Vice President - Active Investment Stewardship

BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship (BAIS) is a specialist team which manages BlackRock’s stewardship engagement and voting on behalf of clients invested in active strategies globally. The team sits within BlackRock’s Portfolio Management Group (PMG) which encompasses Fixed Income, Fundamental Equities, Private Credit, Systematic Investments, Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions and Private Investors Businesses. Our activities are informed by our Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines and insights from active investment analysts and portfolio managers, with whom we work closely in engaging companies. This is an exciting opportunity to join a new function, and we are looking to build a team of high performing governance specialists globally.

This role is based in New York and will be hired at the Vice President or Director level.

Role Overview

The BAIS Analyst will be responsible for voting and engagement in relation to a universe of companies, in collaboration with active investors. They will provide support on portfolio company analysis, engagement preparation and follow up, and reviewing and assessing corporate governance in advance of voting.

The intention is for the person in this role to specialize in a subset of the companies in BAIS’ engagement universe, along with various aspects of relevant policy, to support the delivery of our annual and long-term objectives. They will report to the Head of BAIS/Deputy Head of BAIS.

Key responsibilities at the Vice President/Director level include:

• Demonstrating expertise in analysis of company performance, corporate governance and material sustainability-related practices

• Preparing for, participating in, and leading, as appropriate engagement meetings with portfolio companies, often alongside active investors

• Drafting records of engagement meetings and using them as the basis for preparing case studies on specific companies and themes

• Developing fluency in and applying BAIS engagement priorities, and proxy voting policies

• Monitoring, and participating in when appropriate, key industry initiatives that have impact on BAIS policies and practices

• Contributing to data gathering, benchmarking and reporting to support voting decisions and policy positions

• Preparing position papers to facilitate discussion with broader BlackRock audiences on governance and stewardship topics and developments

• Collaborating across the team to identify ways to improve policy and business processes

• Building strong relationships and collaborating with relevant counterparts within the active investment business and selectively contributing to cross-platform initiatives

The tasks involved in fulfilling these responsibilities include:

• Preparing for engagement with senior representatives of portfolio companies, including drafting memos in preparation for meetings highlighting key stewardship questions to address, informed by our own and third party research and analysis

• Coordinating with active investors in fundamental equity and fixed income on engagement meeting agendas, questions and objectives

• Participating in industry research groups and thematic initiatives with the active investment teams as appropriate

• Attending, documenting and leading (as needed) engagement efforts, including recording research notes to be stored and shared with select audiences within BlackRock’s active investment business

• Monitoring policy developments to improve the relevance of BAIS’ guidelines

• Participating in peer benchmarking analysis and modeling to contribute to leading engagement and voting practices

• Monitoring proxy voting workflow to ensure all accounts are voted as intended and are in accordance with the appropriate guidelines

• Contributing to, and at times leading on, the development of BAIS position papers and reporting

• Analyzing companies’ shareholder meeting agendas and related materials in order to vote in the manner most consistent with BAIS’ corporate governance policies and fiduciary responsibilities

• Collaborating with client-facing and communications colleagues to ensure client reporting and client presentations meet expectations, and that client queries on corporate governance are responded to promptly and to the client’s satisfaction

• Reviewing the BAIS team’s output and working practices to ensure risks are minimized and performance optimized

Desired qualifications include:

• An undergraduate degree in finance, economics, accounting, political science, history, sustainability or other relevant field

• A minimum of 8+ years of experience in a financial services-focused role, ideally with engagement and/or voting responsibilities

• A demonstrated strong understanding of financial statements and corporate finance

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information and convey it in a clear and concise manner to senior-level audiences

• A diligent, focused, and persistent work ethic to implement while leading multiple tasks and changing priorities

• The ability to prioritize, analyze, and resolve complex issues under time pressure while maintaining consistent attention to detail

• An organized, self-reliant, and self-motivated approach to responsibilities

• A keen interest in corporate governance and material sustainable business practices

• Collaborative working style, and strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to build and maintain successful relationships with colleagues across the firm and with external parties

• Proficiency using Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft products