Investment Paralegal Manager

Are you looking for a career where you can make a difference? Would you like to be part of a culture that promotes learning and collaboration while helping employees with what they need to succeed and thrive? Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) is looking for talented people who will help us achieve our goal of honoring the contributions and sacrifices of Arizona’s public safety employees by providing outstanding service to those who protect and govern our state. At PSPRS, we understand that it begins with outstanding talent. It all begins with you. Join our diverse and inclusive team where you’ll feel valued and inspired to contribute your unique skills and experience.

The mission of Public Safety Personnel Retirement System is to deliver unparalleled service in providing retirement benefits to Arizona’s community of police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, and judicial and elected officials. PSPRS serves approximately 60,000 active and retired public employees. We offer competitive pay and excellent benefits to those eager to serve our membership and mission. Interested applicants can visit www.psprs.com to learn more about our agency.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System located in Phoenix, Arizona, is currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Investment Paralegal Manager. Under the direction of the Investment Counsel, this full-time position will be responsible for projects of considerable difficulty such as tracking, coordinating & ensuring efficiency and accuracy in mission critical tasks associated with investment transactions. This is accomplished by supervising, training, and assigning work duties to paralegal and support staff of the in-house Investment Counsel and the Investment Department. This position requires an organized, seasoned professional who can proficiently manage the intricacies of our investment transactions and oversee implementation of the investment contracts, including oversight of administrative and clerical responsibilities in addition to those that are strictly related to closing and filing contracts. This position includes interaction with all investment team members pertaining to administrative assignments and oversight of paralegal assignments.

This position may be eligible for Remote Work 2-3 days a week.

Paralegals have access to highly confidential, proprietary information and reports, and therefore discretion and confidentiality are of the utmost importance for this position.

All work, including remote work, should be performed within Arizona unless an exception is properly authorized in advance.

• Supervise, assign work duties and prioritize assignments to the paralegal, within the Investment Counsel team.
• Responsible for training paralegal staff on department processes and establishing methods to measure progress and focus on areas of need.
• Manages and reviews the work of the Paralegals on a weekly basis and ensures calendars are kept current, deadlines are met, and documents are prepared and processed in a timely manner.
• Meets with staff on a regular basis to provide status updates and process change documents and prepares annual evaluations.
• Receives and processes correspondence, contracts, updates and legal documents in connection with investments, Anti-Money Laundering statutes, and partnerships, referring correspondence to appropriate staff as needed.
• Review outgoing material for consistency with office policy, grammatical construction, clerical errors, ensure that legal documents and enclosures are complete and in order.
• Prepares or directs staff in the tracking and coordinating of the preparation of contracts and related documents for signature and closing for all investment related matters. This includes coordinating with signatories to manage execution of documentation.
• Provides legal support services to Chief Investment Counsel and staff; which includes:
  • Preparation and analysis of legal documents and research including assisting attorneys in preparing drafts of transactional legal documents, reports and transactional/regulatory activities.
  • Conducts preliminary legal research, analysis, and investigations.
  • Assists in complex and large-scale projects.
  • Conducts legal research in support of policy projects.
  • Tracks and calendars items to provide appropriate follow up.
  • Distributes documents to internal and external customers.
  • Preparation of departmental budget and compliance issues.
  • Assists in maintaining the Chief Investment Counsel’s calendar.
  • Assists with internal office functions, including management of agency legal files, ordering supplies, scheduling meetings, supervision of paralegal staff.
• Oversight and management of filing systems for legal documentation related to Investment Department activities including regular reviews to ensure due diligence files are complete.
• Maintain and update contact information for each asset class, including the different contact information required for Contractual Income, Diversifying Strategies, and Capital Appreciation and type of investment; including hedge funds and draw-down funds.
• Ensures all legal contract matters are accurately entered into the legal case management system.
• Oversee maintenance of official book of record for each investment contract.
• Assists with formulation of guidelines, procedures and development of templates and other tools for Investment Legal department and partner agreements.
• Coordinates and assists with responding to documentation requests from external and internal groups, including compliance and regulatory-related requests as well as public records requests.
• Works to enhance coordination and communication with internal stakeholders and General Partners for effective contract review and negotiations.
• Establish and maintain a system to communicate the status of agreements, amendments and important deadlines relating to investments, the Arizona PSPRS Trust, and the Investment Department as well as advises investment team members of revisions to state statutes, federal laws, and applicable agency regulations pertaining to investments.
• Attend and participates in Board of Trustee, Agency and departmental team meetings. Prepares training materials and presentations as necessary.
• Coordinate and provide project feedback with Legal Counsel, service providers and other internal and external groups as required.
• Prepares and files documents with the Arizona Secretary of State, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other official agencies as required by Federal and State statutes.
• Interacts with legal staff at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to coordinate regulatory efforts as needed.
• Manages and organizes Agency legal documents, including paper and electronic office files, maintains documents within the legal management software system, and maintains such records as specified in the Records Retention Schedule.
  

Knowledge of:

• Investment transaction documentation creation.
• Federal and State statutory requirements as it relates to investment activities.
• Rules of English grammar and composition to prepare, review and edit documents and reports.
• Legal principles, practices and procedures associated with Investment activities. Federal and International Anti-Money Laundering and Tax laws.
• Principles and concepts of Investment Management.
• Collecting and analyzing data from State and Federal regulations.

Skill in:

• Applying auditing methods and techniques to ensure document accuracy.
• Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
• Investigative methods.
• Interpret complex rules and regulations.
• Communication, both written and verbal.
• Use of computer software programs such as MSWord, Excel, Power Point and NetDocs.
• Problem-solving techniques.
• Participating in teams and/or work groups.
• Meeting rigorous deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Discretion and judgment and the ability to maintain confidentiality.

Ability to:

• Prioritization.
• Adaptability to differing situations.
• Work independently with minimal direct supervision.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a high-stakes and fast paced environment.
• Ability to work under pressure, solve problems, make effective and timely decisions, and adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to analyze laws, regulations and policies to ensure actions and activities are in compliance.
• Develop and implement strategic planning initiatives.
  

• Paralegal Certification through certifying entity such as NALA.
• 2+ years of experience as a paralegal.
• 3+ years of experience with law firm, public pension, investment advisor or other financial/asset management related organization.
• 2+ years of supervisory experience.
  

• Employment is contingent on the selected applicant passing a background investigation to include credit and criminal history.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

At PSPRS, we promote the importance of work/life balance by offering workplace flexibility, a learning environment and a team oriented culture. Among the many benefits of a career with PSPRS, are 10 paid holidays per year, accrual of sick and annual leave, affordable medical benefits, participation in the Arizona State Retirement Plan (after 6 months of employment), optional participation in a 457 deferred compensation program, and employer matching on employee deferrals in the 457 plan (limited to a matching of 6% of salary on a per pay period basis).

Remote work is a management option and not an employee entitlement or right. An agency may terminate a remote work agreement at its discretion.

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

Positions in this classification are required to participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS). Please note that enrollment eligibility becomes effective after 27 weeks of employment.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Andrew Goodwin at agoodwin@psprs.com or 602-296-3738 for assistance.
The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.
All newly hired employees will be subject to E-Verify Employment Eligibility Verification.