Econometrician at FirstRand Corporate Centre

Job Description
Hello future Econometrician!

• FirstRand believes that its people are its single most important resource and will not operate in a sector unless it has people who are right for that market and who share FirstRand’s business values. We recruit self-starters who have a passion for what they do. We empower them, hold them accountable and reward them appropriately. We value diversity in our people, particularly for the way that this contributes to innovative thinking. If you think you will flourish in our environment, and you believe you have the necessary skills and competencies for the position advertised, then we are looking for you!

Are you someone who can:

• Contribute towards the Group Treasury Investment Office’s understanding of the current macroeconomic and financial environment by conducting econometric research and analysis, specifically focusing on: 
• The Sub-Saharan Africa macroeconomic environment and financial markets 
• The South African macroeconomic environment and financial markets
• Contribute towards: 
• Developing the economic and financial markets outlook that serves as a strategic input into FirstRand’s strategy formulation, budgeting, scenario analysis, portfolio and risk management 
• Developing economic scenarios for SA and the other countries in which FirstRand operates for use in the group’s macroeconomic scenario analysis process 
• The development and maintenance of the FirstRand macro econometric models, including integrating new themes such as climate change impacts into the group’s econometric models 
• Economic, social and environmental impact modelling for the group’s Shared Prosperity function  
• Contributing to the monthly FirstRand House view documents for all the countries and scenarios that are required from the business 
• Coordinating the input across the different brands in the FirstRand Banking Group 
• Developing real-economy research on key themes and issues affecting the long run strategic positioning of the group 

Improve and maintain: 

• The FirstRand House view macroeconomic data base for all the countries and different scenarios  
• The use of alternative internal data in the team’s economic and financial markets analysis  
• Macroeconomic House view governance and management processes  

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum Master’s Degree in Econometrics and Economics 
• Strong understanding of econometric modelling, statistics and financial markets modelling    
• Genuine interest in economic and market theory with demonstrated ability to link theory to practice using quantitative and qualitative methods (Masters degree will be an advantage) 
• Strong knowledge of statistical and/or econometric software 
• Strong report writing and presentation skills  
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft word, excel and PowerPoint 
• At least 5 years’ experience working in an economic research and financial markets analysis capacity 
• Genuine interest in shared prosperity and positioning the group to manage long term strategic macroeconomic sustainability issues  
• Team player with the ability to work in highly relational environments