Salary : $115,252.80 - $163,904.00 Annually
Location : Des Moines - 50321 - Polk County, IA
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: 27-00697
Agency: 553 Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS)
Opening Date: 09/04/2026
Closing Date: 9/27/2026 11:59 PM Central
LinkedIn Tag: #LI-POST
Point of Contact:
To Apply: To ensure full consideration for this position, all requested materials must be completed and uploaded through the NEOGov online application process.

Job Description
Retirement Investment Officer

IPERS is seeking a highly motivated, experienced professional to join our private markets team as a Retirement Investment Officer. In this role, you will drive critical investment operations and perform high-level portfolio analysis. You will directly manage and evaluate private market assets to secure and optimize long-term financial returns for our members.

What You'll Do:

Our Investment Division seeks experienced institutional allocators with deep expertise in private market assets, including private equity, credit, and real assets. Candidates should possess advanced analytical skills, relevant designations such as CFA or CAIA, and strong communication abilities for boardroom presentations.

• Manage Portfolio Assets: Assist in overseeing IPERS' $14B+ private markets portfolio across private credit, real assets, private equity, and co-investments.
• Sourced New Opportunities: Research emerging investment themes and identify high-potential primary investments and co-investments.
• Conduct Deep Analysis: Develop precise financial forecasts, execute cost-benefit analyses, and draft comprehensive investment memos and presentations.
• Evaluate Performance Metrics: Analyze private market returns, rigorously validate management fees, and maintain specialized investment software.
• Lead Deal Execution: Collaborate on deal underwriting, select investments, and negotiate strategic business terms.
• Represent the System: Monitor assigned investment accounts and actively participate on external Advisory Boards.
• Optimize Portfolio Strategy: Contribute directly to asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management, and annual investment planning.
• Brief Executive Leadership: Prepare and present detailed, high-level portfolio performance updates directly to the IPERS Investment Board.

Candidates are encouraged to include detailed information about their relevant experience in their application or submit a cover letter and resume in addition to their application.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate for this role possesses direct private market investment experience, strong analytical skills for evaluating complex alternative asset metrics, and excellent communication abilities. Furthermore, they are required to have a collaborative approach to low-hierarchy environments and hold advanced degrees or professional designations such as CFA or CAIA.

If you wish to review a copy of the Position Description Questionnaire, please contact [email protected]

Final candidates will be subject to a background check.

Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel.

A successful candidate will bring or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Allocating Across Private Markets: Hands-on experience or structural knowledge regarding alternative investments, specifically targeting private credit, real assets, private equity, and co-investments.
• Complex Financial Modeling: Advanced capabilities to forecast asset metrics, execute cost-benefit analyses, and validate performance fees.
• Institutional-Grade Data Analysis: Proficiency in maintaining specialized investment software and leveraging quantitative metrics to build actionable investment summaries.
• Strategic Deal Negotiation: Aptitude for reviewing and structuring complex business terms, making formal pitches, and monitoring institutional accounts.
• Low-Hierarchy Collaboration: Adaptability to work fluidly within a flat corporate environment, actively leading peer-driven due diligence and cross-team projects.
• Boardroom Communication: Skills to synthesize complicated financial data into polished presentations for high-level brief sessions with executive leadership and the Investment Board.
• Continuous Industry Education: Commitment to pursuing or maintaining elite professional credentials (such as CFA or CAIA) and advanced market research trends.

Why you'll love this role:

• High-Stakes Impact: Directly help manage and optimize IPERS' massive $14B+ private markets portfolio to secure the financial future of over 400,000 public servants.
• Flat Organization Culture: Work closely with senior leaders in a highly collaborative, low-hierarchy environment where your ideas are valued and your professional growth is prioritized.
• Diverse Asset Exposure: Gain comprehensive, institutional-grade experience allocating across private credit, real assets, private equity, and co-investments.
• Global Perspective: Stay ahead of market trends through strategic research and conduct periodic out-of-state travel for asset due diligence.
• Top-Tier Retirement Stability: Secure your own future with enrollment in IPERS' revered defined-benefit pension plan, recognized as one of the healthiest and most stable public funds in the nation.
• Excellent State Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive, highly affordable state health insurance and dental package along with strong work-life balance policies.
• Reclaim your personal time with massive paid time off packages, including generous vacation accrual, separate sick leave, and 9 paid statutory holidays every year.
• Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
• Competitive salary and benefits package:

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.), and experience equal to three years of full-time work in investment portfolio management or research for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pension system, or treasurer's office.

2) All of the following (a and b):
a. Three years of full-time work experience in investment portfolio management or research for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pension system, or treasurer's office; and

b. A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in finance, economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.) equals one year of full-time experience.

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01

Do you understand that the answers to all of the following questions must be truthful, honest, and accurate to the best of your ability? Please read all questions and answers thoroughly and make sure you understand them completely. Ensure the answers to your questions match the information filled out on your application and the attachments you have uploaded. If the answers to your questions are inconsistent with your application information or uploaded attachments, you will be given zero points for the question. Knowingly misrepresenting the facts when submitting any information related to an application, examination, certification, appeal, or any other facet of the selection process will result in your disqualification from this application and future employment with the state of Iowa.

• Yes - I understand and agree.
• No

02

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Have you filed a registration statement pursuant to the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 22 U.S.C. §611 et seq?

• No - I have NOT filed a registration statement pursuant to the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 22 U.S.C. §611 et seq
• Yes - I HAVE filed a registration statement pursuant to the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 22 U.S.C. §611 et seq

03

Have you graduated from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.)? IF YES - how many years do you have of full-time work experience in investment portfolio management or research for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pension system, or treasurer's office?

• Not applicable - I do not have a Bachelor's Degree in the identified areas
• Less than one year of the identified experience
• One year to less than three years of the identified experience
• Three years or more of the identified experience

04

Do you have both A AND B:A. Three years of full-time work experience in investment portfolio management orresearch for a stock exchange, investment or banking firm, public or private pensionsystem, or treasurer's office; andB. A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a),where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in finance,economics, business administration, or a quantitative field (e.g., mathematics,engineering, computational finance, physics, etc.) equals one year of full-timeexperience.

• I meet A AND B
• I do not meet A AND B

Required Question