About this role

Function Description

The BlackRock Investment Stewardship team (BIS) operates across three regions – the Americas (New York, Washington DC, Wilmington and San Francisco); Europe, Middle East and Africa (London); and Asia-Pacific (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney) – and undertakes engagement with and proxy voting at portfolio companies on behalf of index clients globally.

As a team of high performing specialists globally, BIS is proud of our global reach and local presence.

Team Overview

Investment stewardship is one way BlackRock fulfills our fiduciary responsibilities as an asset manager to our clients. BlackRock Investment Stewardship serves as a link between our clients and the companies they invest in. We take a long-term approach to stewardship, focused on engaging with company boards and executive leadership to understand the drivers of risk and financial value creation in companies’ business models. Our sole focus when we engage with companies or vote at shareholder meetings is to advance our clients’ financial interests. As part of our fiduciary duty to our clients, we consider it one of our responsibilities to promote sound corporate governance as an informed, engaged shareholder on their behalf.

Role Overview

The BIS Investment Stewardship Professional will assist the lead analyst covering companies in Financial Services and/or Real Estate (REITs) sectors. They will provide support on portfolio company analysis, engagement, and voting. The intention is for the person in this role to ultimately specialize in a subset of the companies in the given sector, along with various aspects of relevant policy, to support the delivery of our annual and long-term objectives. They will work alongside the lead sector analyst for that industry and report to the Deputy Head of the Stewardship team in the Americas.

Key responsibilities:

• Demonstrate sector expertise across financial services (banking, insurance, capital markets, consumer finance, diversified financials) and real estate (REITs), including pertaining to corporate governance, material market trends, regulatory developments, and sustainability practices

• Learn and apply BIS engagement priorities and proxy voting guidelines in order to apply consistent judgment in engagement and voting

• Partner with lead sector analyst(s) to execute engagement and voting responsibilities to further the long-term financial interests of our clients

• Prepare for, assist (and in time lead), and document engagement meetings with portfolio companies

• Conduct data gathering, benchmarking, and reporting to inform voting decisions, policy positions, and position papers that facilitate discussion with broader BlackRock audiences

• Collaborate across the team to improve policy, enhance team knowledge, and streamline business processes

• Represent BlackRock with the professionalism and gravitas required when engaging senior leadership of portfolio companies

The tasks involved in fulfilling these responsibilities include:

• Monitoring policy developments relevant to covered industries and governance ecosystem to improve the quality of engagement and relevance of BlackRock's principles and guidelines

• Preparing for engagement with senior representatives of portfolio companies, including crafting memos in preparation for meetings- highlighting key data that will be useful in our engagement and stewardship efforts

• Communicating clearly, concisely and with keen attention to factual detail and regulatory and policy-based context

• Attending, documenting and leading (as needed) engagement efforts, including recording research notes to be stored and shared with select audiences across BlackRock

• Analyzing companies' shareholder meeting agendas and related materials in order to vote in the manner most consistent with BlackRock's corporate governance policies and fiduciary responsibilities

• Monitoring of proxy voting workflow to ensure all accounts are voted as intended and are in accordance with the appropriate guidelines

• Supporting the development of BIS position papers and reporting including collaborating with client-facing, data and analytics, and communications colleagues to ensure internal and external collateral is accurate and robust and accurately represents BIS’ insights and reflections

• Maintaining continuous learning and sector oversight to ensure risks are minimized and performance optimized

Qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree in finance, economics, accounting, or other relevant fields

• A minimum of 2-4 years of experience in a financial services focused role, ideally with a demonstrated strong understanding of financial statements, corporate finance, and capital markets

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information and convey it in a clear and concise manner to senior-level audiences

• A diligent, focused, and consistent work ethic to implement while leading multiple tasks and changing priorities

• The ability to prioritize, analyze, and resolve complex issues under time pressure while maintaining consistent attention to detail

• An organized, self-reliant, and self-motivated approach to responsibilities

• A keen interest in corporate governance and material, sustainable business practices, ideally in relation to the financial services and/or real estate sectors

• Collaborative and non-competitive working style, and strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to build and maintain successful relationships with colleagues across the firm and with external parties

• Proficiency using Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and other Microsoft products

• AI & LLM literacy and fluency in crafting effective prompts preferred

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

Guidance on AI use for candidates

At BlackRock, AI has long been part of how we work – enhancing decision-making, improving operations, and helping us deliver better outcomes for clients. We encourage candidates to use AI thoughtfully to learn, prepare, and work more effectively; but during our interview process, we want to focus on getting to know you through your own experiences, thinking, and judgment. To support you, we’ve provided  on when and how to use AI during our hiring process so you can approach each step with confidence and showcase your best self.