Associate, Investment & Portfolio Solutions (IPS)
Locations: Zurich, Switzerland
Overview of Investment Professional roles
Our investment professionals thrive in a culture that pushes them to question the status quo, overdeliver for clients, and work together to shape the future of the industry. At BlackRock, you’ll forge meaningful relationships within your team and across the firm – expanding your network as you tackle complex challenges with a collaborative approach, integrated research and risk management. In an environment that feels welcoming and inclusive, you’ll discover opportunities to hone your skills, develop new expertise, gain mentorship, and build the investment career you envision.
Job description
About this role
Your group
Investment & Portfolio Solutions (IPS) is a key part of BlackRock’s Global Product Solutions. We partner with clients across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), including wealth and asset managers, pension funds and insurance companies, to support their whole-portfolio needs. For clients that manage their own portfolios, we provide market and portfolio insights to support decisions relating to asset allocation, portfolio construction and implementation. For clients seeking to outsource portfolio management, we support the development and delivery of model portfolio solutions across the region.
Your team
The EMEA Portfolio Consulting team works closely with clients to help them achieve their desired portfolio outcomes using the full range of BlackRock products and solutions across liquid and illiquid investment vehicles. Our team brings together expertise in portfolio construction and financial markets, powered by BlackRock’s risk platform, Aladdin®. We help investors understand the risks and distinctive characteristics of their existing portfolios and provide insights designed to support better investment decisions and build stronger, more resilient portfolios over time. We also collaborate with clients to develop new investment strategies and solutions.
Alongside bespoke client consulting, the team contributes to broader portfolio insight generation across EMEA. This includes scalable content, thematic research and portfolio insights used in commercial campaigns, product innovation discussions, and strategic initiatives across wealth and institutional channels.
We celebrate accomplishments collectively and prioritise the success of the broader team. We value collaboration, intellectual curiosity and a strong team-first culture. Individuals are encouraged to support one another, share ideas openly and contribute beyond their immediate responsibilities. Diverse perspectives are welcomed, contributions are recognised, and colleagues are empowered to learn from one another and grow together.
Your role and impact
We are seeking a quantitatively minded Portfolio Strategist at Associate level to join the IPS Consulting team in Switzerland. You will work closely with senior portfolio strategists across EMEA to analyse and consult on client investment propositions while contributing to broader portfolio insights and commercial initiatives across the business.
The role is primarily focused on portfolio analysis and portfolio construction, while also supporting insight generation and thematic research across the platform. You will interpret quantitative analysis, articulate technical concepts clearly and present insights to a broad range of stakeholders.
Operating in a fast-paced environment, you will gain significant exposure to BlackRock’s client and investment businesses and have opportunities to deepen your knowledge of portfolio analytics, construction techniques and investment strategy. You will be encouraged to engage directly with clients and contribute more broadly to insight generation across the platform.
Your responsibilities
In every role at BlackRock, you'll be expected to apply sound judgement and critical thinking to solve complex problems, adapt as the business evolves, and combine the curiosity to explore new approaches and technologies with the rigor to challenge the results. The scope of this role also includes the following responsibilities:
Work with the Consulting and Sales teams to evaluate, evolve or construct portfolios tailored to each client, running portfolio analytics and interpreting results in the context of market conditions and client objectives.
Present portfolio analytics, investment insights and strategic views to clients and prospects, helping to strengthen client relationships and support commercial outcomes
Support the generation of scalable portfolio insights, thematic research and investment content for internal and external stakeholders, including materials used in commercial campaigns and strategic initiatives.
Stay up to date with macroeconomic developments and investment management industry trends.
Partner with teams across the organisation, including Investment Strategy, the BlackRock Investment Institute and Product teams, to execute joint research and insight-generation initiatives.
Analyse portfolio and market trends to identify commercial opportunities, investment themes and areas of strategic focus.
Develop short-term and long-term innovations that support the evolving needs of the business and its technology capabilities.
Work closely with the in-business technology group to enhance the technology platform and improve the scalability of portfolio analytics and insight generation.
Your experience
We are looking for candidates who bring:
Strong understanding of financial markets, including drivers of return, risk and portfolio construction techniques.
Relevant experience at Associate level, typically three to five years, in an analytical, research, strategy or consulting role, including experience working with or analysing portfolios and using data to generate clear, actionable insights.
Ability to interpret quantitative analysis and communicate technical concepts clearly and in a commercially relevant manner.
Proven ability to engage confidently with clients and communicate portfolio analytics, investment strategy and market insights in a client-facing environment.
Flexibility and openness to new challenges, with the ability to work effectively across multiple projects in a dynamic and evolving environment while maintaining strong attention to detail.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a collaborative mindset and team-first approach. You will contribute positively to team culture and work effectively across a broad range of stakeholders.
Exposure to financial data platforms such as Aladdin, Bloomberg, Morningstar or FactSet, or experience with similar analytical tools.
Fluency in English and German.
Additionally, you may bring
Prior experience with risk management or portfolio construction systems such as Barra, Axioma or Aladdin.
Strong understanding of investment management data and experience accessing and analysing data to support research and portfolio insights.
Prior experience in macroeconomics, investment strategy or portfolio management.
Programming skills in Python, R, MATLAB or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
Experience producing investment research, thematic content or portfolio insight materials.
Additional language skills, such as French orItalian
An Investment Management Certificate (IMC), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) qualification, or progress towards one of these qualifications.
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.
Guidance on AI use for candidates
At BlackRock, AI has long been part of how we work – enhancing decision-making, improving operations, and helping us deliver better outcomes for clients. We encourage candidates to use AI thoughtfully to learn, prepare, and work more effectively; but during our interview process, we want to focus on getting to know you through your own experiences, thinking, and judgment. To support you, we’ve provided guidance on when and how to use AI during our hiring process so you can approach each step with confidence and showcase your best self.
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.
To learn more about BlackRock, please visit Careers.BlackRock.com. We also encourage you to get to know us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok.
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.
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BlackRock Principles
We look to hire people that will embody our BlackRock Principles:
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We are a fiduciary to our clients.
This is the bedrock of our identity; it reflects our integrity and the unbiased advice we give our clients.
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We are One BlackRock.
We work collaboratively to create the best outcomes for our clients, our firm and the communities where we operate.
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We are passionate about performance.
We are relentless in innovating and finding better ways to serve our clients and improve our firm.
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We take emotional ownership.
We have a deep sense of responsibility to our clients and to each other.
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We are committed to a better future.
We are long-term thinkers, focused on helping people build a better tomorrow.
Career path
Our people drive our business forward every day. That's why we're committed to helping you build an extraordinary career at the firm. In addition to supporting your vertical growth along corporate titles, we’ll help you expand your horizons across the firm – with opportunities to collaborate with unexpected colleagues, take on unique assignments outside of your regular business, and even move internally within BlackRock.
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Analyst
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Associate
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Vice President
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Director
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Managing Director
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Senior Managing Director
Benefits
We care about your overall well-being and design our benefits package to support you in various aspects of your life.
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Financial well-being
We offer resources designed to help you build a sound financial future for you and your family, like retirement savings plans and tuition reimbursement.
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Pay for performance
Our pay-for-performance philosophy includes a base salary and a discretionary annual bonus.
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Physical well-being
Our healthcare plans and resources help you focus on your physical health, so you and your family can feel your best.
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Emotional well-being
We support our people's mental health and emotional well-being by providing access to an Employee Assistance Program and a network of Mental Health Ambassadors.
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Life management
You'll be able to focus on moments that are important to you with benefits designed to support life in and outside of work with Flexible Time Off, parental leave and more.
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