Vice President, BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship
Onsite
New York, NY
The BAIS Analyst will be responsible for voting and engagement in relation to a universe of companies, in collaboration with active investors. They will provide support on portfolio company analysis, engagement preparation and follow-up, and reviewing and assessing corporate governance in advance of voting. The intention is for the person in this role to specialize in a subset of the companies in BAIS' engagement universe, along with various aspects of relevant policy, to support the delivery of our annual and long-term objectives. They will report to the Head of BAIS/Deputy Head of BAIS.
Key responsibilities at the Vice President level include:
- Demonstrating expertise in analysis of company performance, corporate governance and material sustainability-related practices.
- Preparing for, participating in, and documenting engagement meetings with portfolio companies, often alongside active investors.
- Learning and applying BAIS engagement priorities, proxy voting policies, and key industry initiatives that have impact on BAIS policies and practices.
- Supporting data gathering, benchmarking and reporting to support voting decisions and policy positions.
- Assisting in the preparation of position papers to facilitate issue discussion with broader BlackRock audiences.
- Collaborating across the team to identify ways to improve policy and business processes.
- Building strong relationships and collaborating with relevant counterparts within the active investment business and selectively contributing to cross-platform initiatives.
The tasks involved in fulfilling these responsibilities include:
- 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.
- Coordinating with active investors in fundamental equity and fixed income on engagement meeting agendas, questions and objectives.
- Participating in industry research groups and thematic initiatives with the active investment teams as appropriate.
- Attending, documenting and leading (as needed) engagement efforts, including recording research notes to be stored and shared with select audiences within BlackRock's active investment business.
- Monitoring policy developments to improve the relevance of BAIS' guidelines.
- Participating in peer benchmarking analysis and modeling to contribute to leading engagement and voting practices.
- Monitoring proxy voting workflow to ensure all accounts are voted as intended and are in accordance with the appropriate guidelines.
- Supporting the development of BAIS position papers and reporting.
- Analyzing companies' shareholder meeting agendas and related materials in order to vote in the manner most consistent with BAIS' corporate governance policies and fiduciary responsibilities.
- Collaborating with client-facing and communications colleagues to ensure client reporting and client presentations meet expectations, and that client queries on corporate governance are responded to promptly and to the client's satisfaction.
- Reviewing the BAIS team's output and working practices to ensure risks are minimized and performance optimized.
Desired qualifications include:
- An undergraduate degree in finance, economics, accounting, political science, history, sustainability or other relevant field.
- A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in a financial services focused role, ideally with a demonstrated strong understanding of financial statements and corporate finance.
- 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 persistent 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.
- Collaborative 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 and other Microsoft products.
#J-18808-Ljbffr