Investment Analyst
Date Posted: 24/07/2023
Location: London
Job Type: Full time
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Investment Analyst
Just Group
Who are Just?
We’re a FTSE 250 Financial Services company who specialise in retirement solutions and right now, our world is moving pretty quickly. With the defined benefit buy in / buy out space growing each year, Just continues to annually grow its business by over £2bn of assets.
We are a purpose driven company with compelling and credible goals. Quite simply, we help people achieve a better later life. We achieve this by providing competitive and innovative products, services, financial advice and guidance to help our customers achieve security, certainty and provide them with peace of mind in retirement.
That’s who we are. We’re a company on a mission: to become a beacon for the entire retirement industry. Because we believe everyone deserves a fair, secure, and fulfilling retirement.
About the role
At Just we’re recruiting for our future and we currently have a great opportunity available to join our expanding Investment Team as an Investment Analyst on a permanent basis in our London office.
This is an exciting role that carries a high degree of responsibility and independence as you will provide technical support to the Chief Investment Officer and wider Investments team and facilitate delivery on a wide variety of investment initiatives.
Reporting to the Senior Manager within the Investment Strategy Team, you’ll act as a dedicated resource to support the ramp up of existing mandates, the due diligence of new investment proposals, deal-by-deal investment assessment and portfolio monitoring and management.
You will gain experience across the entire credit spectrum, looking at the existing mandates of corporate bonds, emerging market debt, and municipal bonds in the liquid portfolio, and infrastructure debt, commercial real estate debt, and private placements in the illiquid portfolio. There will also be the opportunity to work on new credit asset classes as the portfolio grows.
Key Accountabilities
•Assess individual investments (public or private) on pricing, capital impact, cashflow profile, strategic fit and solvency II compliance for internally and externally managed portfolio.
•Instruct and/or provide approval (up to £25m) on individual investments for both internal and external portfolio.
•Provide key inputs to senior members of the team to help design and monitor the investment strategy across both the matching and surplus portfolio.
•Perform research and evaluation of new asset classes, investment managers and funds, and support investment due diligence and operational/ investment risk assessment.
•Be key point of contact for at least one of our external asset managers by developing a strong relationship, providing appropriate feedback and challenge when necessary.
•Lead on maintaining internal databases and producing management information.
•Produce accurate and concise material, including internal papers and investment proposals when relevant.
•Be a point of contact for internal members of the team and external stakeholders (legal, capital, reporting, ALM).
•Help to ensure that Just Group complies with regulatory standards on ESG and climate change
•Further ad hoc tasks that may be required from time to time.
About You
The experience, skills and knowledge we are looking for:
• A first class or upper second class degree in a subject relevant to finance and/or investments.
• Progress towards actuarial qualification or CFA preferred but not essential.
• 2-5 years relevant experience within Financial Services, Asset Management, Insurance Investment or Investment Consulting.
• 2-5 years working knowledge of long only credit manager research and/or asset allocation and portfolio construction. Fundamental investing knowledge, with the ability and interest to develop further, and investment function knowledge of a (life) assurer is desirable, but not essential.
• Understanding and experience in executing research, due diligence and investment evaluation.
• Excellent verbal, written communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present investment matters in a clear and concise manner.
• Excellent team-working skills and capability to maintain relationship within internal stakeholders and develop relationship with external parties.
• Strong results focus, with ability to work efficiently and grasp concepts that are not straightforward; yet seek guidance where necessary.
Company Benefits
• A Competitive Salary, Pension Scheme and Life Assurance
• Along with 25 Days Annual Leave plus an Additional Day on us for your Birthday
• Private Medical Cover and Income Protection, just in case
• A generous and highly achievable bonus scheme – paid annually based on individual and company performance against targets
• Opportunity to progress within your career both in-role and within the company
• FREE access to the Headspace App, a 24/7 Employee Assistance Helpline and Trained Physical & Mental Health First Aiders (On-Site)
• A variety of Employee Funded Benefits available to you via our Online Benefits Portal
• Plus, several additional purchase options available for you and your loved ones
Why Just?
We are committed to building a more sustainable business and have publicly committed to reduce our scope 3 emissions to Net Zero by 2050 and our scope 1 and 2 emissions to Net Zero by 2025. We’ve made good progress so far and encourage our people to make small and meaningful changes in their everyday lives, so that we can protect our planet for future generations.
Diversity, Equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a key priority for Just as part of our overall strategy and ensuring all of our people feel proud to work at Just. We have joined a number of initiatives including the Race at Work Charter, designed to improve outcomes for employees from underrepresented backgrounds. We also run a Reciprocal Mentoring scheme for employees from a BAME background, those with a disability and those who identify as LGBTQ+. There are multiple employee network groups, which champion issues including race, gender, social mobility and neurodiversity.
What’s clear about working at Just is that we care. We care about our customers, our purpose, our environment, inclusivity, wellbeing and most importantly - each other.