Job Bank

 Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Senior Investment & Financial Planning Associate will support the Academy’s endowment which approximates $900 million and provide substantial support to the Academy’s CFO with financial planning and long-range forecasting. The Academy’s endowment is directly managed by the Board’s Endowment and Investment Committee. The position will work closely in support of the Endowment and Investment Committee and the Chief Financial Officer. The role will work closely in collaboration with Monticello Associates, the investment consultant for the Academy’s endowment. The role will be an integral part of all endowment activity with transparency and impact on all aspects of endowment management.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Endowment and Investment Committee Support

Investment Manager Due Diligence

• Work closely with Endowment and Investment Committee, Chair of the Committee, Monticello Associates (Investment Consultant), and the Academy’s CFO in the evaluation and monitoring of existing and potential new third-party investment managers and direct co-investments
• The Manager due diligence process includes the initial screening of investment managers; quantitative performance analysis and qualitative due diligence; participating in meetings with managers; and participating in internal deliberations that lead to an investment recommendation

 Investment Strategy

• Work in collaboration with the Endowment and Investment Committee, Chair of the Committee, Monticello Associates (Investment Consultant), and CFO to consider the endowment’s overall strategy
• Provide support to analyze portfolio construction, in coordination with Monticello and the Endowment and Investment Committee
• Analyze market trends and pursue asset class/industry research to support investment efforts

 Analytics & Reporting

• Conduct investment reporting and analytics, including assessing manager and sub-portfolio performance, exposures, and cash flows. Projects include working with Monticello Associates and other third-party databases and resources.
• Provide recommendations for new processes, analyses and approaches that will enhance the overall effectiveness of investment reporting to the Academy’s Endowment and Investment Committee and Full Board
• Prepare consistent and timely documentation of process and decisions in effort to fully inform decision makers

Other Responsibilities

• Participate in the regular Deerfield department meetings at which endowment investments, cash flows, modeling are discussed, reviewed, and integrated into the Academy’s financial projections
• Attend quarterly Endowment and Investment Committee meetings, attend Academy’s Full Board meeting three times per year
• Ensure ongoing regular communication with Chair of Endowment and Investment Committee

 Financial Planning

• Provide accurate and detailed reporting and analysis and forward modeling for CFO regarding endowment cash flow and support for Academy operations
• Collaborate with CFO on long-range financial planning and sensitivity analyses for the Academy’s operations including supporting debt financing strategies in consultation with the Academy’s financial management consultants
• Provide support with the annual budget process and provide recommendations on strategic budget requests and potential new budgetary investments

Qualifications should include: a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s degree preferred, 5 - 7 years of combined experience in endowment management, investments, education sector finance and accounting or similar field; an understanding of Deerfield’s distinctive history as one of the nation’s leading residential boarding schools; an ability to work effectively with all levels of a socially and culturally rich and diverse independent school community, ultimately serving as a role model to promote a positive and productive work climate as well as demonstrated commitment to inclusion and viewpoint diversity; capacity to engage in strategic work, multi-task effectively, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team ; demonstrated success in financial analysis and development of models to assist with strategic decision making including the ability to gather, synthesize and analyze investment data and other materials; excellent communication skills and superior interpersonal, organizational, and managerial skills; ability to manage, ensure security, and maintain sensitivity to highly confidential information; curiosity for investing and commercial experience using quantitative and qualitative investment analytic processes; the ability to manage time effectively, working with the team to meet deadlines and communicate regularly; working knowledge of key investment media and an understanding of investment themes, familiarity with multi- asset class investment strategies: endowments, foundations; expertise in MS Office Suite and Google Drive.

Some travel is required.

About Deerfield Academy

ABOUT DEERFIELD: Deerfield offers an unmatched environment for teaching. Near the Five Colleges (Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst), Deerfield’s 300-acre campus hosts exceptional facilities that enable powerful teaching both in and out of the classroom. Our students are engaging and excited to learn—and they are willing to work hard at their studies. Outside the classroom, our community is focused on active and ethical living. Our teachers are committed to ongoing renewal. We seek candidates who are committed to their own professional growth, who are eager to work with colleagues in a productive manner towards departmental goals, and who can foster critical thinking, empathy, and determination in our students. As a boarding school, our faculty teach, mentor, and model—in the classroom, in the dorm, at the dining hall, and on the playing field. Diversity is essential to Deerfield’s success. Diverse perspectives within our school population fuel creative and innovative thinking, build empathy and consideration, and provide varied skills and experiences from which the entire community can benefit. Deerfield actively seeks candidates who are members ...of or support traditionally underrepresented groups—especially in terms of race, sexual orientation, religious, ethnic and socioeconomic background. Deerfield Academy is a private, coeducational boarding school located in western Massachusetts with 650 students and 130 faculty. The Academy was founded in 1797 and has no religious affiliation. Deerfield Academy is committed to equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected military veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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