Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Investment Counsel
Requisition ID: req1330 • Employment Type: Unclassified Regular Full‑Time (URF) • Division: Legal & Compliance • Compensation: Depends on Qualification • Job Closing: 1/31/2026 • Location: TRS Headquarters Building 2, 1900 Aldrich Street, Austin, Texas, 78723, United States
WHO WE ARE Service, Respect, and Connection are core to the individual and collective TRS experience. We know that great service rests on a foundation of relationships that connect us all to an empowering and rewarding career. At TRS, we’re inspired by our community who bring authenticity and commitment to our mission to improve the retirement security of public education employees and retirees throughout Texas. As a group of achievers, we tap collaboration and innovation to raise the bar in performance, administering and counseling pensions and healthcare benefits to ensure certainty for the future of our members. We invite you to join us, where both personal and career growth are respected and where you can make a difference in our members’ lives every day.
WHAT WILL YOU DO
Provide legal advice and representation regarding investment transactions and related matters, including drafting, negotiating, and reviewing investment transaction documents.
Work proactively with the Investment Management Division, TRS legal team, executive staff, leadership teams, and external stakeholders.
Represent the agency in negotiation of investment management agreements with external managers and related matters.
Handle investments in hedge funds, private equity funds, real asset funds, energy and natural resources funds, related co‑investment or principal investment funds, and derivatives transactions.
Manage investment operations, non‑disclosure agreements, foreign investment documentation, investment policies, litigation analysis, and other duties as assigned.
Apply fiduciary duties to investment matters, policies, procedures, and operations.
Participate in the selection and oversight of outside investment counsel, coordinating workflow, evaluating work product, reviewing invoices, and negotiating fee reductions.
Prepare, review, and negotiate research and other investment‑related arrangements, including commission credits or custody of pension assets, and advise investment staff and agency management.
Prepare or review requests for proposal or qualification, and draft and negotiate contracts with vendors such as custody agreements, investment consultants, external discretionary investment managers, outside legal counsel, clearinghouses, and prime brokers.
Review offering memoranda, subscription documents, and proposed contracts relating to private investments; draft and negotiate transaction documents, and supervise the execution of documents according to agency policies and procedures.
Prepare memoranda, contracts, policies, guidelines, procedures, letters, bills, or analysis for legislative consideration or other materials as assigned.
Attend as needed the agency Board of Trustees, Board Committees, and internal investment committees meetings; assist with the preparation of meeting materials such as proposed resolutions, minutes, and related items.
Assist senior attorneys and management in meetings and negotiations with other attorneys and external parties, including executive and legislative branches of Texas state government, auditors, investment consultants, and vendors.
Provide advice and assistance regarding all applicable existing or proposed federal, state, and agency laws, rules, and policies.
Conduct legal research and analysis on assigned or referred matters.
Assist in preparing audit inquiry responses on behalf of the agency as assigned.
Coordinate and review the related work of legal assistants, specialists, and support staff in specific areas of responsibility.
Participate in special projects such as foreign office matters, and perform related work as assigned.
WHAT WILL YOU BRING Required Education:
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
Required Experience:
Four (4) years of full‑time directly related, progressively responsible experience as a transactional attorney or related experience.
Two (2) years of full‑time directly related, progressively responsible experience in at least one of: transactional work in private equity, real estate, energy and infrastructure transactions, derivatives contracts, or mergers and acquisitions.
Experience may be concurrent.
Required Registration, Certification, or Licensure:
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and a member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas; or hold a valid, active law license issued by another state and be eligible for Texas licensure under Board of Law Examiners Rule XIII: Attorneys from Other Jurisdictions (candidate must obtain Texas license within eight months of hire date).
Preferred Qualifications:
Two (2) years of experience providing legal services for transactional matters such as corporate, derivatives, or private fund transactions.
Experience effectively and succinctly communicating with a high‑level audience, such as a governing Board or executive management.
Experience overseeing and managing outside counsel.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of corporate law, partnership law, federal tax laws, federal regulation of securities and commodities, regulation of broker‑dealers and investment advisers, and/or international investment law.
Legal issues and concepts in at least one area of law relevant to the agency investment program.
Fiduciary responsibilities or ethics issues.
Skills:
Monitoring, reviewing, drafting, and advising on legislation.
Written and verbal communication, including awareness of reactions to others; analyzing, developing, and advocating legal positions; giving advice; and preparing and presenting complex legal documents or reports to a variety of audiences.
Negotiating, mediating, and resolving agreements and disputes.
Performing legal research and analysis of relevant information, and rendering advice based on sound legal judgment.
Task management and organization, including setting priorities to meet deadlines and managing a high‑volume workload in a fast‑paced and changing environment, while completing detailed work with a high degree of timeliness, appropriate brevity and economy, and accuracy.
Using a computer in a Windows environment with word processing, spreadsheet, and other business software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Westlaw, Tamale, etc.).
Ability to:
Establish and maintain harmonious, productive, efficient, and mutually beneficial working relationships of trust with co‑workers, other agency staff, and external contacts such as consultants, outside fund management, opposing counsel, state government personnel, and the public.
Work effectively in a professional team environment.
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Codes Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen with experience in the Military Occupational Specialty (https://www.trs.texas.gov/files/trs-military-crosswalk.xlsx) along with the minimum qualifications listed above may meet the minimum requirements and are highly encouraged to apply. Please contact Talent Acquisition at careers@trs.texas.gov with questions or for additional information.
