Investment Analyst

About Us:

We are Smart: a global savings and investments technology provider on a mission to transform retirement, savings, and financial well-being around the world. We partner with financial institutions and advisers to deliver user-centered retirement savings and income solutions that are digital, customized, and cost-efficient.

Smart, founded in the UK, operates in the USA, Europe, Australia and the Middle East with close to a million savers entrusting over $3 billion in assets on the platform. Smart supports its clients with a 800 strong global team and saw over 2,000% growth in assets on its platform since 2018.

Through its US subsidiary, Smart acquired ProManage in May 2023. ProManage is a US-based managed account provider that offers
personalized retirement services to plan sponsors and their participants. Its associates have, on average, approximately 20 years of experience in the investment, legal and employee benefits design areas. ProManage is the creator of BeFine ™, a financial wellness app that gives employees a holistic view of their benefits, retirement readiness and financial accounts in one place, as well as their retirement solutions the ProManage PROgramTM and Vision. Headquartered in Chicago, ProManage is a federally registered investment adviser, which has been in business since 1998 (first as Strategic Financial Concepts, Inc., then ProManage, Inc. and ProManage, LLC). 

Quick Facts:

Location: This position is based in Chicago, IL. The job requires four days in the office initially and hybrid days can be coordinated with manager.

Business Hours: Typical business hours are M-F, 9am - 5pm (CST, can vary by location).  This position may require extended hours to meet business needs.  

Employment Type: Full Time

Reporting To: Chief Investment Officer 

The Role:

ProManage is looking to recruit a Investment Analyst as a key member of the Investment Team. Primary focus is on research, qualitative and quantitative data analytics and reporting activities across investment manager and general market research.  The analyst will manage, compile, analyze, synthesize, and model large amounts of complex data.  Together with the ProManage team, the Investment Analyst will identify relevant themes, and derive insights that answer the needs of internal and external stakeholders. 

The analyst will support a broad range of scheduled and ad hoc activities that require strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through combined with excellent analytical, mathematical, and communication skills to effectively engage across various audiences. They will be highly proficient in answering multiple requests simultaneously, prioritizing workload and managing competing deadlines while proactively communicating status updates.  The analyst will participate in selected internal and external meetings and use data driven insights on key trends, issues, and changes potentially impacting our clients and internal teams. They will actively support the investment team on client related presentations, status updates, and performance reviews. 

This individual will proactively identify opportunities to improve research, data analytics and reporting of the firm through standardization, automation, and other similar levers to drive effectiveness. They will have strong awareness of emerging technologies and leading practices in this space and will proactively educate the organization on potential impacts to the business. 

As ProManage grows in its mission, each team member will grow in their ability to achieve professional and financial success.

What You’ll Do:

• Performs data analytics, delivers reporting and visualization, and extrapolates relevant insights to understand trends and patterns impacting our clients and the business
• Prepares and collects data for manager research across both current funds as well as potential new managers
• Submits quarterly questionnaires across all ProManage funds, analyzes responses, confirms consistency with our data provider, and drives remediation with fund managers 
• Work with outside vendors to efficiently utilize the web-based investment information tool to provide client fiduciaries useful and relevant documentation 
• Leads the RFI process to evaluate vested manager performance against ProManage standards. Submits questions, analyzes responses and derives relevant insights 
• Supports investment team during fund replacement activities. Utilizes investment database to analyze data, identify new funds and provides data driven insights to support decision making 
• Tracks fund performance over time inclusive of returns, standard deviations, Sharpe ratios and other measures. Compares to benchmarks, identifies gaps, and provides recommendations
• Supports quarterly reporting for each client while illustrating fund performance, portfolio structure, fee structure elements and other information and builds presentation materials
• Facilitates annual allocation reporting for each client.  Provides updates on allocation status, rationale on changes and articulates linkage to investment themes in partnership with the CIO
• Monitors historical and current data across all ProManage funds, derives insights and supports internal and external requests for information
• Develops and implements mechanisms to ensure accuracy of fund allocation information, minimizes data inconsistencies and drives issue resolutions to minimize adverse impact
• Deploys quality control activities on allocation transactions, confirms accuracy, and engages with investment team and external stakeholders to validate as necessary
• Demonstrates awareness of emerging technologies, leading practices, academic advancements and general trends in data analytics 
• Ensures timely completion of required compliance approvals and maintains adherence with all applicable laws and regulations on data security
• Establishes priorities, pursues critical path, and balances competing deadlines
• Evaluates, identifies, and acts on inaccuracies, utilizes systems-based approaches to resolve recurring issues, and instills confidence through consistency and predictability 
• Successfully balances organizational objectives with individual needs while building trust and enlisting support from others

What You’ll Need:

• Minimum of 1 to 3 years of experience in an investment or financial analyst position
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics or related field required
• CFA charter holder candidate preferred
• Must be comfortable taking on unfamiliar tasks with an ability to quickly ramp up, identify priorities, take action with limited information and capture lessons learned
• Displays personal commitment to continuous improvement both professionally and personally. Utilizes internal and external resources to expand skills and capabilities
•  Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).  Become quickly familiar with and adept at utilizing the investment tools used by ProManage, as well as ability to analyze, interpret, and present data to various internal and external constituencies
• Excellent analytical, mathematical, verbal, and communication skills
• Proficiency in Python a plus

What's in it for You:

• A chance to work for a great mission with great people in a great culture.
• Healthcare Insurance, including Medical, Dental and Vision
• Commuting expense reimbursement
• Home internet reimbursement  
• 401(k) with company match 
• 15 Vacation Days Prorated based on Hire Date
• 11 NYSE Holidays
  
• 10 Days Paid Sick Time
• 2 Floating Holidays
• Accident Insurance
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Employer-Paid Life Insurance
  
• Paid Parental Leave, after 1 year of service 
  

Mental and Physical Requirements:

The person in this position:

• May need to remain stationary for long periods of time
• May need to occasionally move about
• May need to lift, push, pull, carry, move, or otherwise move objects weighing up to 25 pounds
• Will need to operate a computer and/or other electronic devices, such as a phone, calculator, copy machine, or computer printer (possibly for extended periods of time)
• Will need to communicate with others and must be able to exchange accurate information
• Must be able to absorb, analyze, and retain information

If you need help applying, please contact HR@smartretire.com for assistance. Smart is an equal opportunity employer valuing diversity in people and ideas. Apply today!

Salary : $65,000 - $75,000