Investment Analyst – Credit and Investment Research

Job Description

Investment Analyst | Kemper

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Kemper, located in Chicago, Illinois. Kemper is one of the nation’s leading specialized insurers, a 7,020-person organization that helps make a positive difference in the lives of customers every day. This role is crucial in supporting the Investments team by conducting fundamental credit and investment research across various asset classes, directly assisting with portfolio monitoring and developing recommendations for portfolio managers. By joining this team, you contribute to delivering on Kemper’s promises to stakeholders with unique and evolving needs.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Chicago, Illinois

• Team: Supports the Investments team and portfolio managers
• Mission: To conduct fundamental credit and investment research to assist with portfolio monitoring and investment recommendations across various asset classes.
• Tech Stack: Bloomberg, Aladdin, Python, Microsoft Excel

What You’ll Actually Do
• Research: Conduct fundamental credit and investment research on issuers across a range of asset classes.
• Analysis: Prepare detailed written credit memos, including financial statement analysis and relative value analysis.
• Monitoring: Monitor existing portfolio holdings by tracking issuer performance, market developments, and financial results.
• Recommendations: Assist in developing buy, sell, and hold investment recommendations for portfolio managers.
• Valuation: Perform quarterly valuation support for private debt, private equity, and other alternative investments.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Business, with basic knowledge of financial statements, credit analysis, and investment concepts.
• Experience: Minimum of 1 year of full-time professional experience in credit research, investment research, trading, or financial analysis; or municipal bond credit research/trading/surveillance/underwriting/portfolio management experience; and active CFA Program participation (Level I passed, registered for Level I, or pursuing Level II/III).
• Skills: Strong analytical, written communication, and Excel skills, with the ability to conduct financial statement analysis and synthesize information within a relative value framework.
• Bonus: Experience analyzing municipal bonds or other public finance sectors, coursework or experience related to various fixed income and alternative investment classes, and an MBA or MS in Finance.