Private Investment Operations Portfolio Associate

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Working at PPM America, Inc.

PPM is a US-based institutional asset manager. Established in Chicago in 1990, PPM exists to consistently support institutional clients in achieving their long-term value goals. We take a hard work, straight talk, full transparency and humility approach to our work. Our success is supported by a team-based culture that encourages debate, collaboration and consistency. At the center of our belief is the fact that our best ideas to date have and can come from any team member anywhere in our firm. We believe the success of our investment culture is best demonstrated by the strong retention of our clients and investment professionals. PPM was again named one of the Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pensions & Investments in 2024. We attract professionals who exhibit humbleness, directness, and dedication. PPM’s values guide our internal conduct and help define the type of relationships we share with our investors, affiliates, and other valued partners. Above all, PPM is passionate about giving back to our clients, to each other, and to our community. We understand that community and purpose are just as important as the job description when finding your next career.

Values

At PPM, our values are reinforced in our culture every day.  We act like owners.  Integrity guides all that we do, and we are committed to exercising sound judgment in every decision that impacts the company and serves our clients.  We are passionate about investment performance and driving results.  We are relentless in our efforts to provide best in class service.  We strive to build strong and lasting relationships with our clients, seeking to gain trust in everything we do.  We work collaboratively with transparency and accountability.  We operate as a team.  We rely on each other, are accountable to each other, and respect each other.  We value differences and unique perspectives and embrace the principle that great ideas can come from anyone.  We embrace change.  We are not afraid to challenge the status quo in search of a better, smarter or faster solution.  We value learning, challenge ourselves and motivate others.  We are also committed to positively impacting our community.  As a firm, we invest time, experience and fundraising efforts with our non-profit partners.

At PPM, we offer volunteer opportunities to get involved with a network of peers and support the causes that are important to you. Your passion and talents can make a lasting impact on our organization and our community. Additionally, our employees go the extra mile every day and the benefits of working at PPM reflect our commitment to supporting and enhancing their personal and professional lives. The plans and programs listed below are offered in collaboration with our parent company.

Portfolio Services

The Portfolio Services Department is a dynamic, fast-paced team that provides a broad spectrum of operational support to PPM and a fiduciary oversight of its clients’ investments and assets.  The Department supports nearly all asset management activities in the trade lifecycle, including portfolio management, trade execution, and client reporting.  Functionally oriented teams include Public & Private Investment Operations, Derivatives Administration, Performance Analytics, Data Management and Business & Product Reporting.  A high level of collaboration coupled with extensive cross-training promotes flexibility, scalability and professional development across the department.  Portfolio Services is centrally positioned to engage with all of PPM’s investment and administrative teams to meet the firm’s strategic objectives.  The department maxim is to be indispensable to our clients through timely, complete and accurate execution of roles and responsibilities.

Job Purpose

The Private Investment Operations Portfolio Associate role executes various operational activities related to private investments and syndicated bank loans, with a high degree of timeliness and accuracy. This role demands critical attention to detail as it is responsible for trade settlement, cash reconciliation, and position maintenance across various client investment portfolios. This role involves regular interaction with internal parties (trading, investment and operational teams, etc.), as well as external parties (clients, trustees, agent banks, counterparties, custodians, and auditors). The Private Investment Operations Portfolio Associate participates in a team that handles a diverse range of functions and disciplines and will have the opportunity to engage in other operational activities, as the broader Portfolio Services team regularly seeks opportunities to cross train across various asset types and processes in an effort to develop and deepen the skill set of team members.

Essential Responsibilities

• Coordinates trade and settlement activity of syndicated loan trades.

• Monitors and resolves outstanding items.

• Performs daily reconciliations of cash/ holdings of assigned portfolios.

• Produces available cash details to portfolio managers.

• Produces portfolio level reports.

• Manages the full lifecycle of syndicated bank loans, including contract rollovers, posting interest and principal activity, processing adjustments and coordinating with agent banks.

• Processes loan refinance and restructuring activities.

• Responds to internal and external inquiries in a timely, complete, and accurate manner.

• Effectively and efficiently coordinates new project/ activity related work.

• Promotes continual processes improvement.

• Works collaboratively with other Private Investment Operations team members by participating in cross-training activities and providing additional operational support where and when needed.

Other Duties

• Performs other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to prioritize and independently manage multiple deadlines and clientele.

• Experience in preparing accurate and timely work.

• Advanced proficiency with the entire Microsoft Office Suite, with an emphasis on Excel (including advanced formulas such as VLOOKUP and pivot tables) Word, and PowerPoint.

• Unquestionable professional integrity.

• Keen eye for detail.

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and communications skills.

• Strong client and teamwork based approach to work and collective activities.

• Critical thinking, analysis, and troubleshooting expertise

• Experience with any of the following will be deemed beneficial:

• Knowledge of syndicated loan settlement documentation (LSTA Trade Confirms, Assignment Agreement, Funding Memo);

• Working knowledge of S&P Syndicated Loan tools (ClearPar, Wall Street Office (WSO) Administrator and Reporting);

• Understanding/ proficiency navigating Moody’s and S&P’s loan related ratings;

• Working knowledge of BlackRock’s Aladdin tool;

• Experience in trade settlement or reconciliation;

• Experience is cash reconciliation.

• Strong knowledge of investment client reporting.

• Proficiency in tools that promote data analysis, task automation, and/or visualization (i.e. Python, Power BI, JIRA, etc.).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree , preferably in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Marketing, or a related discipline, required.

• 3+ years of relevant experience required.

Benefits:

At PPM, we offer volunteer opportunities to get involved with a diverse network of peers and support the causes that are important to you. Your passion and talents can make a lasting impact on our organization and our community. Additionally, our employees go the extra mile every day and the benefits of working at PPM reflect our commitment to supporting and enhancing their personal and professional lives. The plans and programs listed below are offered in collaboration with our parent company. 

• Competitive salary and bonus  

• Medical, dental and vision coverage 

• 401k retirement plan with dollar-for-dollar matching contributions (up to 6% of salary) 

• Tuition and professional certification reimbursement 

• Paid parental leave 

• Adoption assistance 

• Holidays and paid time off 

• Paid time off to volunteer 

Base Pay:

$95,000.00 - $105,000.00. The base salary for this position may vary depending on experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. In addition to the base salary, this role will be eligible to participate in our annual bonus program. This role will also be eligible for compensated personal time off and holidays, health benefits, 401(k) plan with generous matching and profit sharing contributions, and other benefit programs according to the Company's employment policies and subject to the formal terms of such plans and programs.