Graduate Trainee – Investment Manager Research
Company background
Stamford Associates Limited (“SAL”) is a well established investment consulting company, advising institutional investors on multi-manager solutions. Our clients have assets totalling approximately £30 billion, as at Dec 2010. A key part of SAL’s activities is manager research and selection based on in-depth portfolio analysis and careful risk assessment
Role
The individual occupying this role will join SAL in our search for investment managers and will be responsible for providing analytical support to the equity and fixed income research team by analysing portfolios, enhancing and developing research tools, procedures, and initiatives. The individual will also liaise with outside investment counterparties to gather information, and you will maintain various research information sources.
Specific Manager Research Tasks:
- Accurately analyse managers’ portfolios according to SAL’s research process, assessing the risk profiles and the alpha generation capability
- Produce and analyse risk/return statistics, valuation tables, portfolio transactions, attribution analysis/reports, turnover ratios, etc.
- Work proactively on the identification, design, and implementation of tool enhancements and development of new research procedures.
- Liaise with outside investment counterparties (portfolio managers, investor relations, prime brokers, etc) to gather qualitative and quantitative information.
- Liaise with data and software providers in order to solve issues and/or increase accuracy and efficiency.
- Work on the preparation of company case studies for the assessment of the managers’ stock selection process.
- On going monitoring of research information sources to screen for new managers.
- Produce periodic statistics on SAL research activities and look for better ways to present/communicate research team added value (internally and externally).
- More generally, assist the team with ad hoc tasks and requests
Person Specification
Qualifications:
- Educational background in investments and/or finance with an academic knowledge of portfolio theory and security analysis.
- Enrolment in the CFA program is a prerequisite.
Required Skills:
- High degree of computer literacy with outstanding working knowledge of Excel.
- Familiarity with Bloomberg.
- Excellent literacy and writing skills.
- Accuracy and attention to detail.
- Ability to multi-task and work according to deadlines.
- Flexible attitude and adaptable in day-to-day activities and workloads.
- Self-motivated, able to work independently and use initiative.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively in a small team environment.
- Eligible to work in the UK.
- Contract term: 11 months.
- Salary: in the region of £25k plus benefits.