The Secretariat of the United Nations presents its compliments to the Permanent Missions to the United Nations and has the honour to request the nomination of candidates for the position of representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, at the level of Assistant Secretary-General.

            The Assistant Secretary-General reports directly to the Secretary-General.  The responsibilities and functions of the Assistant Secretary General as stipulated in the Terms of Reference in the Annex of General Assembly Resolution 68/247 B include: 

• Exercise discretionary authority over the investment of the assets of the Fund and will be responsible for the overall investment policy and for oversight and management of the investments of the Fund.
• Lead the investment operations in terms of strategy and policy analysis, asset allocation, portfolio management and investment decision-making; risk management and compliance and monitoring; and back office accounting, trade settlement, cash management and systems and information technology requirements.
• Supervise the Director of Investment Division to ensure that all the operations and functions of the Investment Management Division are properly coordinated and coherent, are aligned to safeguard the fiduciary responsibilities, support the goals of the office and enhance the long-term sustainability of the Fund.  The representative of the Secretary-General will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer of the Pension Fund.
• Responsible for the investment policy, the strategic and tactical asset allocation and the appropriate investment strategy in consultation with the Investments Committee and in the light of observations and suggestions made from time to time by the Pension Board on investments policy.  The representative will oversee the implementation of investment decisions and ensure that the approved investment policy and asset allocation are followed.  The representative is responsible for carrying out the responsibilities of the Secretary-General under article 19 (b) of the regulations of UNJSPF including to ensure detailed accounts of all investments and other transactions relating to the Fund are maintained and for reporting to the Pension Board, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the General Assembly on the Fund’s investments.

            Further information on the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund is available on the following website:  http://www.unjspf.org/

In order to ensure a wide pool of candidates for this position, the Secretariat would welcome any nominations to supplement the Secretary-General’s own search and consultations.  The nomination of women candidates is strongly encouraged.

In soliciting nominations for this position, the Secretary-General is seeking an individual with:

• Over 20 years of proven progressively responsible experience in the management of economic, social security and/or financial policies and activities for governmental or intergovernmental organizations or for substantial private concerns, including, proven track record of extensive relevant experience in the management of investment of complex portfolios of assets of various classes, such as pension funds, including their risk management, and in financial markets.
• Demonstrated direct knowledge of and experience in managing financial, economic and investment policies, including:

1. Defining and overseeing investment policy for substantial and diversified investment portfolios having long-term return objectives, including policies for investment objectives, risk appetite and tolerance, the risk framework, the investment milieu, restrictions on investments, and social responsibility considerations;
2. Developing strategic asset allocation for portfolios aiming for long-term rates of return, particularly for defined-benefit pension or other similar long-term social security and similar benefit schemes where long-term asset-liability management considerations are paramount;
3. Developing, implementing and monitoring investment strategies and overseeing research on economic and other trends affecting financial markets;
4. Managing interdisciplinary and internationally diverse teams of financial professionals;
5. Reporting to and coordinating with governing organs (e.g. legislative bodies, boards and committees) on investment, financial and/or technical matters.