
• Actively monitors and reports on portfolio risk and exposures, making recommendations on changes
• Independently leads monitoring efforts for an asset classe or sub-classes (i.e. co-investments), assists in the monitoring of existing managers of the portfolio, and provides oversight and investment recommendations
• Prepares and presents reports for the routine review of asset class-level performance
• Proactively identifies and maintains a list of prospective investments
• Leads and co-leads manager due diligence process
• Develops and presents research for investment themes and other endowment-related initiatives
• Develops and maintains asset class models and databases
• Develops materials for quarterly board meetings
• Represents the endowment in external-facing roles (e.g. LPAC or board seat holder), as assigned
• Provides mentorship and guidance to others

Additional Functions

• Serves as a key member of the investment team with a focus on screening, analysis, underwriting, and monitoring of investments
• Leads and co-leads, manager and investment due diligence, existing portfolio oversight, training, and other related projects. 
• Leads or co-leads large projects 
• Provides endowment portfolio management support to the CIO and Managing Directors, including portfolio strategic reviews, board material preparation, asset allocation analysis, and other special projects
• Presents substantial research reports on investment themes, sectors, regions, and other areas for investment research meeting 
• Provides valuable feedback in meetings that demonstrate good judgment and data-driven analysis
• Helps team to source new investment ideas
• Acts as a liaison for the investment and reporting teams related to investment operational activities
• Assists in the preparation of materials for quarterly board meetings
• Supervises analysts, associates, or managers on the investment team
• Mentors analysts, associates, and other colleagues

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits 

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or [email protected] for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.