Investment Analyst recruitment
Founded in 1872, Zurich is one of the world's largest insurance groups, and one of the few to operate on a truly global basis - with over 60,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries. Zurich offers a wide range of general and life insurance products and services for individuals, small businesses, mid-sized and large companies and multinational corporations. Zurich has strong positions in North America and Europe, and growing positions in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America. We have the following position available:
Investment Analyst
Zurich Global Investment Management
Investment Management Overview:
Insurance companies generally recognize the importance of separating the responsibilities for managing their insurance businesses from managing the investments backing their reserves and capital. Due to the scale of investments in an insurance company's balance sheet and the impact of investment results on its profitability, the management of these investments is a key function in an insurance company that can create significant value for the company's policyholders and shareholders. To accomplish this value creation, Investment Management at Zurich uses a systematic and structured investment process focusing on the value drivers that matter most.
Investment Management is Zurich's center of competence for investments. Its mission is to achieve superior risk-adjusted returns relative to liabilities. Investment Management's aspiration is to be the best global insurance investment manager as measured by our customers, our shareholders and our people. Zurich Global Investment Management (ZGIM) is the US-based Strategy Implementation team responsible for overseeing investments in the Americas.
Summary:
As an Investment Analyst with Zurich Global Investment Management you will part of a team with responsibility for the implementation of centrally driven investment strategies in Zurich's insurance balance sheets in Latin America. You will focus on achieving superior returns through efficient execution, good management of risks and optimal construction of Zurich's insurance investment portfolios. Balance sheets include those of wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries and branches, as well as joint venture businesses, including Zurich-Santander.
As a member of the ZGIM team, you will work with Regional Investment Manager - Latin America, and other Central Team members in Strategy Implementation, Investment Strategy Analysis, Markets, Alternative Investments, and Finance Operations, and business division actuarial and other professional colleagues to provide a reliable, accurate foundation for decision making in collaboration with senior management at the local Business Units.
Key Tasks and Accountabilities:
1. Work with ZGIM Americas, Investment Strategy Analysis (ISA), and Business Unit colleagues to ensure data integrity for asset benchmarks, liability cash flow projections, etc. feeding ISA systems (GIDW, ALMR, PAMS, PLUTO, SATURN).
2. Using existing ISA systems, supplemented by spreadsheet analysis where necessary, summarize asset-liability performance by portfolio mandate and business division. This requires comparison of actual asset vs. SAA returns (PAMS), SAA returns vs. projected liability cash flows, and actual vs. projected liability cash flows.
3. Maintain investment guidelines. Coordinate annual reviews and monitor investment manager guidelines. Ensure that they comply with Group guidelines and Zurich Risk Policy. Recommend investment guideline language to address emerging issues.
4. Support ad-hoc analysis of investment opportunities, investment manager selection, business division actions (e.g., strategic actions, financial management activities, product changes), and potential new portfolio mandates, analyzing risk and return trade-offs and impact on accounting results, regulatory capital requirements, and liquidity needs.
5. Support asset impairment process by identifying candidate investments for analysis, coordinating analysis with asset managers, and preparing reporting materials for BU and accounting consideration.
6. Support the oversight and production of accurate and timely investment reports covering portfolio performance and characteristics, top exposures, credit and structured watch lists and quarterly presentations to BUs. Provide ad hoc reporting and data management to support business division and Strategy Implementation analysis and projects.
7. Support business units in investment income and expense planning process and explanation of actual investment income and expense variances from plan.
8. Support local ALM/Investment Committees and help ensure that centrally driven decisions are implemented in a timely manner and documented properly.
9. Contribute to projects (such as MA) requiring investment related input.
Qualifications/Experience:
Zero to three years full-time experience in institutional asset management, investment accounting, financial planning, actuarial or similar field. Two or more years a plus. If applying with zero years of full-time experience, candidates with undergraduate majors or concentrations in insurance or risk-management and / or internships in the industry will be preferred.
Qualifications:
- A four-year university degree, preferably in a business-related discipline (finance, accounting) or international affairs with significant coursework (or minor) in business subjects.
- Some progress toward the CFA designation a plus, but not required. Candidate should be prepared to enroll in the CFA program.
- Fluency in both Spanish and English strongly preferred.
Experience:
- Asset management company or investment department of an insurance company reporting to a portfolio manager, financial analyst, economist, investment strategist, or risk manager.
- Financial institutions (such as banks) as financial analyst, financial engineer, structurer, trader, risk manager.
- Consultant in a consulting firm in the areas of investments, insurance, risk management, financial analytics.
- Experience in Latin America financial markets, ideally in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina.
We provide a world-class, forward thinking team environment. For immediate consideration and a description and qualifications of the position, visit the Career Center at www.zurichna.com and search for the Position ID #26005.
EEO/AA Employer, in North America, Zurich supports a diverse workforce.