Research Lead - Financial Services

Responsibilities:

The position is suited to highly motivated professionals able to deal with the pressures of managing financial services research properties primarily focused on, but not limited to, wealth management and life insurance.

The ongoing research responsibilities of the position feed into a wider range of regular subscription-based research publications as well as making the incumbent a key support for one-time consulting and research projects in their areas of domain expertise and coverage. These responsibilities involve:

• Managing the contribution of our resident analysts and associates in Mumbai, as well as in other MI geographies, as well as ensuring the effective collaboration with North American and EMEA teams either leading or involved in supporting research function In the US, Canada, Australia and EMEA.
• Ultimate responsibility for maintaining, refining and introducing new data sets and metrics in the research coverage area.
• Engaging with ISS MIs many research participants to both build knowledge and expertise and
• Managing critical client servicing efforts across a broad spectrum of ISS MI subscribers.

The incumbent will have ultimate responsibility for the timely delivery of the ongoing research publications, as well as providing direction, supervision and mentoring of research team members. Successful candidate will have an opportunity to conceptualize and lead teams to create original research and new data sets for ISS MI. Additionally, managing long-term and emerging relationships developed with the many businesses that are engaged with ISS MI as clients, prospects and research participants, is a key responsibility.

Specifically, at this level within ISS MI, the incumbent will be expected to:

• Have an understanding of personal financial wealth, the wealth market product set (including banking and life insurance) and wealth distribution models in North America and Asia. Familiarity with the Australian and European wealth markets a definite plus.
• Conceptualize, propose and execute research designed to inform clients and the industry on emerging trends in the area of domain expertise.
• Engage with industry participants, establish and maintain key relationships at senior levels and ensure the research team is able to arrange and run confidential research interviews and ongoing discussions with all key contacts.
• Develop and provide comprehensive and supported insights from the research and communicate them to internal and external audiences in verbal, written and digital presentation formats. Manage, support and mentor research team members contributions in respect to those communication efforts.
• Coordinate/manage analytics and thought leadership support for research and consulting engagements in the area of research focus.
• Demonstrate care, precision, diligence and thoughtfulness in the management and execution of research analytics, report production and verification processes. Coordinate team members workflow, define and monitor deliverables, and take responsibility for delivering research and reports to production deadlines.
• Manage, and support the recruitment of analytical staff and lead the development and mentoring of analysts and associates on the incumbents own team and beyond.
• Manage the relationship between the Research team and Data Operations and Development teams to ensure the integrity and quality of data onboarding, database mining and collaborate on specific projects and deliverables.
• ideate and propose new products, data sets and data refinements to the expansive data capital of ISS MI.
• Pro-actively share knowledge and understanding of industry developments across ISS MI, on a formal and informal basis

Qualification:

• An Post graduate degree from a well-recognized university in economics, finance, commerce, business administration. Other disciplines such as mathematics, statistics or social sciences will be considered in combination with experience.
• A minimum 10-years experience in the retail financial services or wealth management industries including, but not limited to, specific distribution related businesses, asset management companies or life insurers.
• Professional experience with a global or a North American firm, and experience in collaboration as part of a global team a definite plus.
• Passion for developing and growing domain expertise and for disruptive thinking.
• Very strong conceptualization, synthesis, communication and writing skills
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and conflicting demands.
• Strong interpersonal and people management skills experience managing a team a definite asset.
• Superior organizational skills necessary to manage analysis of a diverse array of business line data.
• Excellent problem-solving, conflict resolution, negotiation and decision-making skills
• Must be proficient in standard office software, (MS Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access).