Financial Quantitative Modeler, Aladdin Financial Engineering, Associate

About this role

About Aladdin Financial Engineering (AFE):

Join a diverse and collaborative team of over 400 modelers and technologists in Aladdin Financial Engineering (AFE) within BlackRock Solutions, the business responsible for the research and development of Aladdin’s financial models. This group is also accountable for analytics production, enhancing the infrastructure platform, and delivering analytics content to portfolio and risk management professionals (both within BlackRock and across the Aladdin client community). The models developed and supported by AFE span a wide array of financial products covering equities, fixed income, commodities, derivatives, and private markets. AFE provides investment insights that range from an analysis of cash flows on a single bond, to the overall financial risk associated with an entire portfolio, balance sheet, or enterprise.

The Private Markets SWAT Team:

This team provides quantitative modeling solutions for private markets across a wide variety of problems, including nowcasting private asset and fund values, forecasting alpha in private asset deals, and optimizing strategic asset allocation with illiquid assets. The team builds and connects innovative models and methodologies to support investment decision-making in illiquid asset classes.

Role Description:

We are seeking an associate-level quantitative researcher to support and expand our growing suite of models for estimating the value of private assets and producing next-generation, real-time private market indices. The role centers on the development, operation, and continuous enhancement of Nowcasting models—managing day-to-day index estimation, improving model performance, and ensuring a robust, high-quality production process. A key challenge will be adapting these models to new situations, data conditions, and asset-class features, and determining when extensions or methodological changes are appropriate. The position sits within the Private Markets SWAT Team, a small group focused on solving novel quantitative problems in private markets, and will provide exposure to a broad range of empirical, modeling, and applied research projects across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and enhance the team’s existing Nowcasting model for private assets, including calibration, monitoring, diagnostics, and performance evaluation.
• Contribute to the research, design, and development of new Nowcasting and valuation models across additional private asset classes.
• Conduct empirical research to calibrate models to private market data and assess model performance through backtesting, benchmarking, and robustness analysis.
• Implement, maintain, and productionize model codebases, ensuring reliability, transparency, and reproducibility.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to understand use cases, communicate model behavior and limitations, and support applications of the models in investment and analytical workflows.
• Participate in broader Private Markets SWAT Team projects, including bespoke modeling work for portfolio management teams and quantitative analyses for financial advisory or product-specific initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Financial Engineering, Finance, Statistics/Econometrics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field; PhD preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in financial modeling role or equivalent.
• Strong grounding in empirical modeling techniques, especially time-series analysis and Bayesian methods.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous empirical research, including handling complex datasets and designing well-structured analyses.
• Effective communicator capable of explaining quantitative concepts clearly and collaborating across technical and non-technical teams.
• Proficient programming skills in Python with the ability—and desire—to adopt new tools, libraries, and technologies as needed.
• Preferred: Experience with private assets (e.g., venture capital, growth equity, buyout private equity) and familiarity with common venture security structures such as liquidation preferences, participation rights, and anti-dilution mechanisms

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well-being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being.  Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics at law.