Our Investment Teams invest money on behalf of our clients, deciding which companies, stockmarkets and other asset classes to invest in. Financial markets will move up and down over short periods in ways that we cannot control or predict but, by analysing and understanding the key fundamental drivers behind this range of potential investments, we use our experience and judgement to select sound investments capable of producing superior long-term returns for our clients. We are also very mindful that our clients have entrusted us to look after their money so, in addition to delivering good long-term investment returns, we also strive to sustain excellent client service by communicating regularly with them. Our teams are set up to deal with different areas of the world and different types of investments. The teams are deliberately small to foster a collegiate and personal working environment that allows for discussion and debate., We seek a high calibre individual to lead and develop a new 'Investment Analytics' team at Baillie Gifford, sitting within our equities investment department and reporting to our Equity Leadership Group. This team will be working closely with our investment teams and our Equity Leadership Group to maximise the insight from investment data and provide investors with high value and bespoke analytics. A significant part of this role will be forming strong relationships with our investors and investment teams, to allow a deep understanding of each team's differing requirements. The role will be based in our head office in Edinburgh., Areas of responsibility will include but are not limited to:
* Providing leadership and direction for this new team, including working with the Equity Leadership Group to determine and execute strategic priorities.
* Take lead responsibility for analysing our investment data and presenting findings to investment teams and leadership groups with a mission to improve client returns by helping investment teams improve their processes, including portfolio construction skills.
* Engage with, and develop a deep understanding of, our data strategy and related teams to proactively work to deliver investment data in an efficient manner.
* Work with our investment services teams, including our risk and trading functions, to ensure efficient workflows and clear segregation of responsibilities.
* Develop an industry leading understanding of, and use of, key external vendor services in the areas of portfolio analytics, including behavioural analytics.
* Develop and maintain a deep understanding of external best practice in relevant areas, including working with external providers where relevant.
This position has been deemed a Certified role within the FCA's Senior Manager and Certification Regime. As a result occupants details will be displayed on the FCA register and both initial and annual fitness and propriety assessments must be completed.
* Leadership - Significant leadership experience is a pre-requisite as the successful candidate will be expected to develop the team into an industry-leading analytics capability. Experience in leading and managing teams, with a strong focus on mentorship and development is essential and you must be able to think in a strategic and forward-looking manner to meet immediate and long-term business needs.
* Teamworking/collaboration - Success for this new team will involve a highly collaborative mindset, working with our investment teams and other relevant teams within the firm. Internal relationships will span multiple departments across the business, with a drive for excellence and high performance expected. The ability to communicate and influence effectively across all levels of the business is vital, and you must be able to build trusted relationships.
* Data literacy and analytical ability - At the centre of this new team is the ability to source, interpret and analyse data and present it to investment teams and leadership groups in a simple and effective way. Initiative and creativity, alongside a deep understanding of relevant data technologies, will be required to successfully develop tools and analysis that provide insight for investors and that can be integrated into investment processes. Attention to detail, accuracy and ability to interrogate data is essential.
* Growth mindset - The ideal candidate for this role will have a drive and ambition to lead the world's leading 'Investment Analytics' team. Openness to personal learning as well as ensuring the team is operating at the leading edge of investment analytics will be required.
The type of candidate we are looking for: You will have extensive experience within the Investment Management industry, in similar or related roles. Direct investment experience would be preferred, and it is highly advantageous to have an in depth understanding of topics such as Economics, Economic History, Political Economy, Finance, Investment Strategy, or Quantitative Finance. You must either hold the full IMC qualification or be willing to undertake this if successfully offered the role. CFA, or other investment qualifications (IOC, FRM etc.) are highly advantageous and directly relevant to the role. You will have strong analytical skills sets and/or be adept with thematic and critical thinking, both of which are highly relevant to this role. In particular, candidates with a degree in maths, sciences, economics, finance, or computing are likely to find their skills well-suited to the requirements of this role, but we are open to speaking to candidates from all disciplines and backgrounds who can evidence the required skills. Experience of working with financial software, such as Factset, Bloomberg and LSEG Workspace is essential and proficiency in tools such as Excel, Power BI, SQL, and Python would be beneficial. Critical skills:
* Nurture relationships
* Data Literacy
* Adaptability
* Improvement mindset
At Baillie Gifford we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.