Senior Associate / Associate, Portfolio Risk, GCC Pension Fund (Role Based in GCC)

Background:

Our client, a prominent GCC-based Pension Fund, are seeking an experienced investment professional to join their Portfolio Risk team. As Senior Associate / Associate, you will assess and monitor investment risks across a diversified portfolio. The role plays a vital part in aligning investments with the fund’s long-term goals and regulatory requirements

Key Responsibilities:

• Monitor portfolio exposures and assess market, credit, and liquidity risks across asset classes
• Perform quantitative risk analysis using VaR, stress testing, and scenario analysis
• Develop and maintain risk dashboards, alerts, and reports for leadership and committees
• Support implementation and refinement of risk frameworks, policies, and controls
• Ensure compliance with risk limits, governance, and regulations
• Collaborate with teams to evaluate risk-return profiles of investment strategies
• Analyse portfolio sensitivity to economic, interest rate, currency, and geopolitical factors
• Contribute to model development, back testing, and validation
• Communicate key risk insights to stakeholders

Qualifications & Experience:

• 5 – 10 years experience in investment risk, portfolio analytics, or financial risk management— preferably within pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, or asset managers
• Strong analytical and quantitative abilities with proficiency in risk platforms such as Bloomberg PORT, RiskMetrics, or Barra
• Solid programming and data analysis capabilities (e.g., Python, R, Excel VBA, SQL)
• Familiarity with asset allocation models, risk-adjusted performance metrics, and portfolio construction principles
• Understanding of Islamic finance is a plus, particularly for Sukuk and Sharia-compliant investment structures
• Knowledge of regional and international pension fund regulatory frameworks, including capital adequacy requirements
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Risk Management, Actuarial Science, or a quantitative discipline such as Mathematics, Statistics, or Engineering
• Professional certifications preferred: FRM, CFA, or PRM (or currently pursuing one)