Associate Director, Fixed-Income Strategies

Morningstar’s Research group provides independent analysis on individual securities, funds, markets, and portfolios. The Research group also provides data on hundreds of thousands of investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on millions of equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar is one of the largest independent sources of fund, equity, and credit data and research in the world, and our advocacy for investors’ interests is the foundation of our company. 

Working closely with the Director and the other Associate Director, this Associate Director is responsible for helping oversee the US Fixed-Income Manager Research team, ensuring that it produces high-quality strategy-level analysis and broader asset class research that helps investors make better decisions. This position is based in Chicago. 

Responsibilities:  

• Foster a collaborative team culture that aims for and prizes high-quality research, resulting in analyses that are insightful, ratings that are good calls for investors, and broader research that helps investors understand the fixed income managed products landscape 

• Help manage a team of analysts, making sure that they have a clear understanding of their coverage, research and other responsibilities, and are able to execute at a high level  

• Contribute to training, development, and mentoring of new analysts  

• Ensure that analysts are fully prepared to best represent themselves to institutional clients 

• Coordinate with the Director and other Associate Director, and when appropriate the North American and Global Manager Research heads, to align employee OKRs and/or KPIs to business goals 

• Together with the Director and the coverage committee, participate in strategy coverage decisions 

• Work alongside the Director and senior team members to set the group’s thought leadership agenda 

• Continue to pursue general fixed income subject matter expertise while striving to specialize in one or more bond sectors   

• Instill an ethos of continuous improvement regarding analysis, research, team organization and collaboration 

• Engage with the external market (media, wealth managers, regulators) to strengthen understanding of Morningstar capabilities 

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree; an MBA, CFA, CFP or other advanced degree/accreditation a plus 

• Seven to 10 years of experience in manager research or a related role 

• Fixed income subject matter expertise with specialization in a particular bond sector a plus 

• Demonstrated expertise in strategy level analysis 

• Mentorship and team building skills with prior people management experience a plus 

• Excellent communications skills 

• Strong time management skills 

• Familiarity with programming languages (i.e. Python, R, MATLAB) a plus 

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health

  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary

  • Stock Ownership Potential

  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission

• Physical Health 

  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages

  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual

  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance

• Emotional Health 

  • Trust-Based Time Off

  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program

  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave

  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave

  • Adoption Assistance

  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities

  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses

  • Tuition Reimbursement

• Social Health 

  • Charitable Matching Gifts program

  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program

  • Paid volunteering days

  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

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.