Researcher - Financial Services (fluent Mandarin and Japanese)

The Financial Services Researcher is responsible for producing high quality enhanced due diligence reports for financial services clients. He/she will be responsible for producing clear, analytical and exceptionally well-written reports which help financial services Clients in the Asia Pacific region meet compliance and regulatory requirement.

He/she will be responsible for a range of tasks, including conducting in-depth research of public records such as media articles, corporate records, litigation and regulatory filings, social media sites, and compliance databases; engaging in discreet interviews to gather information around companies' and individuals' reputation and develop intelligence on specific topics and industries; producing enhanced due diligence and research reports to support major banking transactions such as IPOs and debt issuance. He/she will support the work of his/her line manager in training, managing internal and external resources in order to complete enhanced due diligence projects for financial institutions in a timely and effective manner.

Project management of enhanced due diligence assignments for financial services clients

• Conduct public records research and discreet interviews to gather intelligence surrounding companies and individuals
• Conduct research into specific topics and issues and draft summaries and findings in situations where contentious issues arise, either as part of a team or independently, depending on the requirement of the situation
• Produce high-quality research reports for financial institution clients  
• Assist in the proposal process, conduct scoping research, and communicate with clients to understand their requirements
• From time to time, communicate directly with the clients, which primarily include members of the compliance or internal control departments of financial institutions, in order to clarify the scope of projects, address questions, and suggest potential additional avenues of research
• Assist his or her managers in developing and expanding the pool of research resources and subcontractors of Control Risks in the region
• Liaise with and provide feedback to vendors and subcontractors, ensuring the quality of work they provide is high and adheres to our global delivery standards
• Engage with colleagues across Control Risks to address client queries

Regional research initiatives

• Interact regularly with researchers, supervisors, managers, and the Quality Assurance team to provide support and feedback on VANTAGE work
• Participate in discussions with other members of the VANTAGE team and Control Risks Group on potential service/product improvement

Requirements

Essential

• Education to degree level (minimum of a bachelor's or equivalent experience)
• Full fluency in written and spoken Mandarin, Japanese and English is essential
• Experience in writing, researching and reviewing/editing research reports; demonstrated excellence in research, writing and editing in Japanese and English
• Strong knowledge of open source research techniques
• Good communication skills; ability to think on one's feet and engage with individuals of different levels of seniority and from different backgrounds, to obtain information
• Ability to think critically and solve problems
• Strong knowledge of the socio-political environment in South-East Asia
• Proven ability to meet project deadlines and perform well under pressure  

Preferred

• Experience executing and managing enhanced due diligence projects for financial institution clients
• Experience engaging with international clients, preparing written proposals, providing verbal updates, and answering follow up questions and queries
• Fluency in an additional language