Associate

About the Role

The BlackRock Investment Institute (BII) produces proprietary research to provide insights on the global economy, markets, geopolitics, and long-term asset allocation. This research crafts portfolio building blocks core to BlackRock’s mission to build a better financial future for its clients. The candidate will be responsible for conducting research across asset classes and portfolio construction, including building and maintaining industry-leading Capital Market Assumptions. This role spans research domains, encompassing the integration of public and private markets, the development of advanced projection frameworks, and the use of AI-enabled tools to enhance research workflows.

Key Responsibilities

Core portfolio research

• Generating industry-leading, climate-aware Capital Market Assumptions, including the development of new quantitative models to project asset returns.
• Building the next-generation macroeconomic and asset pricing stochastic simulation framework.
• Designing improved asset allocation processes with analytics that enhance portfolio construction.
• Participating in global client engagement and contributing to internal and external stakeholder communications.

Private markets research

• Developing and enhancing private markets capital market assumptions across asset classes such as private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, and other alternative assets.
• Building analytical frameworks to compare public and private market opportunities on a consistent basis.
• Developing, applying, and analyzing quantitative models for private markets, portfolio optimization, and whole-portfolio construction.

AI-enabled research transformation

• Translating proprietary research IP, models, and analytical processes into AI-enabled workflows, tools, and decision-support systems.
• Reimagining research workflows to redesign how portfolio research is generated, updated, governed, scaled, and delivered.
• Designing, prototyping, and deploying AI-powered tools, copilots, and agentic systems to support capital market assumptions, strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction, stochastic simulation, private markets research, and client-facing investment insights.
• Applying AI and data-driven tools to improve the scalability and consistency of private markets research.
• Building human-in-the-loop AI research workflows that combine data, models, retrieval systems, analytical code, and narrative generation into governed, repeatable processes.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Demonstrably quantitative and creative mind.
• Degree in a quantitative field, such as economics, finance, engineering, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a related discipline.
• Hands-on experience with GenAI tools, large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, prompt orchestration, agentic workflows, evaluation frameworks, and workflow automation.
• Practical understanding of software development principles, including modular design, version control, testing, documentation, deployment, and maintainability.
• Strong understanding of the use of computer technology in financial and economic research.
• Strong programming skills, for example in Python, R, or related statistical packages.
• Strong statistical modelling and data analysis skills, with experience applying quantitative techniques to financial markets, asset pricing, portfolio construction, or private markets research.
• Strong communication skills and ability to distill research for broad consumption.
• Open-minded thought process and intellectual curiosity.
• Intuition for, and a passion for, financial markets, with experience in the finance sector or a strong interest in investment research.
• Familiarity with private markets, alternative assets, or illiquid asset classes.
• Motivated team player, flexible in approach, and able to work independently.
• Responsive with keen attention to detail.