Associate – Quantitative Analyst

About Our Company

Aflac Asset Management, LLC, (d.b.a. Aflac Global Investments) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aflac Incorporated (Aflac). Aflac Global Investments (GI) located in New York’s financial district and is the organization responsible for the overall investment activities of Aflac, Inc. and subsidiaries in Japan, Bermuda, and the U.S.  With 150 employees globally, GI seeks investments to maximize long-term returns with a focus on preservation of capital, subject to our asset-liability profile and liquidity and capital requirements.  GI has primary investment and asset management responsibility for Aflac’s general account consisting of public, private, and growth assets (including strategic partnerships) which generates approximately $3.5 billion a year in net investment income.  As of year-end 2024, Aflac’s total general account portfolio was approximately $100 billion.

The investment teams support GI’s overall goals and objectives by providing market insight and in-depth knowledge of assigned asset classes. GI oversees the strategic deployment of capital for life and supplemental health insurance company balance sheets utilizing both internal teams and external third party asset managers.

POSITION SUMMARY

Working as a member of Aflac Global Investments (GI) and the Quantitative Analytic Solutions (QAS) / Investment Risk Architecture team, work closely with other quantitative analysts, quantitative investment risk analysts, asset liability management analysts, and enterprise risk management teams along with other Global Investment business partners throughout the U.S. and Japan.  Collaborate on the development of quantitative analytic solutions to support the implementation of a large, primarily fixed income, investment strategy.   Apply solid knowledge of mathematical finance to a growing, state-of-the-art quantitative platform focused on scenario analysis of current and potential investment strategies.  

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to:               Quantitative Analytic Solutions/Inestment Risk Architecture Manager

Primary

Relationships:          Quantitative Analytic Solutions, Investment Risk, Operational Risk, Asset Liability Management, Credit analysts, Credit and Derivatives traders, Investment Analysts, IT, Operations, Investment Accounting and senior GI leaders
.          

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute to the development and calibration of models concerning:
  • Hedging strategies and optimization in FX, IR, Credit, and Equities domains
  • Strategic Asset Allocation with both total-return and income lenses
  • Economic Scenario Generation and Portfolio Optimization
  • Tactical Asset Allocation
• Support capital measurement and regulatory analytics (US and Japan focus) with potential exposure to other regulatory jurisdictions and rating agencies
• Longer-term projects associated with building out key functionality in the platform
• Tactical analysis using existing tools, with immediate impact on business decisions
• Explaining modeling methodology and model results to non-quants within the business

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

Technical Skills

• Bachelors Degree in mathematics, quantitative finance, physics, financial engineering, computer science or other related field; advanced degree a plus
• Minimum 1 year experience in a similiar quantitative role; preferably in an institutional investment environemnt or insurance asset manager; will consider internship experience  
• Knowledge of standard quant finance models (and stochastic calculus) on a practical level
• Deep orientation toward probabilistic thinking; Bayesian mindset
• Appreciation for the financial meaning and economic basis of models
• Familiarity with major fixed income asset classes, basic bond math, Vanilla FX/IR derivatives.
• Hands-on programming experience involving large projects, implementation of quantitative models, and intuition for how to write usable, and understandable, code—Python preferred, C++, SQL or similar experience desired as well.
• Knowledge of source control (Git/Github), databases (Snowflake), visualization tools (Plotly/Dash) and Big Data / ML frameworks (Scikit-learn, Apache Spark) is a plus

Non-Technical Skills

• Takes ownership of problems and seeks to add value, not just complete assigned tasks
• Systematic thinker who acts to increase, not decrease, the organization and clarity of information
• Seeks conceptual understanding, not just technical precision
• Comfortable with explaining quantitative ideas to non-quants and strives to break-down technical ideas into intuitive, digestible bits
• Intellectual curiosity with the ability to generate and brainstorm ideas with colleagues
• Team player

Please note: Aflac Global Investments' hybrid working environment requires a minimum of 3 days in the office each week

The range on this positions is:   $101,000 - $142,000

This compensation range is specific to the job level and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to: education, experience, licensure, certifications, geographic location, and internal equity. The range has been created in good faith based on information known to Aflac at the time of the posting.  Compensation decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each case. This salary range does not include any potential incentive pay or benefits, however, such information will be provided separately when appropriate.

In addition to the base salary, we offer an array of benefits to meet your needs including medical, dental, and vision coverage, prescription drug coverage, health care flexible spending, dependent care flexible spending, Aflac supplemental policies, 401(k) plans, and generous paid time off. You’ll also be granted time off for designated paid holidays and other leaves of absence, if eligible, when needed to support your physical, financial, and emotional well-being. Aflac complies with all applicable leave laws, including, but not limited to sick, adoption and parental leave, in all states and localities.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act. Applicants with criminal histories are encouraged to apply.