Baillie Gifford & Co

Baillie Gifford & Co 2022/23 graduate opportunities

Company Company Profile

About Baillie Gifford

This is your opportunity to join Baillie Gifford, a leading independent global investment management partnership. Today, with in excess of £230 billion under management and more than 700 clients across the globe, we have over 1,700 employees working at our head office in Edinburgh.

Let’s forget about your degree for a moment, and instead focus on you. Are you an inquisitive thinker with the imagination to see the world differently? Do you have the curiosity to explore new possibilities and the desire to create solutions that drive future development? Then we’d like to meet you. We think our investments aren’t all that different from the graduates we look for – it’s all about potential. If you join one of our graduate programmes or internship opportunities, our next investment will be you.

We’re proud of our company culture– whether that’s our focus on client service, the support we offer our employees or the impact we have on the world as a whole. Below is just a short introduction to who we are, but you can find out more about us and our Early Careers opportunities at bailliegifford.com/earlycareers

Client focus

Everyone at Baillie Gifford, regardless of their role, is focussed on delivering the very best for our clients. To do this, we need to be forward thinking, open to change and prepared to evolve. This means never just following the crowd and always seeking new and better ways to do things.

Learning culture

We champion continuous curiosity and believe that everyone within the firm (partners included) should be encouraged to expand their learning at every opportunity. That’s why we regularly invite world-renowned academics, business leaders and authors to engage with the firm and continually challenge our thinking.

Diversity and inclusion

We seek diversity in all its forms and recognise that an inclusive workplace is fundamental to our success as a business. Fostering a culture of inclusivity enables us to attract, develop and retain diverse talent, encourage the free exchange of ideas, and enhances our relationships with clients and companies across the world. We work to ensure that all our colleagues feel valued, and that their work is always recognised and rewarded.

Social responsibility

Our approach to community engagement and charitable work aligns with how we approach investment. We like to partner with organisations over the longer-term and gain a deeper understanding of their work and goals. When we consider supporting organisations we assess their potential in a purely philanthropic way, looking to make long-term contributions to help them deliver services and drive change that’s sustainable.

Wellbeing

Good mental and physical health is vital for us all. That’s why we’re always working to ensure our staff feel supported – through open conversations, social networks and policies that make people feel valued. The wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority for us. If we want to have healthy, happy, motivated people who take pride in working here, then we have a responsibility to ensure we’re taking their wellbeing seriously.

Apply: Baillie Gifford & Co

Case Studies

[casestudy]
  • Name: Laura Johnstone

After the programme

After the graduate programme, I moved into a marketing and communications role where I was producing marketing materials, presentations and pitches. I worked with Baillie Gifford’s Fixed Income teams, which was a fantastic opportunity to learn about their investment strategies. After just over a year, an opportunity came up for a secondment to the newly set up Dublin office for Baillie Gifford Europe. I applied and got the job.

Invaluable experience

In Dublin, I joined a small team of seven responsible for setting up Baillie Gifford Europe (BGE). Moving to Dublin was quite a daunting prospect, but the team made me feel at home straight away. Because BGE had only been up and running for about a year, I had the opportunity to get involved in several different business areas. I also had invaluable exposure to the day-to-day running of a company and discussions at the highest levels.

International exposure

Since my secondment, I’ve taken on a newly created role as a Global Service Associate in Edinburgh. My role is to support the client service, business development and marketing activities for the Middle East and South African business as well as the various regional offices in Europe. It’s an opportunity to put all the knowledge and experience I’ve gained during and since the programme to good use. Most of the teams in our regional offices haven’t worked in Edinburgh, so I liaise with the right people here to make sure they get what they need from the business. It’s exciting to see how the firm is growing and the new opportunities it brings.

The little things

One of the best things about Baillie Gifford is the supportive culture. Last year, due to the circumstances, the whole firm took an extra day off for wellbeing. Your health and happiness are a big priority for the company, and they really make a point of looking after everyone. This, as well as everyone is approachable and willing to help really sets a great environment for learning and development where you are encouraged to take opportunities and push yourself. For me, it’s these small things that make you feel valued and contribute to the inclusive culture at the firm.

[casestudy]
  • Name: Lucy Nguyen
  • Role: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Assistant Manager
  • Joined: 2016
  • University: Bayes Business School (formerly Cass)
  • Degree: Accounting & Finance

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

In my final year at university, part of my coursework was about investing money in different portfolios. I was looking for the top-20 best performing funds for long-term investments. Six of the top-20 funds I identified were managed by Baillie Gifford, so when I discovered they offered graduate trainee accountancy contracts, I was immediately interested. After some more research, the firm’s focus on people development really appealed to me, so I decided to go for it.

