BlackRock
Energy & Climate Analytics Modeler, Associate - Aladdin Financial Engineering
About this role
Business Unit Overview:
Our Energy and Climate Analytics (ECA) team is responsible for building analytics and capabilities that are needed to quantify the impacts of energy policy, natural hazards, natural capital, and other geospatial factors on financial assets. We also develop the architecture and software used for production and delivery of analytics to portfolio and risk management professionals both within and outside BlackRock via the Aladdin® software platform.
Given the diversity of skills required to develop these products, ECA brings together professionals from a wide range of domains spanning meteorology, hydrology, energy systems modeling, economics, financial engineering, and computer science; and spanning functions including modeling, analytics, and data engineering. As part of ECA, you will be working with clients and partners to develop quantitative models to assess the financial impacts of shocks from weather and climate, energy policy, and other geospatial risk factors on a wide range of asset classes including corporate equity and fixed income, mortgage-backed securities, municipal bonds, sovereign bonds, as well as on investments in private markets such as infrastructure and real estate. As energy, weather and climate, and other geospatial sources of investment risk become an ever-increasing focus for investors, you will be developing models and analytics to help drive a deeper understanding of risks and opportunities in this space. We partner with stakeholders from a range of teams within BlackRock and from external Aladdin® clients to support multiple use cases including regulatory reporting, risk management, and portfolio construction.
Job Purpose/Background:
We are seeking a highly skilled, motivated, and curious individual to join our team as Quantitative Researcher with a focus on Geospatial Data Science. In this role, you will be responsible for leveraging a range of geospatial datasets, including related to weather and climate risks, to provide insights and support financial decision-making processes. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to analyze data, develop models, create visualizations, and deliver analytics that drive strategic initiatives and business growth.
Key Responsibilities:
Analyze geospatial data including related to weather and climate risks; identify trends, patterns, and anomalies; and develop models to quantify how they have impacted financial performance for a range of public asset classes.
Develop, implement, and maintain models and workflows to forecast financial outcomes due to weather and climate risks, and from other geospatial risk sources.
Carry out necessary quality control, model governance, software development standards, and support production implementation for successful models.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate geospatial analytics into financial modeling, software tools, and decision-making processes.
Create visualizations, do presentations, and write reports to communicate findings to stakeholders.
Stay updated with the latest advancements in climate risks, geospatial data and modeling, and related financial modeling methodologies.
Skills & Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree (+4 years of professional experience), Master's degree (+2 years of professional experience), or PhD in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Applied Mathematics, Geospatial Data Science, Financial Engineering, Operations Research, Computer Science, Physics, or a related engineering or quantitative field.
Proven experience analyzing and building models using geospatial data including working with vector and raster formats.
Strong knowledge of probability and statistical modeling, including econometric methods.
Proficiency working with Python including common data science libraries (e.g., pandas, numpy, scipy, statsmodels), as well as geospatial data science libraries (e.g., geopandas, xarray).
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex datasets and provide actionable insights.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
Curiosity to continue learning about different domain and technical subjects relevant to the position.
Nice if you have:
Experience working with gridded weather and climate datasets (e.g., reanalyses, weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts, climate model projections) and modeling natural hazards (e.g., flooding, wildfires, tropical cyclones).
Knowledge of financial markets and experience in financial modeling (e.g., factor risk modeling, asset valuation, credit risk).
Experience working with cloud computing platforms and implementing parallelization workflows (e.g., using zarr and dask on a cloud cluster).
Experience with AI and machine learning modeling methodologies, including leveraging LLMs for analyzing text files.
Experience with geospatial analysis software such as ArcGIS or QGIS, and tools like GDAL.
Proficiency in data analysis tools and other programming languages in addition to Python such as R or SQL.
About BlackRock:
BlackRock is one of the world’s preeminent asset management firms and a premier provider of global investment management, risk management and advisory services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors around the world. BlackRock offers a range of solutions - from rigorous fundamental and quantitative active management approaches aimed at maximizing outperformance to highly efficient indexing strategies designed to gain broad exposure to the world’s capital markets. Our clients can access our investment solutions through a variety of product structures, including individual and institutional separate accounts, mutual funds and other pooled investment vehicles, and the industry-leading iShares® ETFs.
For New York, NY 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 office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.
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 @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock
BlackRock is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity to all applicants and existing employees, and we evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity/expression), sexual orientation, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religion, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. View the EEOC’s Know Your Rights poster and its supplement and the pay transparency statement.
BlackRock is committed to full inclusion of all qualified individuals and to providing reasonable accommodations or job modifications for individuals with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation/adjustments are needed throughout the employment process, please email [email protected]. All requests are treated in line with our privacy policy.
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.