Investment Analyst

About The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Founded in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard, the Packard Foundation is a family philanthropy dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations around the world working to invest in children and families, protect and restore the natural world, and create just and inclusive societies.

For more than six decades, the Foundation has advanced scientific innovation, championed reproductive health and rights, conserved and restored our natural world, and invested in the well-being of children and families. To achieve lasting change, we also strive to address root causes of longstanding problems, including building a thriving, resilient U.S. democracy; advancing racial justice in the United States and gender equity globally; and supporting a strong civil society around the globe.

Inclusive collaboration is the heart of our approach. We believe that actively listening to and learning from people with a wide range of views is the best way to create solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face. We are dedicated to supporting community-based solutions shaped by the knowledge and experience of the people whose lives are most affected and informed by data. We recognize that meaningful solutions require patience, urgency, and supporting the conditions for transformational change. We are committed to addressing complex issues over the long term while making tangible progress today.

OUR VISION: A just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish.  

OUR MISSION: We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world. 

OUR VALUES: Equity, Integrity, Belief in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness. 

Department Overview

The Investments team is a 15-person team comprised of eleven investment professionals and four operations and administrative professionals. We invest the Foundation’s $8 billion endowment portfolio across asset classes such as public and private equities, venture capital, real estate, hedge funds, and fixed income and across geographies such as the United States, China, India, Latin America, and Europe, creating a stream of payments to the Foundation’s charitable programs. Our goal is to generate excellent risk-adjusted returns that are sufficient to fund the Foundation’s grantmaking activities, while preserving the real value of the portfolio over the long term. We invest by finding the world’s best fund manager talent and building long-term relationships with these funds. We work closely and collaboratively, valuing intellectual curiosity, debate, and teamwork.

Position Summary

The Investment Analyst role is a generalist position, working broadly on investments across the portfolio and with various senior team members on all aspects of the investment process. You will have the opportunity to interact with some of the most talented fund managers in the world while serving as the analytical backbone for our small team and learning the fundamentals of investing.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Collect, analyze, and synthesize portfolio-wide data related to exposures (e.g., geographic and sector exposure, liquidity, asset allocation) and performance
• Monitor and share news flow and industry research relevant to the portfolio
• Conduct analyses on existing and prospective fund managers to gain insights into historical performance and investment strategy
• Participate in meetings with existing and prospective fund managers as part of due diligence and portfolio monitoring
• Prepare materials for discussion with the Investment Committee (e.g., investment memos, strategy roadmaps, asset allocation, etc.)
• Build relationships with colleagues at peer institutions and fund managers
• Be in person in our Los Altos, CA headquarters three days per week

Qualifications

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Willingness to participate in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program

Education

• Up to two years of work experience in an analytical role relevant to investing (e.g., investment management, consulting, investment banking, or other)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong interest in investing as a career
• Strong and demonstrated quantitative and analytical skills
• Strong orientation to detail and accuracy; excellent organizational skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• High level of intellectual curiosity and ability to think critically
• High degree of integrity and honesty
• Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter, multi-task, and work well both independently and as a member of a team
• Comfort with Microsoft Excel or similar tools to analyze large amounts of data
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• This role requires occasional travel, estimated at 20% of the time. Travel is typically planned and occurs on an as-needed basis.
• Work Authorization: At this time, we are unable to sponsor employment visas or consider candidates who will require visa sponsorship now or in the future. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without current or future sponsorship.

Compensation and Benefits

The position is full-time. The salary range for this position is $107,000-124,000 annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation individual education, experience, tenure, certification, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. Offers are based on the candidate’s years of experience and our practice of upholding salary equity within the foundation.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation offers excellent benefits for eligible employees. Current benefits include medical (HMO and HDHPs), dental and vision coverage; 15% employer contribution to employee retirement plan; life insurance, disability insurance, vacation, and sick leave; an adoption benefit; fertility benefit; a financial wellness program; health advocacy services, paid time off to volunteer for nonprofit organizations; matching grants for employee contributions to tax exempt organizations; commute assistance; and tuition assistance.