About this role
The Private Markets SWAT Team:
This team provides quantitative modeling solutions for private markets across a wide variety of problems, including nowcasting private asset and fund values, forecasting alpha in private asset deals, and optimizing strategic asset allocation with illiquid assets. The team builds and connects innovative models and methodologies to support investment decision-making in illiquid asset classes.
Private Markets SWAT is a Team within Aladdin Financial Engineering (AFE):
Aladdin Financial Engineering (AFE) is a 400+ person group within BlackRock Solutions, the business responsible for the research and development of Aladdin’s financial models. The models developed and supported by AFE span a wide array of financial products covering equities, fixed income, commodities, derivatives, and private markets. AFE provides investment insights that range from an analysis of cash flows on a single bond, to the overall financial risk associated with an entire portfolio, balance sheet, or enterprise.
Role Description:
We are seeking an experienced quantitative researcher for a Vice President role on the Aladdin Private Markets SWAT Team, a small group dedicated to solving novel modeling challenges in private markets. This role will focus on expanding and adapting our suite of Nowcasting models to build new, next generation private market indices. The VP will guide the research, design, and implementation of valuation models, oversee daytoday index estimation, and ensure a rigorous, high quality production process. A core responsibility will be extending these models to new asset classes, data environments, and market structures, requiring both empirical rigor and innovative problem solving.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the research, design, and development of new Nowcasting and valuation models across additional private asset classes.
Conduct empirical research to calibrate models to private market data and evaluate performance using backtesting, benchmarking, and robustness analysis.
Build, maintain, and productionize model codebases, ensuring reliability, transparency, and scalability.
Partner with internal stakeholders to define use cases, communicate model behavior and limitations, and support integration into investment and analytics workflows.
Contribute to research publications, conference presentations, and clientfacing discussions highlighting the team’s modeling innovations.
Support broader Private Markets SWAT Team initiatives, including bespoke modeling projects for portfolio management or advisory teams.
Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
3+ years of experience in empirical financial modeling or quantitative research in industry or academia. (Graduating Ph.D.s will be considered for a comparable junior role.)
Strong foundation in empirical modeling, including timeseries analysis and Bayesian methods.
Additional consideration for experience with private markets or empirical asset pricing.
Proficiency in Python and willingness to adopt new tools, libraries, and technologies.
Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous empirical research, manage complex datasets, and design well structured analyses.
Effective communicator capable of explaining quantitative concepts to diverse audiences and collaborating across technical and nontechnical teams.
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.Skills Required
- Ph.D. in Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field
- 3+ years of experience in empirical financial modeling or quantitative research
- Strong foundation in empirical modeling, including timeseries analysis and Bayesian methods
- Proficiency in Python and willingness to adopt new tools
- Ability to conduct rigorous empirical research and manage complex datasets
- Effective communication skills for collaboration across teams
What We Do
As the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock partners with investors around the globe to help them (and those on whose behalf they invest) plan for life’s most important goals – like retirement, home ownership and their children’s education. Our clients range from governments, foundations and other large institutions to those investing on behalf of individuals, including firefighters, nurses, teachers and factory workers. BlackRock was founded with the idea of creating a better asset management firm — one that was purpose-driven, focused on clients and risk management, and propelled by data and technology. Our breakthrough Aladdin® platform is BlackRock’s technological backbone, helping investors see and manage their whole portfolios in one place – from constructing investments to monitoring risk and executing trades. Used by hundreds of external institutions around the world, Aladdin combines powerful analytics and a common language to help investment teams make faster, more informed decisions across public and private markets. It’s a key part of our business and one of the reasons we’re trusted to manage more assets than any other investment manager today. At BlackRock, we challenge conventions and raise the bar for what’s possible. We harness technology to unlock new solutions, simplify complexity, and deliver investment strategies that meet people where they are. Whether it’s retirement planning, wealth building or navigating market shifts, we’re here to help clients invest more easily, more affordably and with more choice as we chart a path toward financial well-being together. Learn more: Careers.BlackRock.com
Why Work With Us
Without our people, technology is irrelevant. When we combine the power of people with the power of technology, we amplify our ability to create better outcomes for our employees, clients, shareholders and society alike.
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