JUNIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:
William Blair is a global investment banking and asset management firm. We are committed to building enduring relationships with our clients and providing expertise and solutions to meet their evolving needs. An independent and employee-owned firm, William Blair is based in Chicago and, together with its strategic partners, operates worldwide.

ABOUT THE TEAM:
William Blair’s sell-side equity research team is responsible for delivering superior investment ideas and value-added perspective for over 600 quality growth companies. Through exhaustive fundamental research and unique insight derived from independent thinking, the team’s award-winning analysts work tirelessly to identify companies that can deliver superior investment returns for clients. Acting as the company’s laboratory for new investment ideas, it specializes in providing investment analysis on companies in the following industry sectors: consumer; financial services and technology; global industrial infrastructure; global services; healthcare; and technology, media, and communications.

JOB SUMMARY & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Assist analysts and associates researching assigned industries with an emphasis on report analysis and production.

Perform information gathering, financial analysis, and model creation; create charts/graphs/tables and appendices; provide preliminary observations and analyses; and coordinate overall report production.

Attend trade shows, conduct and analyze surveys, monitor and report on competitive pricing, etc. Make field trips, prepare records and files to develop and maintain sources of information to assist in analysis activities.

Maintain databases for the department by formatting and submitting research information, estimates, and ratings.

Investigate and answer inquiries from customers, personnel of the firm, and the general public regarding individual securities or industry groups.

Participate in other projects as requested by management.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree required; accounting, business, or economics emphasis preferred.

Internship or prior work experience in financial services industry preferred.

Proven track record in university studies required.

Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 must be obtained in first 6 months.

High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Delivers clear, effective communication and takes responsibility for understanding others.

Able to adapt to new tasks with little notice.

Able to exercise independent judgment.

Commits to satisfying internal and external customers.

General understanding of accounting and finance.

Proven ability to work in a team environment.