MSA Sr Research Analyst
About The Position
Mason Street Advisors, LLC (MSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and an SEC-registered investment adviser, manages investment options used in Northwestern Mutual programs and variable products. As of June 30, 2026, MSA managed approximately $42.3 billion in client assets. The Senior Research Analyst researches and evaluates third-party asset managers, making recommendations through MSA’s investment research process. The role conducts qualitative reviews of manager teams, investment processes, and parent companies, alongside quantitative analyses of performance, risk, factor attribution, style consistency, and adherence to stated investment processes. Due diligence may involve manager site visits and industry conferences. The analyst also monitors external managers and recommends additions, removals, or replacements. The position supports the Active/Passive fund suite, including its asset allocation strategy, strategic and tactical positioning, and fund-selection process. It also assists with trading and cash management, manager and counterparty oversight, derivatives risk oversight and reporting, committee work, and research materials for mutual fund boards. The analyst collaborates across MSA and Northwestern Mutual and helps prepare and present materials to MSA’s Investment Committee and Board of Directors.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Broad knowledge of markets, investments, economics, accounting, and financial tools such as Bloomberg, Morningstar Direct, eVestment, and Excel.
- Strong working knowledge of current trends in the investment industry.
- Background researching or recommending mutual funds, ETFs, or SMAs for use within a portfolio.
- Ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels, including writing reports, memos, and communications and presenting to audiences of varying sizes.
Nice To Haves
- 10 years of relevant investment-industry work experience, including investment research and/or evaluating investments or investment products as part of a portfolio.
- MBA degree and/or CFA designation.
- Experience giving presentations in large and small group settings.
Responsibilities
- Perform initial due diligence on third-party asset managers and make recommendations using MSA’s investment research process.
- Review manager teams, investment processes, parent companies, performance characteristics, risk and factor attribution, style consistency, and adherence to stated processes.
- Conduct ongoing qualitative and quantitative monitoring of external investment managers, including performance attribution analysis.
- Recommend adding or removing investment managers and identify appropriate replacements when needed.
- Assist with management of the Active/Passive fund suite, including asset allocation strategy, strategic and tactical positioning, and fund-selection parameters and processes.
- Assist with trading and cash management for the Active/Passive fund suite and MSA’s operating account.
- Develop and maintain relationships with securities dealers and act as a liaison with industry and regulatory organizations on trading matters.
- Perform credit analysis on commercial paper issuers and participate in oversight of sub-advisers’ trading and brokerage practices.
- Assist with derivatives oversight and reporting, including setting risk limits, reviewing sub-advisers’ risk-management processes, and monitoring derivatives exposures.
- Assist in overseeing market, counterparty, liquidity, leverage, valuation, operational, and regulatory risks related to derivatives, as well as regulatory matters and prospectus/SAI disclosures.
- Serve on a rotating basis on the Brokerage and Trading Committee, Proxy Voting and Corporate Actions Committee, Derivatives Oversight Group, and Pricing Committee.
- Help ensure pricing policies and procedures are followed and that fair-value pricing is applied prudently.
- Prepare mutual fund board-facing research content, including written research reports, investment manager write-ups, portfolio attribution summaries, and market and economic commentaries.
- Build positive working relationships with MSA and Northwestern Mutual leaders, internal and external customers, and service providers; resolve complex issues through research and follow-up.
- Provide complete, professional, high-quality verbal and written responses, handle negative situations constructively, offer workable alternatives, and collaborate with other departments.
- Assist in preparing and presenting materials for MSA’s Investment Committee and Board of Directors.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
