BlackRock is a global asset manager and a leading provider of investment, advisory, and risk management solutions. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology with over 19,000 employees, BlackRock helps more and more people experience financial well-being.
BlackRock is best known for its expertise in asset management, but that would not have been possible without the influence of technology behind the scenes. The main operating system that powers BlackRock is called Aladdin.
Aladdin (which stands for Asset, Liability, and Debt and Derivative Investment Network) allows investment managers to connect with people and technology while managing their money in real-time. All BlackRock employees touch the products or outputs of the Aladdin platform every day.
The Power of Aladdin, BlackRock’s Tech Data Platform
Aladdin is a tech platform that unifies the investment management process to enable scale, provide insights, and support true business transformation. Built by and for market practitioners, the platform helps BlackRock and organizations keep up with the pace of the industry. Clients of the Aladdin platform include asset managers, banks, insurers, pensions, corporations, ecosystem partners, and institutions. Aladdin’s risk analytics are relied upon by over 200 institutions, such as KPMG, Microsoft, and MetLife, as well as BlackRock itself.
Aladdin has been embedded into the fabric of BlackRock since the early inception of the firm, which differentiates the firm as an investment and risk manager. The firm began to deliver Aladdin to external clients in 1999. As a multi-asset class platform, Aladdin supports risk analytics and the full investment process across equity, fixed income, FX, bank loans, derivatives, and alternatives such as real estate, commodities, and private equity.
WayUp spoke with Renee Muco, Director and founding member of the firm’s Strategic Initiatives Office (SIO) within Aladdin Product Management (APM), about her experience working with the technology at BlackRock.
Renee described how Aladdin provides an end-to-end solution for businesses. In terms of the SIO, the team works on building out internal functionality and leads some of the large transformational initiatives for Aladdin.
Another component that makes the Aladdin platform unique in the industry is how it’s used both internally by BlackRock and sold externally to clients. When looking for career development opportunities, working on a product like Aladdin provides countless benefits for gaining hands-on experience and participating in large-scale projects across the company.
Building a Career at BlackRock While Powering a New Era of Investment Management Tech
WayUp also spoke with Desu Imudia, Software Engineer, within Aladdin Product Management (APM), who works in the tech track. She started at BlackRock as an Intern in the BlackRock summer internship program.
After completing BlackRock’s summer internship program, Desu decided to apply to their Full-Time Analyst Program for software engineers. Over two years, engineers in the program rotate across four different teams and gain new skills. BlackRock is a great place for students and recent grads to start their early careers because of the opportunities and potential for relationship building, all while simultaneously working with state-of-the-art technology that impacts the world every day.
During her internship, Desu quickly discovered how meaningful it was to work on providing solutions that benefited the real world. Desu also worked with artificial intelligence (AI) in Aladdin in one of the portfolio management tools used to help clients visualize their investment portfolio. She shared how she enjoyed working on the interface with Aladdin projects and using her coding skills to contribute to meaningful projects.
Desu was excited by the idea of working on a well-known platform like Aladdin and felt empowered working at a company creating an impact in the world. Beyond that, the culture clearly fostered a space to engage with ideas, products, and solutions.
Expand Your Horizons with BlackRock’s Career Opportunities
Starting your career at BlackRock may seem most common for finance majors, but there are also countless opportunities across other disciplines within the company, including the variety of technology positions – from design and product development to AI and cloud, and more.
Prior to joining BlackRock, Renee previously worked in the investment banking and technology space but was interested in finding a new opportunity that leaned into her project management skills. She started out as an engineer, and then she did a mid-year career pivot into project management and business analysis.
Renee encourages candidates not to limit themselves right away but encourages them to explore different career opportunities across different industries. She also suggests attending recruiting and networking events where they can meet and learn from employees at the firm.
What to Expect When Applying to Early Career Opportunities at BlackRock
BlackRock’s summer internship program is a gateway to build connections and start your journey at BlackRock. So, what does the recruiting process look like? Candidates start with the application and a pre-interview assessment. Based on the type of internship, BlackRock wants to provide candidates various opportunities to explore different teams
The team at BlackRock aims to help intern candidates through this process and ensure they feel equipped for their interviews. In preparation for the application process, we review the programs, highlight business areas available, offer tips for how to strengthen applications and share insights for how to ace the virtual cover letter and/or code test.
If you are interested in applying for an internship with BlackRock, visit their website for more information. If you’re looking at other career opportunities or want to learn more in general, explore WayUp’s page here.
