Risk Management 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.

Risk Management Department

The Risk Management Department is responsible for overseeing the firm’s investment, operational, and enterprise risk management programs and governance. Within that construct, Risk Management provides a broad spectrum of risk management support to the firm’s departments, including Front Office (Portfolio Management, Trading, and Credit Research), Operations (Portfolio Services and Information Technology), and Legal & Compliance. 

Job Purpose

The Risk Management team is organized across three risk management functions at PPM - Investment Risk, Operational Risk, and Enterprise Risk. The Risk Management Associate is centrally and primarily focused on supporting the Investment Risk function in reviewing the firm's exposures across a broad suite of investment styles. The Risk Management Associate works closely with personnel on the entire Risk Management team.The Risk Management Associate assists the Investment Risk team with analysis of investment risk across portfolios/strategies, including Risk Committee reporting and quarterly CIO/Portfolio Management reviews. This role is highly visible with the front office departments (Portfolio Management, Fixed Income Trading, and Credit Research). The analysis and reports from the Investment Risk function are critical tools for PPM Executive Management to oversee the investment risks across our portfolios. The Risk Management Associate may assist the other Risk team functions and CRO in special projects, which include asset valuation analysis, emerging and topical risk reporting, and project management across the Risk function.

Essential Responsibilities

• Supports the Investment Risk function with formal, routine, and ad-hoc investment risk analysis.

• Actively monitors systems and Investment Risk dashboards for risk outliers, data discrepancies, and other escalation issues. Subsequently, translates findings into meaningful conclusions for senior leaders.

• Performs Investment Risk data analysis, including manipulation, cleansing, organization, and formatting for the team’s use.

• Monitors portfolio risk using analytics related to credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and ex-ante tracking error (and others).

• Reviews and interprets investment performance, including attribution reports and related analysis.

• Assists the CRO and Risk teams with special projects, as needed.

Other Duties

• Performs other duties and/or projects for the Operational and Enterprise Risk functions as assigned, including administration of the firm’s efforts to review asset valuation risk.

• Performs other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong understanding of financial instruments and investment products, preferably through work experience with fixed income.

• Strong understanding of fixed income risk metrics, as well as general statistical concepts such as standard deviation, correlation, and probability distributions.

• Experience with investment tools such as Blackrock Aladdin, or other market-leading portfolio investment systems required.

• Ability to read, interpret, generate data visualizations, and translate into meaningful conclusions.

• Ability to think critically, prioritize, and manage deadlines.

• Ability to seek guidance when necessary, and to communicate complex ideas/problems effectively.

• Positive attitude and a collaborative approach. Positive contributor to team culture.

• Strong proficiency with the entire Microsoft Office suite required, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

• Experience with data visualization tools, preferably PowerBI.

Qualifications

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

• 3+ years of work experience in risk management, financial markets, portfolio management, or related field required.

• Progress towards or completion of an advanced degree or CFA/FRM qualification preferred.

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:

$100,000.00 - $115,000.00. 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.