Description

Senior Director, Investment Systems & Strategy
 
Become a Part of the NPT Team

National Philanthropic Trust is a public charity dedicated to providing philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations, and financial institutions, enabling them to realize their philanthropic aspirations. NPT was founded in 1996. Since that time, we have raised more than $80.2 billion in charitable contributions and currently manage $57.1 billion in charitable assets. We have made more than 930,000 grants totaling more than $37.7 billion to charities all over the world. We rank among the largest grantmaking institutions in the United States.
 
Our mission is to increase philanthropy in society. To that end, our experienced staff of philanthropic professionals are fully prepared to help you establish and administer your donor-advised fund. NPT is led by a Board of Trustees composed of nationally known experts in philanthropy and
business. 

At National Philanthropic Trust, we foster a welcoming environment for all. People are valued and respected for who they are—with opportunities to bring their entrepreneurial spirit and talents to increase giving around the world. We have an inclusive, supportive, collaborative culture that makes National Philanthropic Trust one of the most rewarding places to work. 
 
What You'll Do:
 
The Senior Director, Investment Systems & Strategy serves as a senior investment professional and the investment-domain subject matter expert (SME) for the organization’s Portfolio and Order Management System (POMS). The role is accountable for defining, governing, and maintaining how the organization’s Investment Policy, strategic asset allocation, benchmarks, performance methodology, and complex investment structures are represented, monitored, and reported within the platform.
 
During system implementation and stabilization, this role leads the investment-side design, configuration decisions, user acceptance testing, and ongoing governance of POMS. Beyond systems ownership, the role applies deep institutional investment judgment to portfolio oversight, performance evaluation, manager due diligence support, and unique or complex investment scenarios—including derivative-based risk management strategies and alternative investment coordination.
 
The Senior Director partners closely with Technology, Operations, Investment Compliance, external vendors, and investment leadership, and provides senior investment decision support and backup coverage to the SVP of Investments as capacity permits.
 
Salary range is $145,000 - $160,000 plus 12% annual discretionary bonus. 

Duties/Responsibilities

POMS Implementation Leadership (Primary Responsibility)

• Serve as the investment-domain owner for POMS, defining the investment configuration blueprint, including asset class schema, security and instrument attributes, benchmark libraries, performance methodologies, and policy-to-rule mappings.
• Define and govern how strategic asset allocation targets, ranges, and portfolio exposures are represented within POMS to enable accurate monitoring and decision support.
  Ensure alternative investments are accurately reflected, including commitments, unfunded amounts, capital calls, distributions, valuations, fees, ownership structures, cash flows, and look-through exposure reporting as applicable.
• Configure, validate, and govern investment compliance monitoring and controls, including policy limits, schedules, exception workflows, and supporting audit documentation.
• Own performance measurement and benchmarking setup, including index mapping, custom benchmark blends, methodology governance, reconciliation, and reporting requirements.
• Lead investment-focused business user acceptance testing (UAT), parallel-run validation, defect prioritization, and investment sign-off for go-live readiness.
• Establish the ongoing investment monitoring and governance model post–go-live, including dashboards, review cadence, and controlled change management for benchmarks, rules, and taxonomies.

Investment Oversight, Performance, and Complex Strategy Support

• Provide portfolio oversight support across multi-asset-class portfolios, evaluating exposures, risk characteristics, liquidity considerations, and alignment with Investment Policy.
  Support comprehensive performance evaluation at the total portfolio, asset class, and manager levels, including attribution analysis, benchmark-relative assessment, and interpretation of performance drivers.
• Assist with investment manager due diligence and ongoing oversight, including qualitative assessments, performance analysis, and operational considerations.
• Facilitate the analysis, implementation coordination, and ongoing monitoring of complex or non-standard investment strategies, including:Derivative-based portfolio risk management strategies (e.g., equity collars or other options-based strategies).
• Structuring, onboarding, and lifecycle management of alternative investments.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, custodians, external managers, and vendors to ensure complex strategies and alternative investments are properly implemented, monitored, and maintained within investment systems and reporting.

Senior Investment Support / SVP Backup

• Provide senior-level analysis and decision support to the SVP of Investments, including investment memos, portfolio analytics, asset allocation reviews, and manager evaluation materials.
• Support the Staff Investment Committee and the Board Investment Committee with agenda and material preparation, as well as periodic presentation to the Committee as appropriate.
• Support servicing of portfolios with complex investment requirements, including IPS interpretation and portfolio construction considerations.
• Provide backup coverage for select investment meetings, committees, and stakeholder engagements at the direction of the SVP of Investments.

What You Bring

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• CFA charterholder or active CFA candidate; CAIA designation a plus.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in institutional investments, including portfolio oversight, performance evaluation, strategic asset allocation, alternative investments, and investment operations and data.
• Demonstrated experience serving as the investment-domain lead for the implementation of a portfolio management, order management, performance, or related investment system.
• Strong understanding of compliance rule design, performance measurement and benchmarking, asset allocation monitoring, and the representation of alternative investments and complex instruments within investment platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to apply investment judgment in complex or non-standard situations, such as derivative strategies, bespoke portfolio structures, or unique alternative investment arrangements.
• Proven ability to reconcile and validate investment data across custodians, managers, accounting systems, and internal platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document requirements and present recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience working in a mission-driven or institutional investment environment such as a Community Foundation, University Endowment, Pension Fund, or Family Office.
• Experience with alternative investments including private equity, private credit, real assets, and hedge funds.
• Familiarity with common investment platforms (e.g., Aladdin, SimCorp, Clearwater, Charles River) and investment data integration concepts.
• Strong technical and analytical skills, including advanced Excel and familiarity with data and reporting tools.

Core Competencies

• Institutional investment judgment and analytical rigor
• Investment systems ownership and implementation leadership
• Controls mindset and attention to detail
• Portfolio and performance analysis expertise
• Stakeholder management and clear communication
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous or evolving environments
• High integrity and discretion with sensitive information

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• This position is primarily office-based with a hybrid work arrangement. Extended hours may be required during peak implementation phases such as testing, parallel runs, and go-live activities.
• Occasional travel may be required for vendor sessions or internal 

https://www.nptrust.org/contact-us/career-opportunities/