Analyst, Institutional Asset Management

Principal Financial Group • Chicago, IL

1d • $69,300 - $126,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

As an Institutional Sales/Distribution Analyst, you will support the distribution team’s engagement with institutional plan sponsors, including public and corporate pensions, nonprofits, and insurance general accounts, across public and private market asset classes. Responsibilities include working alongside our institutional sales team –preparing briefing documents, providing follow up materials, and collaborating on pipeline opportunities. We’re looking for someone who embraces new opportunities to learn, thrives under pressure and can juggle competing demands. The role requires the ability to engage across the full spectrum of work, from day-to-day tactical responsibilities to strategic and analytical initiatives. This is an excellent opportunity to build a career in asset management and play a part in our team’s strategic effort to retain and grow assets under management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business or related field or 3+ years related work experience.
• Strong work ethic, self-motivated, driven and collaborative.
• Passionate about financial markets and investment offerings; ability to understand and articulate basic knowledge related to equities, fixed income and alternatives.
• Excellent written/verbal communication and relationship building skills
• Proficiency with PowerPoint and Excel charting to create internal presentations, reporting and contact tracking.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational/time-management skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Comfortable with data entry and database management (CRM experience preferred — e.g., Salesforce and PowerBI).
• Professional demeanor for internal and external interactions.
• Committed to 3 years in this role for effective development and foundational understanding of asset management distribution

Nice To Haves

• Experience working at an asset manager, institutional consultant, plan sponsor, or financial services firm in roles such as an analyst within investor relations, client services, sales support, RFP, operations, etc.
• Familiarity with DDQ and RFP databases and industry sources such as MMD, eVestment, findaily, Ignites, FundFire, Mercer Insights, PPIQ and P&I
• Experience using systems and applications/databases (e.g.Salesforce, PowerBI and Teams)
• Understanding of institutional investment processes (search/selection, due diligence, reporting).
• CFA Level I or progress.
• FINRA licensing including SIE or equivalent, series 7 and series 63 required within 6 months
• Must be able to attend to and prioritize day-to-day demands while maintaining a strategic, analytical focus.

Responsibilities

• Support institutional sales team members with day-to-day activities.
• Act as a team representative and critical liaison with external and internal constituents -providing timely and professional responses related to capability/firm inquiries, information requests and strategy updates.
• Conduct competitive analysis and market research to provide insights related to industry trends and peer positioning.
• Prepare briefing materials for upcoming meetings, conferences and industry events; manage the requests and delivery of presentations and pitch materials.
• Maintain Sales Force CRM: data entry, clean-up, validation and proactive reporting and engagement tracking for effective team outreach.
• Create and update internal Power Point presentations, take meeting notes, track action items and follow up.
• Manage contact lists and oversee the team’s coordinated outreach related to specific offerings and firm announcements.
• Assist with project work like pipeline tracking, strategic initiatives and other tasks or projects as directed.

Benefits

• Structured onboarding and mentorship with exposure to senior leaders and investment team members – across traditional and alternative investment offerings.
• Client-facing opportunities and career path towards roles related to sales, consultant relations, client management.
• Competitive pay, bonus, benefits, and professional development support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees