Portfolio Analyst

Challenge your thinking and build an amazing career with the best people in the financial services industry! Baird’s Financial Advisors provide advice, strategies, and solutions to high-net worth individuals and families across the United States, serving as true partners. True wealth management goes beyond managing investments. At Baird, we understand it begins with learning all we can about what our clients want for themselves and their families. We work closely with them to prioritize their goals, utilizing Baird’s resources and expertise to create a tailored plan to ensure success as they’ve defined it. Our 1,700+ private wealth associates serve clients coast-to-coast from 160 + locations in over 33 states. We have been recognized on Barron’s Top Wealth Management Firms for 10 consecutive years and hold over $200 billion in client assets. 

We are seeking an experienced financial analyst for our Asset Manager Research team, which is responsible for overseeing Baird’s recommendations of third-party investment managers (e.g., mutual funds and separate account managers). This growing team oversees $10+ billion in client assets, including 150+ recommended investment options and 30+ discretionary model portfolios, and provides investment advice (e.g., portfolio structuring, etc.) to Baird Financial Advisors developing their retail and institutional client business.   This self-starter will have multiple responsibilities within the team, including selecting and monitoring third party asset/investment managers, evaluating portfolio performance, supporting investment proposal development when needed, and analyzing potential new investment products.
 

As a Portfolio Analyst, you will:

• Perform the initial due diligence and recommendation of third party asset managers, including the qualitative review of the manager’s investment management process and the quantitative analysis of performance, asset allocation, and style consistency. The due diligence process includes on-site visits of managers, many of whom are located outside of Milwaukee.
• Responsible for the ongoing analysis of asset managers, including the monitoring of a standardized scoring model, performance attribution analysis and qualitative assessment of investment team and process on a quarterly basis to ensure that a negative trend is not developing, and recommending manager removal when necessary.
• Effectively utilize the department's multiple software programs (Morningstar, FactSet, Bloomberg) to accurately analyze the performance and style of managers and mutual funds.
• Research asset classes including domestic and international equity, domestic and international fixed income, satellite diversifiers such as real assets, and alternative investments for potential use in discretionary models and client portfolios.
• Participate in other duties/projects as assigned, such as analyzing retail and institutional client portfolios, writing white papers, et cetera.

What we look for:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or other related field. Minimum of five years of investment industry experience; prior experience in investment consulting field preferred. MBA with finance concentration and/or CFA charter holder candidate preferred.
• Strong mathematical, statistical and computational abilities; experience with investment performance measurement and investment manager evaluation.
• Adept with spreadsheets, databases, presentation and word processing applications.
• Exceptional oral and written communications skills; ability to communicate with all levels of management; strong presentation skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks; ability to work under strict deadlines and pressure situations. Demonstrated time management skills.
• Strong initiative and work ethic, and an ability to work well both within a team and on a self-directed basis.

Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

Baird is committed to inclusion & diversity for our clients, our associates and the communities where we live and work. This commitment stems from our culture of integrity, genuine concern for others and respect for the individual. We view inclusion & diversity as an ongoing journey – one of shared responsibility, continuous improvement and a focus on progress. We invite you to join us as we work together to foster an environment where diversity unites rather than divides us.