BlackRock Investment Institute, AI Solutions, Research Associate

About this role

BlackRock is the world's largest and most prominent investment management firms, managing trillions of dollars in assets for institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. We offer a wide range of investment products and services, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and alternative investments, catering to various investor needs and risk appetites. BlackRock has embraced technology in its operations and investment strategies, utilizing advanced analytics, machine learning, and data-driven insights to enhance decision-making processes and optimize portfolio performance.

The BlackRock Investment Institute (BII) leverages BlackRock's expertise and produces proprietary research to provide insights on the global economy, markets, geopolitics, and long-term asset allocation - all to help clients and portfolio managers navigate financial markets. We systematically leverage BlackRock’s expertise in markets, asset classes, and client segments to help our portfolio managers deliver positive investment results for clients. Our focus is to keep our investment professionals connected, informed, and on the cutting edge of investment thinking.

As BII transforms toward an AI-first operating model, we are building the next generation of research, investment, and content-production workflows. This role will sit at the center of that transformation, helping design and implement the agentic systems, workflow automation, and AI infrastructure that will underpin the future of BII.

Why is your role important?

Reporting to BII’s AI leadership team, this individual will help execute BII’s AI strategy and serve as a bridge between investment professionals, domain experts, and technology partners. The role will focus on designing and deploying AI-powered workflows, building agentic systems for key BII functions, and helping establish the operating architecture that enables BII to evolve toward more automated, continuous, and scalable research processes.

This individual will work closely with BlackRock’s investment platform, technology partners, and teams across BII to identify high-value use cases, build AI-enabled solutions, and drive adoption across the organization.

What will you be doing?

• Partnering with BII leadership to execute the Institute’s AI strategy and roadmap.
• Designing, prototyping, and deploying AI-powered workflows, copilots, and agentic systems that improve research, content creation, forecasting, and investment processes.
• Working alongside PMG and technology teams to help define and implement BII’s AI architecture, governance frameworks, and operating model.
• Building workflow-specific AI solutions for major BII processes, including capital market assumptions (CMAs), tactical asset allocation (TAA), macro research, content production, and client-facing insights.
• Identifying opportunities to automate repetitive or low-value tasks and redesign workflows around AI-native processes.
• Translating business requirements into technical specifications and coordinating implementation with engineering and platform teams.
• Evaluating emerging AI technologies, models, frameworks, and vendors to determine applicability to BII use cases.
• Productionizing prototypes and proof-of-concepts built by team members using modern AI tooling, including large language models, agentic coding frameworks, retrieval systems, and workflow orchestration platforms.
• Driving adoption of AI tools through training, change management, stakeholder engagement, and continuous feedback loops.
• Measuring impact through productivity, quality, and scalability metrics and continuously improving deployed solutions.
• Contributing to the development of BII’s long-term vision for an agentic and continuously operating research organization.

What are we looking for?

Artificial Intelligence & Technology

• Strong understanding of modern AI systems, including large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, multi-agent systems, and workflow orchestration.
• Hands-on experience building AI applications, agents, automation solutions, or decision-support tools using commercial and/or open-source AI technologies.
• Experience with Python and modern AI development ecosystems, including APIs, prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, vector databases, and agent frameworks.
• Familiarity with software architecture concepts, product development lifecycles, and enterprise deployment considerations.
• Ability to rapidly prototype solutions while maintaining a pragmatic focus on scalability, governance, and business value.
• Strong understanding of AI risks and controls, including model quality, hallucination risk, evaluation, explainability, security, and responsible AI.
• Interest in financial markets, macroeconomics, asset allocation, and investment research.
• Ability to understand complex investment workflows and identify opportunities to improve them through technology and automation.
• Experience working with research, analytics, investment, strategy, consulting, or product teams is highly desirable.
• Ability to synthesize technical and business considerations into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Broader Qualifications

• 2–5 years of relevant experience in AI, technology, product management, analytics, consulting, or related fields.
• Strong problem-solving skills and demonstrated ability to independently drive complex initiatives from concept through execution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias toward experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and deep experience with Python and AI development tools required.

For New York, NY Only the salary range for this position is USD$145,000.00 - USD$190,000.00 . Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, and benefits including healthcare, leave benefits, and retirement benefits. BlackRock operates a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and your total compensation may vary based on role, location, and firm, department and individual performance.

Our benefits
To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

Guidance on AI use for candidates

At BlackRock, AI has long been part of how we work – enhancing decision-making, improving operations, and helping us deliver better outcomes for clients. We encourage candidates to use AI thoughtfully to learn, prepare, and work more effectively; but during our interview process, we want to focus on getting to know you through your own experiences, thinking, and judgment. To support you, we’ve provided guidance on when and how to use AI during our hiring process so you can approach each step with confidence and showcase your best self.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being.  Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

To learn more about BlackRock, please visit Careers.BlackRock.com. We also encourage you to get to know us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok.

BlackRock is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity to all applicants and existing employees, and we evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity/expression), sexual orientation, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religion, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. View the EEOC’s Know Your Rights poster and its supplement and the pay transparency statement.

 

BlackRock is committed to full inclusion of all qualified individuals and to providing reasonable accommodations or job modifications for individuals with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation/adjustments are needed throughout the employment process, please email [email protected]. All requests are treated in line with our privacy policy.

BlackRock will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance law.