Jane at Fidelity

I chose Operations at Fidelity because it seemed to be the most natural fit with my degree. The business management element linked in with the overall function of Operations, and my knowledge of economics helped me to understand the investment management industry. Working in this area is a great way to get to know a company - to really understand what supports the business.

During the two years of the graduate programme I have spent time in three very different roles and been given a lot of autonomy and responsibility. Exposure to such diverse parts of the business has given me an invaluable knowledge base. During the two years, I’ve learnt that I enjoy moving roles and having new challenges. One of the great things about Fidelity is that they encourage moving roles internally and will support this even when I’ve finished the programme.

During my first rotation I was involved in the launch of three funds in Korea, managed by Portfolio Managers in the UK. This was quite a new step for Fidelity, so was an exciting project to be involved in. It took about four months to complete so I built up some good contacts around the business, both in the UK and in Korea.

On my last rotation I worked in the Portfolio Services Group as a Portfolio Implementor. My role was to help the Portfolio Managers with their trading, managing the cash in their funds and addressing any corporate actions (for example where a company that we have invested in pays dividends on the shares that we hold).

I currently work as a Derivatives Analyst in the Derivative Services team. I complete a variety of work covering all aspects of derivatives, such as instrument analysis, process flows, competitor analysis and Portfolio Manager requests.

The culture at Fidelity is very relaxed. Everyone is very friendly and willing to help. There’s a significant graduate network which is great for both in and out of work. We have regular social events outside work – whether that’s in the pub or playing sport. It also means that I have a bank of friends around the business which can prove very useful when trying to get a job done!

A Day in my Life

0830 – Arrive at office, just opposite St Paul’s, and log onto systems and Bloomberg terminal to check what markets are doing.

0840 – Grab a cup of tea.

0845 – Look at the cash positions of the Fund Managers and let them know if they’re too high or too low. Normally the Fund Manager will advise us to buy or sell accordingly, which we will forward to the trading desk.

1000 – Deal with adhoc trading requests. Fund Managers will instruct us what securities to buy or sell, which is again sent to the trading desk.

1050 – Meet with the rest of the team and look over their trades. One mistake can mean a lot of money, so this is very important.

Noon – Around 12 or half past head for lunch. If I’m busy will eat at my desk, if it’s a bit quieter will venture out for around an hour.

1300 – Look at cash-flows into funds. If there’s a large amount of money coming in speak to fund manager and see what they want to do. Generally they’ll put together a ‘trade list’ instructing what to buy and sell.

1400 – Keep an eye on Bloomberg terminal and news to check how markets are performing. Maybe grab another cup of tea, make one for the team.

1430 – Check to see if there’s been any corporate actions, i.e., if any companies are paying dividends, and speak to Fund Manager to see what they want to do (might take the dividend or reinvest it).

1500 – Look at the positions of funds to check they’re all in line. Also have to keep up to speed with my own project work – at present I’m in charge of improving processes within the team.

1600 – Deal with more adhoc trading requests and liaise with trading desk.

1630 – Re-check positions of rest of team.

1700 – 1730 – Manageable working hours are an important part of the Fidelity culture so I get to leave at a good time and have the whole evening to myself. If I’m feeling energetic I might cycle, if not jump on a bus.