Senior Data Research Analyst

About Morningstar

Morningstar is a leading global provider of independent investment insights, serving both individual and institutional investors across public and private markets. Our offerings include a wide range of data, research, and investment management services, with $300+ billion in assets under management. Operating in 32 countries, Morningstar supports financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers, and more with comprehensive investment solutions.

About the team

The EMEA Managed Investment Data Operations team sits at the core of Morningstar's data quality engine. Within it, the Portfolio & Performance (P&P) team owns the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the fund data that underpins Morningstar ratings, regulatory reporting and client deliverables across EMEA, LATAM and Korea. We run month-end return quality assurance, deliver regulatory portfolio reporting for Solvency II and Basel III clients, and act as Morningstar's operational partner to the Investment Association (IA) for fund categorisation monitoring. We are a team of analysts who build effective, trust-based relationships across the business and are committed to delivering best-quality data.

The role

This is an ideal position for someone looking to drive operational excellence in a data-intensive, regulatory-facing environment. We are seeking a Senior Data Research Analyst to manage a variety of initiatives spanning month-end data quality, regulatory portfolio reporting (Solvency II, Basel III), and investment fund categorisation. You will act as a subject-matter expert on fund data and categorisation methodology, and you will strengthen and standardise our processes across global markets.

You will collaborate closely with global content and operations teams,  including Pricing, Distribution, Category, the Mumbai processing team, Data Consultants and Customer Support,  using your finance and business acumen to ensure the seamless execution of initiatives. You will leverage your knowledge of relationship management and continuous improvement to design robust processes that serve both client-support and operations teams.

Responsibilities: 

• Escalation point for internal and external customer queries. 

• Monitor daily workload to identify market movements and anticipate potential large workloads and language needs. 

• Using Lean Six Sigma methodology to proactively identify process improvements. 

• Partner with other Data content researchers and content specialists to share customer feedback and ensure team alignment. 

• Triage complex issues with the content and support teams and create requirements for product managers to implement software tools that enable solutions at scale. 

• Actively collect & Process managed investment data using Morningstar collection systems, and ensure data timelines, completeness, and accuracy to meet business goals. 

• Identify automation opportunities and support the implementation. 

• Partner with Operations analysts and team leaders to build and coordinate a smart and agile training process which permits an efficient go to work. 

• Provide coaching and training to junior team members as appropriate and according to the specific needs of the person and the group. 

• Act as an expert regarding investment data points, answering questions and escalations from other team members. 

• Demonstrate a high sense of ownership of the data responsibilities to be responsive and provide timely updates, follow-up, expedition, and resolution 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree 

• At least 3 years of experience in data analytics, data processing or financial industry. 

• Knack for translating business requirements to clear operational processes with measurable KPI’s. 

• Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence peers and stakeholders. 

• Experience utilizing LEAN, Six Sigma, or Agile tools in a project management or data operations setting. 

• Detail-oriented self-starter with proven ability to handle multiple projects in a flexible and fast-paced environment.  

• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fluent in English is a must. Additional European languages will be valued. 

• Creative thinker with an analytical approach to problem solving, an inquisitive and critical mind, strong attention to detail, and the ability to multi-task. 

• Strong interest in Fund categorization, financial markets, investments or ESG, a certification will be preferred. 

• Solid SQL skills and Python experience are preferred 

Bonus Target:

We expect the compensation and target bonus for this role to fall within the stated range. The specific compensation offered will depend on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and other job-related factors.

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.