Investment Manager Researcher

We are hiring an Investment Manager Researcher who wants the opportunity to carve out a successful role within an award-winning and growing organisation.

You will be an innovative and analytical thinker who is seeking an opportunity in which you can take ownership of high-quality investment research, contribute to robust fund recommendations and positively influence the evolution of our investment processes.

Working in a flexible environment, you will be prepared to stay ahead of developments across investment markets, asset classes, ESG considerations and the wider pensions landscape, using your insight to enhance the quality of our advice, strengthen our research capability and support the continued growth of the business.

About The Role

Your main tasks will include, but are not limited to:

• Presenting fund recommendations to the Investment Committee for final sign off;
• Being responsible for our overall research process, ensuring consistency of our approach and high quality fund recommendations;
• Conducting both quantitative and qualitative manager and asset class research through desk-based research and also manager meetings on a variety of asset classes including but not limited to fixed income, multi-asset, real estate, equity and alternatives;
• Ensuring clients meet their ESG requirements by integrating ESG into the research process and producing ESG manager ratings;
• Maintaining up to date knowledge of new ESG regulations, themes and opportunities, and support with ESG related reporting requirements;
• Producing written due diligence report research notes for colleagues and clients;
• Providing support to the wider team on various investment activities such as drafting investment advice reports, drafting manager selection reports, commentary for performance reports and reviewing implementation statements;
• Operating as a contributor in the Pension Industry, regularly building your professional network and presence in the marketplace particularly with investment managers;
• Representing Spence through thought pieces, briefing notes and research content;
• Training junior members of the team about ESG and other research matters;
• Assisting with a variety of investment projects;
• Calculating investment performance figures for performance monitoring purposes; and
• Assisting with other ad-hoc investment work.

This is an exciting role in an organisation that embraces innovation and development.

Responsibilities & Criteria

• Significant and relevant experience in a similar role.
• Sound technical investment knowledge, covering a range of asset classes and managers.
• Understanding of ESG and the role it plays in the investment process, fund selection and client reporting requirements is desirable.
• Creative and analytical approach to solving problems.
• Ability to manage projects to deliver on time and on budget.
• Excellent knowledge of computerised systems e.g. Microsoft Office/Windows applications, online and digital marketing, web development.
• Excellent written and communication skills which have been tested internally and externally.
• The ability to understand what will add value and what will not and the ability to tailor approach as and when required.

Essential Qualifications

• Degree, 2.1 or above in a relevant subject.
• Working towards a relevant Professional Qualification such as CFA, FIA or similar.
• Working towards or desire to study for the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Circumstances

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week with additional hours as and when required. Will also consider part time hours.

The role holder may be at times required to travel to other UK locations.

All roles are subject to a six-month probationary period and all prospective employees are required to complete background screening to cover all locations.

As part of the pre-hire process the successful candidate will be subject to reference checking and background security vetting.

Applying with a disability or long-term health condition?

As part of our belief that we benefit from the differences among us we are committed to increasing the representation of disabled colleagues and want to remove any barriers or challenges that get in the way of candidates with a disability or long-term health condition from applying to work with us.

As part of this commitment, we guarantee to automatically interview anyone with a disability who meets the minimum criteria.

If there is support or an adjustment that we can provide to enable you to be at your best during the recruitment and selection process, we encourage you to advise us in good time so that we may make suitable arrangements.

We understand that being open with us may feel uncomfortable so please only share with us the information that you are comfortable to share, and rest assured that we will use this only to provide you with the right support.

Any information you give us will be treated completely confidentially.

To discuss this further please call and ask to speak to a member of the People & Culture team.

About Spence

Our primary aim is to provide interesting, worthwhile and healthy careers for all our people; we believe that this emphasis sets us apart from our competitors.

We are defined by our ethos and by our goal:

Our ethos is an individual and collective commitment achieved through carefully balancing responsibility with freedom and flexibility, all of which is underpinned by a willingness to work interdependently. When we get this balance right, it is how we do our best work.

We look after our staff first and foremost, but for a commercial purpose, which is to deliver great service profitably. By focusing on our goal, we provide the best outcomes for pension scheme members, trustees and employers.

We have clients throughout the UK, serviced from offices in London, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds.

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