Investment Support Analyst Placement 2022

AXA IM has historically appointed middle and back office operations to State Street.

About the role

The Investment Support Team is part of a wider Operations Department who perform various oversight and control functions with State Street, and act as the operational interface with our Front Office (Fund Management Teams who manage the Investment portfolios).

The Investment Support UK Team currently comprises a total of 13 permanent staff members plus VIA / interns providing Investment Support services to the Fund Managers across a CORE platform of investment types including Equities, Fixed Income and Multi Asset Class, interacting with State Street as well as other Third Party providers for middle and back office enquiries.

The Team will also liaise with many other internal AXA IM departments on a regular basis, including Trade Management, Third Party Relationship Management, Operational Risk, Investment Risk, Compliance, Product Engineering, Information Technology.

Part of the wider Investment Support team also have a specific responsibility for our Securities Financing Operational activity, supporting the AXA IM Stock lending and Repo activity.

What you'll do

The main responsibilities of the role : 

• Where appropriate, act as a point of contact for any middle and back office inquiries / issues / exceptions by Fund Managers, State Street and other external Third Parties
• Perform relevant NAV (Net Asset Value) oversight of State Street Fund Accounting
• Ensure the integrity of Front Office Systems through monitoring of specific reconciliations
• Operate controls defined by AXA-IM Global Risk Control Framework (GRCF) and Compliance for Investment Support activity and ensure that rules defined by this risk framework are applied on a daily basis (e.g. forced price systematically validated by Risk team)
• Assist Fund Managers on Investment Support tasks on a daily basis (e.g. cash management by producing cash forecasts…)
• Participate in the creation of and modifications to portfolios, new types of instruments and new operational procedures including liaising with IT and Product Engineering
• Participate in the development and testing of system changes which have an impact on the Operations procedures affecting our portfolios
• Work with Fund Managers and a number of other teams (Dealing Desk, Reporting, Performance, Investment Risk, Client Services…) to ensure involvement in various topics
• Participate in Operations department governance and initiatives

Qualifications

The candidate is likely to be studying a degree in Finance / Economics / Business or similar

However, this should not exclude other candidates if they have a keen interest and knowledge on the Investment Management Industry

Technical skills 

• Strong numerical ability
• Good general computer literacy (e.g. excel)
• Advanced skills (VBA & macro) would be beneficial

Key Competencies 

• Rigorous approach and attention to detail
• Pragmatic, positive, and proactive mindset
• Confident with strong interpersonal skills
• Able to build and maintain strong relationships both internally and externally
• Ability to oversee business processes with a control and risk assessment mindset
• Ability to work independently and as part of a wider team

Languages required

• Fluent in English
• French would be beneficial but is definitely not a requirement

Any skills or experience which are desirable but not necessary

Any financial markets experience would be beneficial

About AXA Would you like to wake up every day driven and inspired by our noble mission and to work together as one global team to empower people to live a better life? Here at AXA we strive to lead the transformation of our industry. We are looking for talented individuals who come from varied backgrounds, think differently and want to be part of this exciting transformation by challenging the status quo so we can push AXA - a leading global brand and one of the most innovative companies in our industry - onto even greater things.

In a fast-evolving world and with a presence in 64 countries, our 166,000 employees and exclusive distributors anticipate change to offer services and solutions tailored to the current and future needs of our 103 million customers.

AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a responsible asset manager, actively investing for the long-term to help its clients, its people and the world to prosper. Our high conviction approach enables us to uncover what we believe to be the best global investment opportunities across alternative and traditional asset classes, managing approximately €866 billion in assets as at the end of June 2021.

AXA IM is a leading investor in green, social and sustainable markets, managing €568 billion of ESG-integrated, sustainable and impact assets as at the end of June 2021.

We are committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across all our assets, and integrating ESG principles into our business, from stock selection to our corporate actions and culture. Our goal is to provide clients with a true value responsible investment solution, while driving meaningful change for society and the environment.

At end of June 2021, AXA IM employs over 2,488 employees around the world, operates out of 26 offices across 20 countries and is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management

What we offer

We are proud to foster a high-performance culture, which means that we seek to recruit and retain people who are not only technically-skilled but also globally-minded, innovative and able to leverage their unique perspectives and life experiences to support our success as a company.

AXA IM is committed to building an inclusive culture, valuing diversity and supporting the career progression of all employees.