Additional Information To view all job vacancies, visit www.trs.texas.gov/careers or www.trs.csod.com/careersite. For more information, visit www.trs.texas.gov.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
WHO WE ARE Service, Respect, and Connection are core to the individual and collective TRS experience. We know that great service rests on a foundation of relationships that connect us all to an empowering and rewarding career. At TRS, we’re inspired by our community who bring authenticity and commitment to our mission to improve the retirement security of public education employees and retirees throughout Texas. As a group of achievers, we tap collaboration and innovation to raise the bar in performance, administering and counseling pensions and healthcare benefits to ensure certainty for the future of our members. We invite you to join us, where both personal and career growth are respected and where you can make a difference in our members’ lives every day.
WHAT WILL YOU DO
Provide legal advice and representation regarding investment transactions and related matters, including drafting, negotiating, and reviewing investment transaction documents.
Work proactively with the Investment Management Division, TRS legal team, executive staff, leadership teams, and external stakeholders.
Represent the agency in negotiation of investment management agreements with external managers and related matters.
Handle investments in hedge funds, private equity funds, real asset funds, energy and natural resources funds, related co‑investment or principal investment funds, and derivatives transactions.
Manage investment operations, non‑disclosure agreements, foreign investment documentation, investment policies, litigation analysis, and other duties as assigned.
Apply fiduciary duties to investment matters, policies, procedures, and operations.
Participate in the selection and oversight of outside investment counsel, coordinating workflow, evaluating work product, reviewing invoices, and negotiating fee reductions.
Prepare, review, and negotiate research and other investment‑related arrangements, including commission credits or custody of pension assets, and advise investment staff and agency management.
Prepare or review requests for proposal or qualification, and draft and negotiate contracts with vendors such as custody agreements, investment consultants, external discretionary investment managers, outside legal counsel, clearinghouses, and prime brokers.
Review offering memoranda, subscription documents, and proposed contracts relating to private investments; draft and negotiate transaction documents, and supervise the execution of documents according to agency policies and procedures.
Prepare memoranda, contracts, policies, guidelines, procedures, letters, bills, or analysis for legislative consideration or other materials as assigned.
Attend as needed the agency Board of Trustees, Board Committees, and internal investment committees meetings; assist with the preparation of meeting materials such as proposed resolutions, minutes, and related items.
Assist senior attorneys and management in meetings and negotiations with other attorneys and external parties, including executive and legislative branches of Texas state government, auditors, investment consultants, and vendors.
Provide advice and assistance regarding all applicable existing or proposed federal, state, and agency laws, rules, and policies.
Conduct legal research and analysis on assigned or referred matters.
Assist in preparing audit inquiry responses on behalf of the agency as assigned.
Coordinate and review the related work of legal assistants, specialists, and support staff in specific areas of responsibility.
Participate in special projects such as foreign office matters, and perform related work as assigned.
WHAT WILL YOU BRING Required Education:
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
Required Experience:
Four (4) years of full‑time directly related, progressively responsible experience as a transactional attorney or related experience.
Two (2) years of full‑time directly related, progressively responsible experience in at least one of: transactional work in private equity, real estate, energy and infrastructure transactions, derivatives contracts, or mergers and acquisitions.
Experience may be concurrent.
Required Registration, Certification, or Licensure:
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and a member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas; or hold a valid, active law license issued by another state and be eligible for Texas licensure under Board of Law Examiners Rule XIII: Attorneys from Other Jurisdictions (candidate must obtain Texas license within eight months of hire date).
Preferred Qualifications:
Two (2) years of experience providing legal services for transactional matters such as corporate, derivatives, or private fund transactions.
Experience effectively and succinctly communicating with a high‑level audience, such as a governing Board or executive management.
Experience overseeing and managing outside counsel.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of corporate law, partnership law, federal tax laws, federal regulation of securities and commodities, regulation of broker‑dealers and investment advisers, and/or international investment law.
Legal issues and concepts in at least one area of law relevant to the agency investment program.
Fiduciary responsibilities or ethics issues.
Skills:
Monitoring, reviewing, drafting, and advising on legislation.
Written and verbal communication, including awareness of reactions to others; analyzing, developing, and advocating legal positions; giving advice; and preparing and presenting complex legal documents or reports to a variety of audiences.
Negotiating, mediating, and resolving agreements and disputes.
Performing legal research and analysis of relevant information, and rendering advice based on sound legal judgment.
Task management and organization, including setting priorities to meet deadlines and managing a high‑volume workload in a fast‑paced and changing environment, while completing detailed work with a high degree of timeliness, appropriate brevity and economy, and accuracy.
Using a computer in a Windows environment with word processing, spreadsheet, and other business software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Westlaw, Tamale, etc.).
Ability to:
Establish and maintain harmonious, productive, efficient, and mutually beneficial working relationships of trust with co‑workers, other agency staff, and external contacts such as consultants, outside fund management, opposing counsel, state government personnel, and the public.
Work effectively in a professional team environment.
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Codes Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen with experience in the Military Occupational Specialty (https://www.trs.texas.gov/files/trs-military-crosswalk.xlsx) along with the minimum qualifications listed above may meet the minimum requirements and are highly encouraged to apply. Please contact Talent Acquisition at careers@trs.texas.gov with questions or for additional information.
Additional Information To view all job vacancies, visit www.trs.texas.gov/careers or www.trs.csod.com/careersite. For more information, visit www.trs.texas.gov.
#J-18808-Ljbffr