Traineeship Assetmanagement

Traineeship Assetmanagement at Pensioenfonds Rail & Openbaar Vervoer Utrecht

What is required?

• Recently completed a university or higher professional education degree, preferably an academic master's degree in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Econometrics or something similar
• Demonstrable experience with Python and/or SQL
• Understanding of portfolio management, financial products, markets and (business) economic principles
• Knowledge of AI applications or motivation to delve into this
• You know what Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and fine-tuning are or are willing to quickly master this
• You want to develop into a data expert and are curious about AI in asset management
• You are interested in ESG and the role of sustainability in investment decision making
• Good command of the Dutch language, verbally and in writing
• You are pursuasive, decisive, curious, like to take initaitive and and are a conceptual thinker
• You enjoy sharing your knowledge and introducing colleagues to the world of data and AI

What will you get?

• At least €3.439 gross p/m (based on 36 hours)
• 13th-month salary
• 36-hour workweek
• Possibility to work from home
• 216 holiday hours per year
• Good pension provision, generous development budget and vitality allowance of €300
• Laptop, NS-yearcard and homeoffice budget of €200

What will you do?

• 40% Work on assignment
• 40% Supporting the department
• 20% Meetings

This vacancy has been created based on interviews with employees to help you get a realistic preview of the job.

As a Trainee Assetmanagement at Pensioenfonds Rail & Openbaar Vervoer, you are responsible for carrying out various assignments within the Asset Management department. During two years, you will work on at least four assignments that address various data issues within the department, such as portfolio management and strategy & policy. These assignments are based on current issues within the teams and require you to use your data and analytical skills. You apply knowledge of Python, SQL, machine learning and large language models to gain new insights from both structured and unstructured data. You also work with innovative techniques such as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and fine-tuning of models for specific financial applications.

In addition to working on assignments, you are involved in the work of the department on a daily basis, which helps you to understand the primary processes of the Pension Fund. You follow various training courses and workshops, both general and specifically focused on your field, such as advanced Python techniques or AI ethics. You will also be given the opportunity to follow a CFA training to further deepen your knowledge of asset management. In this role, you contribute to increasing data maturity within the organization by making your colleagues aware of the possibilities of data analysis and AI.

You are part of the Asset Management department, a team of approximately fifty colleagues in various teams. During your traineeship, you will be guided by the team lead Manager Selection & Monitoring and an HR Advisor for personal development. In addition, you will be paired with a former trainee, who will act as a buddy to guide you within the organization and support you in your development.

If you enjoy working in many different departments in a short period of time and do not mind asking for and receiving a lot of feedback, then this is a job for you.

Working week

During a pleasant working day you have a productive meeting with your colleagues, allowing progress with your assignment. You also attend an interesting communication training.

On a more challenging day, you have to wait for another department to complete a process, which prevents you from making progress with your assignment.

• Mo
  • Lunch
  • Team meeting
  • Work along with the department
  • Work on assignment
  • Communication training
• Tu
  • Lunch
  • Catch up on email
  • Work on assignment
  • Work along with the department
  • Colleague feedback session
  • Work on assignment
  • Attend webinar
• We
  • Lunch
  • Knowledge session
  • Work on assignment
  • Catch up on email
  • Work along with the department
  • Contact with external parties
  • Consultation with HR colleague
• Th
  • Lunch
  • Work on assignment
  • One-on-one with Team Lead
  • Assignment progress meeting
  • Trainee workshop
• Fr
  • Lunch
  • Trainee drinks
  • Work on assignment
  • Assignment progress presentation
  • Walk with buddy
  • Work on assignment
  • Work along with the department

Firsthand experience

You are researching the CO2 emissions of companies within the equity portfolio, but the data appears to be incomplete. What do you do?

As a Trainee Assetmanagement, it is important that you take initiative and contribute ideas. In this case, you come up with possibilities to move forward and present this to colleagues. After consultation, you agree that you will contact other asset managers to see how they deal with this specific problem. You also approach the data supplier to look at the problem together. In this way, despite the limitations, you can still compile a dataset that is complete enough and on the basis of which policy can be made.

Growth

The Pensioenfonds Rail & OV finds it important that employees are stimulated in their personal growth and therefore likes to invest in this. As an employee, there is room to develop both personally and professionally. There are generous development budgets available for this. To increase your employability as an employee and to ensure that you work healthily and with pleasure, you will receive an annual vitality allowance of €300. You can use this budget for training or courses, but also for a sports subscription or sports equipment, for example.

Working at Pensioenfonds Rail & Openbaar Vervoer

The Rail & Public Transport Pension Fund provides pensions for (former) employees and retirees of companies in the rail and public transport sector that are affiliated with us. Our core activities are pension administration and asset management.

Our mission is to make pensions understandable. The participant — and by extension, the employer — is at the heart of everything we do. We shape our services and implement improvements from their perspective. We offer participants personal insights and guide and support them in making pension-related decisions. Our goal is to give participants peace of mind about their pensions, and employers confidence in the pension arrangements for their employees. This mission forms the foundation of our strategy, customer service, and organizational structure. Our three core values — committed, approachable, and reliable — guide us in this work.

Colleagues

Working for a secondment agency for over twenty years taught me a lot, but at times I missed a sense of connection and appreciation. However, after two years on assignment at Rail & Public Transport, I felt so connected to the colleagues, the mission, and the client that I decided to stay. The atmosphere, the challenge, the appreciation, the work environment, and the employment conditions (also important) were ultimately the key drivers behind my decision to make the switch — and I haven’t regretted it for a single moment.

Jean-Marc Peters Senior Application Manager in the Internal Operations Department

I started as a trainee at Rail & Public Transport a few years ago because a large part of the investments is managed in-house. This means there's a wealth of in-depth knowledge within the organization. Additionally, the culture is open and everyone is very supportive — an ideal learning environment for a trainee!

Kenneth Investment Analyst, Asset Management Department

The trainee vacancy appealed to me greatly because of the diverse learning opportunities it offered. The traineeship provides the chance to actively influence your own development within Rail & Public Transport, which, for me, is a formula for success.

Hylke Hettema Business Consultant in the IT & Change department