Contracts Associate I – (JD required) – ATL or NYC

About Client Experience

The CX organization, situated within Technology & Operations, touches all aspects of the client journey, and is aligned across 4 key pillars: Onboarding (Contracting, Client & Product Implementation, Due Diligence), CX Operations (COM, Invoicing, Reporting), CX Delivery (Client Experience Management, Whole portfolio Solutions Servicing), and CX Transformation (COO, Projects & Engineering, Analytics, Research). Our vision is to make service so simple it becomes a source of alpha for BlackRock.

The Contracting team partners closely with ICB, Relationship Managers, Legal and Compliance, Onboarding teams and other internal groups to ensure BlackRock’s contracts balance commercial outcomes with appropriate risk management and fiduciary obligations. We cover a broad range of clients including sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pension funds and insurance companies each of whom may transact in different investment strategies, products, instruments and markets offered by BlackRock. We are responsible for driving and completing contract negotiations with clients on behalf of BlackRock’s Institutional Client Business (“ICB”).

Team Overview

The Client Contracting Team plays a key role in drafting and negotiating investment management agreements, investment guidelines, and other contractual arrangements between BlackRock and our new and existing institutional clients.

Role

As an Associate within Client Contracting, you will support a growing area in a dynamic and challenging environment. You will be responsible for understanding the legal and regulatory framework in which BlackRock and its institutional clients operate in order to draft contractual arrangements between BlackRock and its clients, with an ability to directly negotiate contracts with clients. You will need a strong desire to learn the basics of asset management to help draft investment management contracts and investment guidelines.   

Responsibilities

• Accurate drafting, negotiation and coordination of contractual documentation for BlackRock’s Institutional Clients.
• Facilitation and coordination of all internal SME stakeholders across different regions involved in the contracting process.
• Partnering with various teams across BlackRock to ensure contractual terms and minimize risk.
• Ensuring that the appropriate contracting process is followed for all contract processing to mitigate risk to BlackRock.
• Negotiating client documentation within the remit of the Client Contracting team, escalating appropriate risk where necessary.
• Supporting the sales team with contractual documentation queries.
• Communicating any contractual documentation changes to a client mandate to applicable internal stakeholders.
• Capturing and recording relevant non-standard contractual clauses on an ongoing basis and maintaining the contractual documentation database.
• Participating in research initiatives or projects that are requested by the sales, product or legal teams.

Experience

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated asset management or financial services experience and in-depth experience of drafting contractual documentation within the asset management industry possessing either:

• A legal background or qualification with experience of drafting and negotiating investment management agreements for an institutional client base; or
• Excellent knowledge and proven track record in drafting and negotiating sophisticated legal contracts and the ability to perform and deliver high quality legal contracts in a fast-paced environment.

Skills/Qualifications

• 4-7 years relevant investment management experience.
• JD required
• Admission to practice law (Preferred)
• Experienced contract management and negotiation skills.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of the asset management industry (fund types, client base and strategies, operational set up and products) and applicable law and regulations.
• Strongly proficient on standard software (e.g., Microsoft Office) and interested in new technologies.

Competencies

• Strong awareness of process efficiency and the need to mitigate risk through team processes.
• Exemplary analytical, communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with both internal and external clients at all levels and regions.
• Team player both with regard to your direct team as well as those with whom you support.
• Flexible and open to accepting new challenges; able to work effectively and efficiently on multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, demanding, and ever-changing environment while maintaining the highest standard and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to balance client needs with BlackRock policies and operational procedures; possess excellent regulatory and technical awareness in order to understand associated risks and provided innovative, risk-free and compliance friendly solutions.