Securities / Investment Analyst (Public Sector)

Title: Investment Analyst – Public Sector Team

6 month contract

Location: Downtown Toronto ON

Work schedule: Hybrid (Tuesdays and Wed in office)

We are hiring for our client, a major financial services organization

The Public Sector Team is one of the front-office sector teams within the Global Corporate Finance Group of the General Account Investment Division. The Public Sector team supports the client's buy-and-hold investment strategy and is responsible for credit analysis and investment underwriting for public bonds and private placement securities for governments and broader public sector entities. The $30+ billion portfolio includes sovereigns, multilateral development banks (MDBs), sub-sovereigns, municipalities, public hospitals, school boards and higher education. Investments are primarily investment grade fixed income and annual investment volume is in the range of C$2.0 billion. Supporting growth in global insurance businesses in North America and Asia, the Team sources and underwrites new public bond deals and private debt transactions, as well as provides sovereign and country risk research to other investment teams. The Team is also responsible for ongoing surveillance of the existing fixed income portfolio of over 200 issuers, acting with other sector teams as an internal credit rating agency for the $410 billion General Account.

The Role:

The successful candidate will mostly focus on supporting the Team’s coverage of government related entities (sub-sovereigns, municipalities, hospitals, universities and school boards). The candidate will also have exposure to other sectors including but not limited to Australian higher education.

:

40-60% Maintain current investment view on Existing Portfolio/Coverage Universe

• Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of portfolio of entities, along with risks and opportunities.
• Author detailed annual reviews and contribute to sector-wide reviews for various entities, recommending an internal risk rating and limit (as applicable) for each issuer.
• As appropriate, recommend changes to credit ratings or outlooks based on credit performance and/or industry conditions. Present these recommendations to senior members of the team and to members of the Credit and Portfolio management teams
• Review and analyze all information related to assigned issuers. This includes financial reports/statements, rating agency reports, etc.
• Author rating change memos, assemble peer comparisons and other ad hoc analytical pieces.

· Report on material changes in an entity’s credit profile within our portfolio (fiscal developments, competitive landscape developments, economic shocks and other developments).

· Provide timely updates to our credit officers, portfolio managers, and other lending teams on credit impact.

• Monitor current events and news developments for potential impact on the portfolio.

25-35% New Investment Analysis

· Provide material support and independent analysis to senior investment officers in evaluating the performance and prospects of new investment proposals. New investment reports include detailed information on the entity’s core credit strengths and risks, credit-relevant macroeconomic developments, and other structural considerations.

· As needed, the incumbent will be responsible for the development and/or manipulation of spreadsheet modeling, and the use of internal rating methodologies and tools/models.

· Draw upon industry knowledge to identify the most relevant research reports and data to identify trends, considerations and/or concerns.

10-15% Other Projects / Strategic Initiatives

· Create ad-hoc presentations and reports for internal reporting purposes

· Handle time-sensitive requests from internal groups for information and/or action. For example, public bond opportunities and/or requests for information from senior management.

Job Requirements:

• In-depth sector knowledge and command of specific industry and competitive factors
• Business related University Degree (Finance, Economics, Accounting, Commerce). This coupled with or progress towards an MBA and or CFA and or Accounting Designation would be a major asset.
• 1-3 years of relevant work experience preferred. Will consider strong candidates directly from undergraduate and graduate programs with exceptional GPA and high level of academic achievement.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to think critically and understand financial statement analysis as applied to investments

· Ability to work both independently and in a team setting (including with remote/virtual colleagues).

· Must be able to manage multiple projects at once.

· Project management skills with the ability to contact and follow up with key constituent parties (legal, accounting, portfolio management) to move approvals and joint work forward.

· Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and Word with proficiency in Bloomberg a plus.