Investment Strategist Analyst, Specialist

Job Description

As an Investment Analyst in the Investment Strategy Group (ISG) at Vanguard you’ll play an active role in creating and enhancing Vanguard’s thought leadership and investment methodology. The position is part of a global team responsible for establishing and maintaining a robust investment and modeling research effort. You will conduct empirical research focusing on financial markets and their implications for portfolio construction and asset allocation strategies. Also, you will implement and develop quantitative models for as asset allocation, life-cycle investing and financial planning.

Core Responsibilities

• Contribute to Vanguard’s thought leadership on asset allocation and portfolio construction.
• Research and develop or implement quantitative models to areas such as asset allocation, life-cycle investing, and financial planning. Analyze complex investment research issues, focusing on financial markets and their implications for portfolio construction and investment advice.
• Analyze investment research issues as assigned by utilizing both internal and external resources. The topics would primarily focus on asset allocation and portfolio optimization. Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis and offer opinions and recommendations. Prepare written commentaries as needed for clients, prospects, senior management and the media.
• Present analysis and results internally and externally to Vanguard clients or constituents.
• Participate in the ongoing review and enhancement of Vanguard's investment methodology. Perform detailed methodology audits and make recommendations on changes.
• Support internal client requests on ad hoc research projects, especially for the UK and continental Europe markets.
• Assist in the building and maintenance of on-line research library and instruct internal clients on its use.
• Assist in the creation of investment-related presentations for Vanguard senior management.
• Participate in group discussions designed to identify and debate investment issues and potential research projects.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree with specialization in areas of Quantitative Finance/Financial Engineering, Quantitative Economics, Econometrics/Statistics.
• Strong technical, analytical and empirical research skills.
• Proficiency in Matlab/Python/R strongly preferred.
• Experience in machine learning techniques, especially its application to portfolio optimization are preferred but not essential.
• Ideally ~2 yrs of experience in a research role in financial services, consulting, government organizations (e.g., central bank) or academia are preferred but not essential.
• Ability to write effectively and explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Excellent communication and team working attributes.

Future of Work

During the pandemic, we transitioned to a work from home model for the majority of our crew and we continue to interview, hire, and on-board future crew remotely.

As we have developed the path forward, we have taken a thoughtful approach that both maximizes the advantages of working remotely and the many benefits of coming together and collaborating in a shared workspace. We believe that in-person interactions among our crew are important for preserving our unique culture and advantageous for the personal development of our crew.

When our Crew return to the office, many will work in our hybrid model. A smaller proportion of our crew will operate in the Work from Home work model (for example, field sales crew); or in the Work from Office model (for example, portfolio managers).

The working model that your role falls into will be communicated to you in the interview process – please do ask if you are unsure. We encourage you to make the decision regarding your job interview and offer knowing which model your role will fall into. We will test and learn as our ways of working evolve and will continue to evaluate working models along the way.