Associate, Chief of Staff

About this role

Aladdin Financial Engineering – Chief of Staff

BlackRock is one of the world’s preeminent asset management firms and a premier provider of global investment management, risk management and advisory services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors around the world. BlackRock’s mission is to create a better financial future for our clients. We have a responsibility to be the voice of the investor, and we represent each client fairly and equally. Constant communication with a diverse team of partners strengthens us and delivers better results for our clients. Continuous innovation helps us bring the best of BlackRock to our clients. BlackRock offers a range of solutions — from rigorous fundamental and quantitative active management approaches aimed at maximizing outperformance, to highly efficient indexing strategies designed to gain broad exposure to the world’s capital markets. Our clients can access our investment solutions through a variety of product structures, including individual and institutional separate accounts, mutual funds and other pooled investment vehicles, and the industry-leading iShares® ETFs.

Business Unit Overview:

Join a diverse and collaborative team of over 400 modelers and technologists in Aladdin Financial Engineering (AFE), the business responsible for the research and development of Aladdin’s financial models. This group is also accountable for analytics production, enhancing the infrastructure platform, and delivering analytics content to portfolio and risk management professionals (both within BlackRock and across the Aladdin client community). The models developed and supported by AFE span a wide array of financial products covering equities, fixed income, commodities, derivatives, and private markets. AFE provides investment insights that range from an analysis of cash flows on a single bond, to the overall financial risk associated with an entire portfolio, balance sheet, or enterprise.

We seek a driven Chief of Staff to take ownership of day-to-day business operations, manage recruiting and on-boarding programs, and work with the Head of AFE and the AFE COO to execute on the group’s administrative requirements. Operating at the intersection of models, technology, data, and clients, this individual will ensure AFE continues to deliver the mission-critical analytics that differentiate BlackRock’s investment businesses and underpin Aladdin’s value proposition.

Strong candidates will bring an ability to navigate firm systems to manage and execute the business needs of AFE. You will take accountability and ownership of every aspect of AFE’s on-going operations, including operating budgets and talent management. You will also work with the COO, head of group, and senior stakeholders on managing strategic projects, which may include the evolution of AFE’s research platform, developing quant learning and development training, and supporting content development for large group events. Success in this role will require managing AFE’s budget, developing an end-to-end understanding of the Aladdin ecosystem, and ensuring researchers, modelers and financial engineers are empowered to deliver on their objectives to meet both internal and external client obligations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maximize AFE’s operating efficiency, facilitate business growth, and drive the execution of management projects.
• Coordinate on-going group operations, budgeting, and business planning together with AFE’s COO and the Aladdin and Aladdin Engineering COO teams.
• Work across AFE leadership to drive alignment both internally and with partners’ businesses.
• Work with AFE’s COO and the Aladdin Engineering COO team, as well as communications and marketing partners to bring AFE into the firms’ Tech Ecosystem and build AFE’s brand narrative via external communications.
• Work closely with the Head of AFE and the unit’s COO to track and monitor KPIs, ensuring the execution of business strategy, key projects, and new/transformative initiatives.
• Lead and help evolve AFE’s talent and culture initiatives including recruiting and on-boarding of full-time, intern, and supplier employees.

Minimum Experience & Desired Skills:

• 2+ years of business experience.
• Proven success in orchestrating cross functional projects (preferably of a technical nature).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate up and down the organization, and explain complex issues in simple, easy-to-understand ways.
• Proficiency working with both technical experts as well as business leaders and clients.
• Strong organizational, networking, problem-solving, and planning skills.
• Meticulous attention to detail and ability to work independently under time pressure.