POSITION SUMMARY
KKR Solutions is looking for an exceptionally talented individual at the Associate level to join its Research, Analytics and Portfolio Construction team. The successful candidate will take a proactive, innovative approach to implementing asset allocation and portfolio construction solutions for the firm’s investor base. This individual will also play a visible role in reinforcing KKR’s thought leadership around asset allocation and portfolio construction with clients. They will be tasked with contributing to and developing proprietary models. Since much of the work will focus on alternative asset classes for which there are few common industry-level standards, the ideal candidate will have outside-the-box creativity as well as excellent technical skills and attention to detail, given the large allocation/investment decisions driven by the Solutions team’s analysis.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful candidate will have experience with the institutional investment market, with a particular focus on, and passion for, portfolio construction and asset allocation. They will have a deep understanding of investing fundamentals, financial theory, risk management, asset allocation, and the quantitative side of portfolio construction -- all with a pragmatic, hands-on approach. They will be responsible for developing, designing and conducting original research, building models, and performing strategic client analyses. Key findings will be presented in client meetings, conferences, research reports and thought leadership initiatives.
In addition to the above, major responsibilities will include:
- Developing original research addressing strategic and tactical portfolio management needs of KKR’s broad range of clients
- Developing innovative approaches to portfolio construction, asset allocation and asset/liability modeling, identifying the distribution characteristics of a broad range of asset classes
- Developing tailored investment proposals for various client types, leading end‑to‑end implementation, and delivering ongoing portfolio management and client service
- Forming views on various key topics of multi-asset portfolio management such as relative value between asset classes, comparison between liquid and illiquid asset classes, trade-offs for taking on illiquidity etc
- Partnering with affiliated quant / research resources to share best practices and to capture their best ideas as an input into developing the team’s research & modeling capabilities
- Partnering closely with KCS (fundraising) members and other senior internal stakeholders
- Collaborating on the development of relevant, robust economic and market scenarios to be used for client analyses in addition to long-term capital market assumptions
- Delivering findings and insights via impactful and clear written materials, client-specific presentations and thematic presentations to senior stakeholders
- Contributing to the positioning of KKR as a distinctive thought leader in cross-asset solutions
QUALIFICATIONS
The professional experience/qualifications required for this role include:
- 3-6 years of experience at an asset management firm, with direct involvement in risk management, quantitative analysis, asset allocation, and/or portfolio construction
- Knowledge of investing fundamentals across a wide range of asset classes, ideally including private markets, and instrument types
- Advanced Python programming for quantitative analysis and financing modeling and proficiency in Microsoft Office Products (Excel and PowerPoint)
- An understanding of the challenges faced by sophisticated institutional clients and a proven record of addressing institutional portfolio management challenges and developing original research
- Thorough understanding of economics, financial theory, portfolio theory, liability modeling, optimization and alternative techniques
- Knowledge of risk systems a plus (MSCI RiskMetrics, Barra, Bloomberg PORT, Factset, etc.)
- Strong interpersonal and partnership skills, including a desire and ability to engage and collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders
- Effective communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written, for both internal and external purposes
- Highly creative and adaptive thinker
- Strong academic credentials: degree in quantitative discipline such as economics, finance, computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, or related fields
