Associate, Quantitative Research

About this role

Team Overview

BlackRock SMA Solutions helps clients customize portfolios for unique tax, values-alignment, or investment exposures across direct indexing, fixed income, active equity, and multi-asset. We deliver world-class service to all of our clients, from wealth advisors to family offices to endowments and foundations.

About this Role

We are seeking a highly quantitative and motivated Associate to join the Quantitative Investment Solutions (QIS) team, a specialized unit within Aperio Portfolio Management, operating under BlackRock’s SMA Solutions business. QIS is responsible for driving strategic product innovation, developing tax-managed investment strategies, and advancing quantitative research. The team spearheads the creation of cutting-edge tax-advantaged solutions, encompasses direct indexing, active long/short, option overlays, factor tilts, concentration management and more. QIS also plays a pivotal role in client engagement and internal business development collaboration, supporting product activation and commercial growth.

The Associate will contribute to all facets of the quantitative strategy research process, including building research infrastructure, managing back-tests and simulations, and generating quant analytics to support the design and development of tax-managed investment strategies. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to solve complex challenges related to tax optimization, systematic active portfolio construction, and risk modeling for long/short equity and option-based strategies. The role requires advanced quantitative and programming skills, consistent detail-oriented problem-solving capabilities, effective communication in verbal and written form, and the ability to work under a collaborative environment. Success in this position also depends on the ability to manage and prioritize complicated sets of tasks, take initiative and display responsibility for quality and timeliness of output. The title and compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in the design, advancement, implementation, and maintenance of research infrastructure and tools to support quantitative research, investment strategy development and evaluation.
• Conduct backtesting and simulation of investment strategies, with a focus on tax-aware portfolio construction and risk modeling.
• Analyze large and complex datasets to extract insights and support research hypotheses, investment strategy validation, and strategy development.
• Collaborate with senior researchers and portfolio managers to develop and refine systematic investment strategies, tax-managed optimizations, and portfolio management processes.
• Create clear and compelling visualizations and documentation to communicate research findings to internal stakeholders and external clients.
• Contribute to the team’s thought leadership by supporting the development of white papers, presentations, and internal knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in quantitative fields such as Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or Engineering.
• Substantial programming experience in Python and excellent Excel skills; familiarity with data analysis libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, SciPy) are essential; experience with machine learning techniques is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience working with large datasets and conducting empirical research.
• At least 1 year of relevant industry work experience is preferred; quantitative portfolio management experience a plus
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with acute attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Interest in tax-aware investing, portfolio construction, and systematic strategies.
• Experience with financial modeling, optimization, or portfolio analytics.
• Experience with equity and option asset classes.

For San Francisco, CA and Sausalito, CA Only the salary range for this position is USD$132,500.00 - USD$162,000.00 . Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, and benefits including healthcare, leave benefits, and retirement benefits. BlackRock operates a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and your total compensation may vary based on role, location, and firm, department and individual performance.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the