COMPANY BACKGROUND/CULTURE: The Global Risk Institute in Financial Services (GRI) was founded following the 2008 crisis as a joint partnership among the governments of Canada and Ontario and 13 leading firms in Canada's financial services sector in order to leverage the sector's reputation in risk management, increase its global profile and continue to build capacity for risk management within the industry.

GRI's mission is to be the premier organization that defines thought leadership in risk management for the financial industry globally. GRI's mandate is to develop applied, integrative and practical research and education programs in financial risk management that are relevant to the issues being faced by the industry, regulators and policy makers. Cutting across industry sub-sectors and the different vantage points of the private sector, government policy makers, regulators and academia, these programs build enhanced integrated risk management capacity and bandwidth for private and public sector risk professionals.

From both macro and micro perspectives, GRI's research programs deliver a wide range of insights to its members in several areas including cybersecurity, fintech, disruptive technologies, systemic risk, and regulatory compliance. GRI also acts as a global research hub, stimulating evidence-based debate between policy makers, regulators, practitioners and academics engaged in risk.

The organization's education branch includes programs in broad risk oversight as well as a series of workshops and annual conferences. GRI's conferences tackle risk-related themes in a global context and from multiple perspectives, informed by relevant academic research as well as insights from leading policy-makers and senior practitioners from both the public and private sectors.

GRI has come a long way since its inception in 2010. Its industry partnership has now grown to 33 member organizations, which includes Canada's leading banks, insurance companies, pension and mutual funds and financial crown corporations.

RESEARCH MANDATE: Key to the success of GRI will be an ongoing program of high quality research that is both applied and interdisciplinary in nature.

Research will take many different forms - original research, modelling, case studies and surveys. It will involve disciplines as diverse as finance, economics, accounting, actuarial science, mathematics, corporate governance and management.

Major research projects are undertaken with select universities, industry experts and in-house at GRI. Research will be undertaken where it meets member needs. Research that falls under one of GRI's key risk themes is a priority.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Research Associate will report to GRI's Managing Director of Research. His/her primary responsibility is to conduct in-house research projects and participate in external research projects supported by GRI. Specific responsibilities include:
- Build GRI's value through our Research activities
- Complete GRI's in-house research projects independently. These projects may include academic research, benchmarking studies, and whitepapers
- Support all GRI research activities domestically and globally
- Lead and participate in several industry/academic research efforts with internal and external teams

CANDIDATE PROFILE: Candidates will require a broadly based and integrated understanding of risk with implications for the system as a whole and for individual players. The candidate must have the ability to communicate research findings in ways that inform and engage decision makers. Within this framework, success in the role of Research Associate will require:
a) Knowledge
- Ph.D degree in Math, Math Finance, Statistics, Computer Science or equivalently strong quantitative background
- Work experience in the financial industry is an advantage
- Expert knowledge in the area of risk management will be an asset
- Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in one of the following research areas: Climate change and finance, machine learning and finance, and actuarial science
b) Skills
- Strong programming skills (i.e. C++, Matlab, R, Python, etc.)
- Independent research ability
- Modelling experience (formulating and solving) and working with large amounts of financial data
- Strong written and presentation skills, solid and proven communication skills
- Strong team player, good organizational skills
- Ability to complete research projects in short deadlines

APPLICATIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION: For more information or to apply for the position please contact: Karen Tam, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, ktam@globalriskinstitute.org

Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

http://globalriskinstitute.org