EMEA Retail Investment Writer – VP recruitment
EMEA Retail Investment Writer - VP
BlackRock is one of the world’s preeminent asset management firms and a premier provider of global investment management, risk management and advisory services to institutional, intermediary and individual investors around the world. BlackRock offers a range of solutions — from rigorous fundamental and quantitative active management approaches aimed at maximizing outperformance to highly efficient indexing strategies designed to gain broad exposure to the world’s capital markets. Our clients can access our investment solutions through a variety of product structures, including individual and institutional separate accounts, mutual funds and other pooled investment vehicles, and the industry-leading iShares® ETFs.
The EMEA Retail Business works in partnership with clients across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), including Retail and private banks, insurance companies, financial adviser networks and distribution platforms. The EMEA Retail Business is supported by distribution offices in 13 countries. The product range includes open-ended funds, closed-ended funds and alternative investments. The flagship Luxembourg-domiciled BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) is distributed across 36 countries globally and includes a broad range of equity, fixed income, balanced and cash funds.
Background to the role: The EMEA Retail Marketing team at BlackRock sets the marketing strategy and delivers client-centred marketing solutions for the Retail business. The team works closely with relationship managers across EMEA. The team is responsible for the BlackRock brand messaging in the region as well delivering marketing campaigns and communications for BlackRock’s UK and Luxembourg product ranges. The overall goals are to support the sales team efforts and achieve brand and market leadership in key asset classes. The role is an integral part of BlackRock EMEA Retail Marketing team. The roleholder will be the lead investment writer in the Retail Investment Communications Team. There are three key elements to the role:
Writing: Support the sales and marketing efforts and be an ambassador for BlackRock through the production of written material to include thought leadership pieces, bylined press articles, marketing copy, fund updates, timely market updates and regulatory reports. The role will also include editing and providing feedback on the work of others.
Liaise closely with EMEA Retail marketing and other investment writing teams to ensure a close alignment of goals, efficient allocation of work and seamless brand messaging to clients.
Manage the work streams of the Investment Communications team, delegate work to team members and provide them with supervision and guidance as necessary. This relates not only to written to content but also to multi-media including conference calls, webinars and videos. Role description: This role is based in London. Key responsibilities:
Investment Writing
- To take primary responsibility within the EMEA Retail marketing team for initiating and delivering thought leadership written content. This will include responding quickly to market events with content that sales can send to clients, creating longer thought leadership pieces based on conferences and interviews with investment professionals, directing and contributing to the content in Strategic Solutions (the Retail client magazine) and managing the relationship with the PR team.
- Working with the marketing team to provide content for campaigns and other materials to support the brand.
- Contribute to regulatory reports to support Retail products.
Team and Work Stream Management
- To participate in managing the life cycle of EMEA Retail’s flagship magazine from idea generation and taking the final decisions on content to the allocation of articles to authors, editing and guiding those authors, contributing your own articles, proof reading and providing final content signoff before printing.
- Manage the team’s relationship with the PR team, including the schedule of by-lined articles to be produced by the Investment Communications Team, writing articles yourself and delegating to other members of the team as necessary.
- Supervise the workload of the other members of the team and provide feedback and guidance.
- Represent the Investment Communications team in meetings with all other areas of BlackRock.
Marketing and Sales The role will involve working closely with the EMEA Retail Marketing and Sales Channels to provide support and content to assist in the priorities of sales and marketing. Build strong working relationships with portfolio managers and product specialists.Act as a conduit of investment knowledge and ideas for Retail marketing.
Skills Qualifications:
- Excellent writing skills and the ability to write for a variety of different audiences and outlets.
- Strong ability to prioritise, make quick decisions and produce highly accurate work under time pressure.
- The ability to engage with investment and product professionals from a broad range of investment areas.
- Collaborative style in order to work with colleagues across the firm to produce content, including compliance, in-house design teams, sales and marketing.
- Effectiveness in managing the workload of the team as a whole, strong editing skills and the ability to steer the team and provide guidance.
- Good understanding of financial markets and the willingness to learn in detail about the different products that EMEA Retail offers to clients.
Development opportunity/Key selling points:
- To be part of a growing, dynamic business
- Opportunity to make a real difference by contributing to the implementation of the EMEA Retail marketing strategy
- Opportunity to work in a fast-paced and creative team environment
- Extensive global marketing network which will provide the opportunities for further career progression and involvement in EMEA/Global marketing initiatives.
- Excellent exposure to the wider BlackRock business, including face to face interaction with the portfolio teams and senior management.