Associate

BlackRock•Wilmington, DE

13d•$96,000 - $117,500•Hybrid

About The Position

BlackRock Investment Management, LLC is seeking an Associate in Wilmington, DE. This role involves developing core analytical capabilities using advanced statistical, quantitative, or data metrics techniques to support business decision-making and process optimization. The Associate will address issues arising from the transfer agent, liaising with internal and external teams until resolution. They will provide application or analytical support to researchers or traders on topics such as valuations or data. This position coordinates across the firm to support the daily operations of U.S. retail funds, registered alternative funds, money market funds, and 529 product suites, including fund launches, transitions, and terminations, ensuring accurate execution at the Transfer Agent. The role is responsible for ad-hoc business requests regarding Transfer Agency registry information or rule setting of the fund. The Associate will access Transfer Agency portals or BlackRock applications for self-service, report pulling, and query liaison with Transfer Agency Vendors. Responsibilities include researching and developing analytical tools for performance measurement, attribution, or profit and loss measurement. The Associate will analyze invoices for accurate and timely payments to vendors, identifying trends and proposing cost savings. They will analyze Key Performance Indicators from Transfer Agents to grade their performance monthly. Enhancing current operating procedures to increase controls and mitigate risk, and evaluating systems, processes, and procedures for inefficiencies and making recommendations for improvement are key aspects of this role. Understanding data flow, including timing and content of data sets, is crucial. The Associate will oversee breaks or system issues, evaluating process improvements to prevent recurrence. Recommending streamlining procedures for manual reports to stakeholders and applying mathematical or statistical techniques to financial issues like securities trading, risk management, or financial market regulation are also part of the job. Analyzing trends in queries to improve client deliverables and collaborating with internal groups such as Client Order Management, Cash Reconciliation, and Fund Account Oversight are essential. Communicating delays or incorrect data sets to Portfolio management groups to ensure accurate trading based on expected fund activity is also required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (any field), Finance, Mathematics, Statistics or a related field and two (2) years of experience in the job offered or as an Analyst or a related role.
Two (2) years of experience with: Leverage Microsoft Excel and Power BI to develop core analytical capabilities using advanced statistical, quantitative and data metrics techniques.
Two (2) years of experience with: Experience with investment management topics including securities trading, risk management and financial market regulation.
Two (2) years of experience with: Analyzing trends in queries to improve client deliverables.
Two (2) years of experience with: Experience in enhancing current operating procedures to increase controls and mitigate risk, and evaluating systems, processes, and procedures for inefficiencies and making recommendations for improvement.
Two (2) years of experience with: Experience of working with external providers, including direct relationship management and oversight.
One (1) year of experience with: Experience in providing application and analytical support to researchers and traders on issues including valuations of data, and supporting fund launches, transitions and terminations.
One (1) year of experience with: Project management experience including resource allocation and team coordination, stakeholder communication, scheduling and planning, performance tracking, and risk management.
One (1) year of experience with: Possess advanced Excel skills, including the ability to write macros.

Responsibilities

Develop core analytical capabilities using advanced statistical, quantitative, or data metrics techniques to support business decision-making and process optimization.
Address issues that arise from the transfer agent, and liaison with both internal and external teams, until they are resolved.
Provide application or analytical support to researchers or traders on issues such as valuations or data.
Coordinate across the firm to support the daily operations of our U.S. retail funds, registered alternative funds, money market funds, and 529 product suites, including fund launches, transitions and terminations, and ensure that actions are being executed accurately at the Transfer Agent.
Be responsible for ad-hoc business requests from Internal and External groups looking for information on the Transfer Agency registry or understanding of rule setting of the fund.
Access Transfer Agency portals or BlackRock applications to self-service, pull reports, and liaise queries with the Transfer Agency Vendors.
Research and develop analytical tools to address issues such as performance measurement, attribution, or profit and loss measurement.
Analyze invoices for accurate and timely payments to vendors, while identifying trends and proposing areas for possible cost savings.
Analyze Key Performance Indicators from Transfer Agents, to grade the Transfer Agent on a monthly basis.
Enhance current operating procedures to increase controls and mitigate risk.
Evaluate systems, processes, and procedures for inefficiencies and make recommendations for improvement.
Be responsible for understanding the data flow, regarding both the timing and content of the data sets that feed through.
Oversee breaks or system issues, while evaluating process improvement to ensure issues don’t occur on a regular basis.
Recommend streamlining procedures for manual reports deliverable to internal and external stakeholders.
Apply mathematical or statistical techniques to address practical issues in finance, such as securities trading, risk management, or financial market regulation.
Analyze trends in queries to improve client deliverables.
Work with internal groups, such as the Client Order Management that oversees Fund of Fund trading through our Transfer Agents, the Cash Reconciliation team that oversees cash breaks at the Funds that we support, and the Fund Account Oversight group that maintains oversight of the Fund Accounts for the BlackRock Funds.
Communicate delays or incorrect data sets to Portfolio management groups so they can accurately trade on expected activity for the funds that they support.