Investment Insight Unit Graduate Programme London 2024

We're looking for keen and motivated graduates to join our Investment Insights Unit (IIU) within our wider Investment division on our 2024 Graduate Programme.

About Schroders

Schroders is a global investment manager which helps institutions, intermediaries and individuals around the world invest money to meet their goals, fulfil their aspirations, and prepare for the future.

Our purpose is to provide excellent investment performance to our clients through active management. By serving clients, we serve wider society. Channelling capital into sustainable and durable businesses accelerates positive change in the world. Funding the future is a privilege: we use it wisely and responsibly.

We employ over 5700 talented people worldwide operating in 37 different locations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, close to the markets in which we invest and close to our clients.

Schroders has developed under stable ownership for over 200 years and long-term thinking governs our approach to investing, building client relationships and growing our business.

The base

We're based in the City of London - close to our clients, in the heart of the UK's financial centre and have everything we need to work flexibly.

The department

The Investment Insights Unit (IIU)'s mission is to bring scientific rigour to investment decisions at Schroders. In essence we do this by:

• Making available new data sources,
• Unlocking the value in data by providing a research service, answering business questions by reviewing these datasets,
• Scaling the value in data by building Insight Products: generalising those findings or anticipating those questions by alerting people to relevant changes before they know to ask.

Through all these we use specialist Data Science tools and techniques: Big Data technologies, Intelligence Augmentation and Artificial Intelligence techniques, and insights from the world of Behavioural Science.

The quantity of information available for investment research purposes is increasing at such a rate that traditional industry practices and skillsets are unable to absorb and process it. Global trends in digitalisation, social media, open data and technology are all creating vast streams of alternative data that are often highly unstructured and obscure. However, they contain valuable and often rare insights. The IIU aims to find these new and potentially unorthodox datasets, extract the rich, hidden information they contain and use their expertise to improve traditional fundamental research.

The IIU consciously adopts a strengths-based style of management and personal development. We strive to understand people's motivations and strengths and position their roles to play to these. This applies to their immediate role and as part of their ongoing career development into future roles.

The programme

As a Graduate within the IIU you will learn at the feet of our team's expertise in statistics, software development, data visualisation, investment and other related skillsets. You will work in code, to review data, to provide decision support for your internal customers. You will think deeply and empathetically about what these customers need, and you will engage with them to update this understanding, ensuring your results are not just correct but also useful, understood and acted upon.

Your internal customers will primarily be the firm's analysts and fund managers, who will need your support in deciding how to invest Schroder's client's money wisely. These customers will provide you with a rich qualitative understanding of the market, its dynamics, and the properties of the particular companies within it. You will provide them with quantitative answers to discrete theses about these markets and companies, helping to assess the probabilities and impacts of future scenarios. As you come to understand their needs better you will start to pre-empt them, building pipelines and dashboards that automate the process of answering their questions, expanding the volume of decisions your work influences.

The knowledge, skills and qualifications we're looking for

• An honours degree or equivalent – from a wide range of relevant subject areas; i.e. those from those more traditionally associated with STEM, like Math and Physics, to those which use quantitative techniques such as Anthropology, Psychology and Political Science. If your degree includes data analysis and critical thinking, we'd like to hear from you
• A specific specialisation in data science is not required, however passion for the subject and introductory knowledge of both programming and statistics is required
• You will be in your final year of study or already graduated
• Exposure to programming, preferably in R, Python and/or SQL
• Statistical skills, including at least multivariate linear regression

Why join us?

• Gain the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) in your first few weeks. The IMC benchmark entry-level qualification into the UK investment profession
• Gain the CFA Level 1 professional qualification in the first year of programme with opportunities to study level 2 or alternative qualifications in year two
• Benefit from a series of immersive and engaging training sessions equipping you with the skills you need to adapt to the world of work, hit the ground running and make an impact – training covers industry knowledge, technical and soft skills training
• Attend “Lunch and Learns/ “Coffee Hours” led by senior people across the business – your chance to build contacts in the industry and grow your professional network
• Access to a buddy – we'll match you with a graduate buddy where you'll be supported during the first few weeks of your internship, helping you to integrate into the team and the business
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme – providing you with access to 24 hour confidential telephone counselling and a comprehensive online source of information on a range of issues, including Mental Health
• Free use of private GP Service
• On-site staff restaurant
• Free use of on-site gym

Recruitment process

1. Online application form and CV
2. Online assessments
3. Online video interview
4. Assessment centre
5. Final round interview with a senior member of the business

Candidates should be available to start the graduate programme on 12 September 2024.