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Your future. Re-imagined.
When imagining a role in the investment industry, you may picture a traditional financial position filled with
mathematical analysis and number-crunching. But instead, let’s imagine something different. Imagine a role where your creativity is held in higher esteem than your numeracy skills. A position where your curiosity is currency and where your potential is key.
At Baillie Gifford our work is a million miles from that stereotype of investors who constantly track markets looking for short-term gains. Instead, our focus is on developing a deep understanding of the underlying drivers behind potential investments. That means questioning everything that happens around us, and anticipating the consequences of local, regional and global events. In other words, we try to foresee what the future holds.
Based in the heart of Edinburgh, Baillie Gifford provides investment management services for a wide range of clients globally. We have over 1,400 employees and in excess of £352 billion funds under management. And whilst we’ve been around for more than a century, we’re a firm that’s always looking forward.
The Role
Curious about the world.
As an Investment Research Trainee, your role will be largely research based. As you progress, you’ll become more self-directed, and we’ll encourage you to pursue your own ideas and creative thinking. We want you to question what’s in front of you and develop your own viewpoint. Working alongside people who have generated world-class investment returns, you’ll have support through structured learning, professional qualifications, and dedicated mentors.
During the programme, you’ll rotate through a series of year-long placements in autonomous investment teams. Each team has its own distinct approach and investment philosophy, but all have the same purpose – to drive positive returns for our clients. Whether those are councils, pension funds or governments, we’re dedicated to helping them meet their income and savings goals.
Within the Investment Research Programme there are two distinct career paths – the Equities Stream or the Multi Asset & Income (MA&I) Stream. Both opportunities offer permanent, long-term roles from the moment you join us. Whichever stream you choose, in your first year of the programme, you’ll work towards the IMC (Investment Management Certificate) followed by the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1 professional qualification. We’ll give you our full support, covering all fees and materials, as well as providing experienced tutors and generous study leave.
There’s also the chance to travel both within the UK and internationally to attend conferences, visit companies and speak to global experts, and these opportunities will continue throughout the Investment Research Programme and beyond.
What you'll Need
Intellectual challenge.
At Baillie Gifford, we’re just as likely to hire a musician, a doctor, or a politics graduate, as we are a mathematician. In fact, your degree can be in any discipline, as we expect you to be interested in a wide range of subjects, even those you know little about. You must be open to new ideas and have the humility to know how much you don’t know. It’s also important to think for yourself. You’ll need to be able to spot trends and opportunities that others might miss and distinguish the short-term noise from what really matters. This means pursuing your ideas with conviction and being imaginative about where you find your sources of information and inspiration.
Lastly, you’ll need to have the ability to cope with uncertainty, as it may be many years before you know whether your investment decisions are right. You know that things can go wrong, but that’s okay. At Baillie Gifford, we learn from our mistakes and support each other to reach our potential.
A competitive salary + benefits package including £3,000 sign on bonus, 15% employer contributory pension, discretionary annual bonus, and 34 days’ holiday.
