Quant Researcher & PM, Retirement Solutions - Vice President

About this role

BlackRock is the largest asset-manager in the world and its mission is to help investors build better financial futures. BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions (MASS) group provides investment strategies and solutions that employ sophisticated asset allocation, thorough risk management, and extensive research to deliver specific outcomes tailored to client needs. Through our comprehensive portfolio approach, diversified return drivers, end-to end partnership and technology, our multi-asset platform is crafted to deliver outcomes with more precision. MASS includes specialized capabilities in areas of tactical asset allocation, income funds, target date and target risk strategies, as well as customized solutions through innovative portfolio construction and asset allocation methodologies.

With over half of the assets we handle related to retirement - BlackRock understands that our firm has a special responsibility in pioneering a better retirement for all. BlackRock's Retirement Solutions (RS) team sits within the MASS organization and aims to be the engine that serves our global retirement business as the center of lifecycle investing, bringing together expertise in strategy, research, portfolio management and technology. Our flagship product, LifePath, was the industry’s first target date fund (TDF) invented in 1993. LifePath seeks to be a comprehensive retirement solution for individuals seeking a sophisticated and professional way to invest that remains simple to understand and use. LifePath is available in a variety of implementations including index, active, sustainable, and custom solutions tailored to the unique needs of individual companies. The global LifePath franchise totaled $440 billion in assets across nine different countries as of 31 December 2021. BlackRock is trusted with the target date assets for 24 of the Fortune 100 companies, more than any other TDF provider.

Role Description & Responsibilities

The RS Portfolio Management team is seeking an experienced Researcher / Portfolio Manager to join a central team focused on the development of global lifecycle-oriented strategies; this role will be based in San Francisco or New York.

The role will involve evolving existing global strategies, designing new investment strategies, and applying quantitative techniques from academic literatures to improve portfolio outcomes. Success in this position will require strong analytical and quantitative skills, evidenced by an advanced degree and significant experience in investments or financial markets, with the ideal candidate having experience with multi-asset investing. In addition, the candidate should be willing to collaborate effectively with a distributed team of researchers and portfolio managers, both within the MASS team and across the wider BlackRock community, and should possess strong communication skills. The successful candidate will have a track record of delivering solid quantitative research and presenting these results to internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities will include:

• Work with diverse teams to design and construct retirement solutions that align with investors requirements and preferences.

• Conduct independent research on topics such as lifecycle investing, asset class deep dive, and multi-asset portfolio construction.

• Apply quantitative methods from literature in the design of investment solutions.

• Ability to engage in statistical programming to support the development of portfolio management, research, and production codebase that underpins the systematic portfolio construction and management processes.

• Communicate research and solution effectively to internal and external stakeholders.

• Support the development of new investment products from inception to launch.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in doing quantitative research in asset management space. Having multi-asset experience will be a plus.

• Graduate degree in a technical field is desirable.

• Solid understanding of economics, statistical methods, capital markets, portfolio construction, and asset allocation theory.

• Ability to clearly articulate ideas, both written and oral, to internal and external audiences across levels of seniority

• Substantial experience in statistical programming (Python/Matlab/R). Experience working with SQL, git, and basic Linux.

• Ability to multi-task and prioritize assignments while producing a high-quality work in a fast-paced environment. Curious and self-motivated.

For California only the salary range for this position is $147,500 - $209,500. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, and benefits including heath care, leave benefits, and retirement benefits. BlackRock operates a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and your total compensation may vary based on role, location, and firm, department and individual performance.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents 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 and Affirmative Action Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

We recruit, hire, train, promote, pay, and administer all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), sex stereotyping (including assumptions about a person’s appearance or behavior, gender roles, gender expression, or gender identity), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law. We interpret these protected statuses broadly to include both the actual status and also any perceptions and assumptions made regarding these statuses.BlackRock will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance law.