Financial Analyst - Research & Statistics - 23340

DESCRIPTION/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Capital Markets section within the Division of Research and Statistics is looking for an entry-to-mid level Financial Markets Analyst professional in a three-year term position to support and contribute to the monitoring and analysis of U.S. capital markets and the credit quality of the corporate sector and state and local governments.  In collaboration with other section members, the Financial Markets Analyst will contribute to monitoring trends and conditions within domestic financial markets, assessing relevant data sources, and developing projects that deploy those data sources and indicators to analyze these markets.  The Financial Markets Analyst will work as part of a team of 10 Economists, 2 Technology Analysts, and 5 Research Assistants.

The primary responsibility of the Financial Markets Analyst is to support the economic analysis of financial markets.  This work includes monitoring and communicating developments in domestic equity, corporate bond, and/or municipal bond markets and contributing to key policy reports; identifying and assessing the value of new or alternative data sources and outside analysis for monitoring these markets; using data management and coding skills to develop timely indicators of market functioning and credit quality; and acting as support for the various data services provided by the section when necessary.  In all tasks, the Analyst will be working closely with other section members to properly analyze the data for policy documents and for research on financial markets that informs the conduct of monetary policy and the assessment of financial stability risks and vulnerabilities.  In some projects, the Analyst may be expected to contribute to designing, drafting, and presenting some of the analysis or coordinating the work of different job families.   

Because coverage of financial markets is at the core of the mission for the section, the Analyst will work with various financial databases, economic concepts, and data-driven indicators to monitor, assess, and interpret developments in domestic capital markets.  As such, subject matter experience or training in financial markets, corporate finance, or asset pricing is particularly useful.  Because data is at the core of the analytical approach of the section, the Analyst will work with various computing and statistical languages and tools to achieve these goals.  This includes use of R and Matlab, among others, for analysis and management of data.  Because we are a highly collaborative group, team spirit and good communication skills are highly valued as well as the ability to conduct independent work.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

     * A Bachelor's degree in Economics, Finance, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or related field is required, with a minimum of 2 years of related experience or a master’s degree with 1 year of experience.

     * Experience or training in concepts related to domestic financial markets, the pricing of financial assets, and an interest in monitoring, understanding, and communicating developments in domestic capital markets.

     * Experience or interest in working as part of a team in conducting economic and financial analysis that requires the use and visualization of data is essential.  Experience in leading such projects is a plus.

     * Strong knowledge of programming, and strong proficiency in at least one of the following is preferred:  R, SAS, or Matlab.  Experience in creating and managing large databases is a plus.