Data Scientist, Associate - Municipal Research

About this role

With over $159billion in assets under management, the BlackRock Municipal Bonds group is one of the largest municipal mangers and a recognized leader in the industry. The Municipal Bonds group is comprised of 57 investment professionals and is made up of a seasoned team of portfolio managers, traders, credit analysts, market strategists, product strategists and our risk and quantitative analytics team. The team manages assets across a variety of solutions including mutual funds, separately managed accounts, Institutional and high net worth accounts and money market funds.

BlackRock is seeking a highly-motivated Associate to join our Municipal Bond Credit Research team in Princeton as a quantitative researcher, data scientist and developer.

What will you be doing?

In this role, practical implementation skills and the ability to innovate and generate new ideas are equally important. Key skills will include: optimization, machine learning, statistical modeling, exploratory data analysis, natural language processing, data visualization, network/graph modeling, ETL, data pipelines, data architecture, communication, and project management. The data scientist will partner with credit research analysts, portfolio managers and traders to introduce new technologies to the municipal bond investment process. Primary responsibilities will include:

• Acquire and organize new financial and economic data sets to build out the firm's municipal credit database and streamline surveillance of existing municipal bond positions

• Develop and maintain processes using technology to review bond offering documents and financial disclosure for abnormalities in security structure or credit risk, unlocking smarter pathways to identify and avoid credit pitfalls

• Utilize advanced machine learning techniques (e.g. anomaly detection, recommendation engines, neural network/deep learning, reinforcement) to turn credit research ideas into practical solutions, with an emphasis on the challenges created by the size, scope and fragmentation of the municipal market (90,000 municipalities and 2 million cusips)

• Apply natural language processing and other methods to review business/local news sources to help determine the direction of municipal bond markets and credit fundamentals

• Identify and implement improvements to municipal data quality to drive operational efficiencies and build scale in the municipal business

What are we looking for?

• Degree(s) in relevant subject such as Data Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, Quantitative Finance or related technical field

• 1-3 years relevant financial industry experience preferred

• Advanced Python/R and database proficiency with experience in Bloomberg API, SQL, Tableau and Excel a plus

• Knowledge of machine learning, natural language processing, data analytics, and data modeling

• Familiarity with Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Amazon AWS and Google Cloud Platforms

• Strong interest in fixed income markets

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.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being. Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit careers.blackrock.com | www.blackrock.com/corporate | Instagram: @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

BlackRock will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance law.