PERSONAL APPROACH

I applied to a number of other large accountancy firms, but the application process felt more personal at Baillie Gifford. It was far more welcoming, and I was interviewed by a person that I would go on to work with. At many of the larger firms, trainees move on quite quickly. But Baillie Gifford really look after their employees – they cover all your training costs and give you paid leave before the Chartered Accountancy exams. So, it’s no surprise that staff turnover at Baillie Gifford is very low.

WIDE RESPONSIBILITIES

My work on the programme has been very varied. One of my training projects involved looking at different aspects of setting up a new entity in Shanghai: putting together a business licence, preparing cashflow, estimating a five-year budget and creating a business plan for the regulator. This helped me really understand what’s involved in setting up a business. I was also responsible for the regulatory and financial reporting of our European businesses in Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. Since qualifying, I’ve been able to take the lead on projects, chair meetings and take questions, which I think shows a clear progression in my skills.

DRAMATIC GROWTH

There have been a lot of new opportunities in our team recently as we adapt to the dramatic growth of the business. I’m now a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Assistant Manager in the FP&A team, which is a new sub-team of the Financial Reporting team. Our new FP&A team will focus on business partnering, long-term financial planning and provide insightful information to the firm’s management across boards, regional teams and departments. The team will support decision making and help shaping the direction of travel in an area that is of strategic importance to the firm.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

There are so many options to consider when it comes to my future here at Baillie Gifford. I could stay in the Finance team, move to Client Accounting or one of the Fund Accounting teams for North America or Europe. Baillie Gifford is really growing in Asia and the company provided a personal tutor for me to learn Mandarin. It’s been fantastic to be supported in this way and, after two years of lessons, I can speak the language fluently!

[casestudy]
  • Name: Annie Singh
  • Role: Technology Solutions Graduate Programme
  • Joined: 2021
  • University: The University of Manchester & Northumbria University,
  • Degree: Mathematics & PGDE

SOFT SKILLS MATTER MORE

Before I joined Ballie Gifford, I worked as a Maths teacher. I had no prior technical experience so the opportunity to train in a technical role without requiring experience really appealed to me. It was clear that the firm looks at your potential and is keen to develop you as a person. The grads alongside me on the programme also come from a range of different disciplines with degrees in everything from Computer Science and Physics to Philosophy and Japanese.

BEING HEARD

The assessment centre was very well organised and the timetable was sent out in advance so we knew what to expect. On the day I was surprised to discover that it was only me and two others being assessed; any other assessment centre I had attended had at least ten other people. Being in a smaller group meant it felt like we were being heard and had the chance to really showcase ourselves. All of the interviewers were friendly and supportive, which gave a great impression of the culture.

DISCOVERING SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE

Before joining I had huge doubts about my coding ability, as I had no previous technical experience. However, the graduate team project showed that my fears were unfounded: not only did I learn to code but I really enjoyed it! Working as a team of graduate trainees, we built an order simulation app to help the testing team move from manual testing over to automated processes. That involved using .NET Core, C#, Angular, Typescript, PL/SQL, Docker and Kubernetes, together with Git, Azure DevOps, Postman and Swagger – all of which were new to me. I learned so much, more than any course had ever taught me, and my confidence increased hugely as a result.

A HEALTHY BALANCE

The firm is very generous in the way they look after their people. You can progress and do well while maintaining a healthy work-life balance – something that was challenging in my last career. The culture is genuinely open, friendly and sociable, too. Social events are a frequent occurrence here: I’ve butchered songs at karaoke, taken part in human-hungry hippos and sampled international cuisine at a Multicultural Network drinks event.

[casestudy]
  • Name: Alison Shearer
  • Role: Technology Solutions Graduate Programme
  • Joined: 2021
  • University: University of Edinburgh & University of Dundee
  • Degree: MA (Hons) in Japanese & Linguistics & MSc in Applied Computing

ABILITY OVER BACKGROUND

My background wasn’t in finance or investment, so I was worried that I didn’t know enough to succeed in the assessment process. But at the interview they made it clear this wasn’t an issue and when I joined, the incredible training got me up to speed very quickly. Now, I’m into my first rotation, working on internal systems that support our investment department, including a research library that enables our investors to share and access research reports.

DAY OF DIVERSITY

Together with four other graduate trainees, I volunteered to organise the firm’s Employee Networks Day, an event to promote and increase understanding of Diversity & Inclusion within the business. We had complete freedom to design the event, from arranging panel Q&As to inviting external speakers and sourcing branded merchandise. It was truly rewarding to see it all come together and a brilliant experience outside of my day-to-day responsibilities.

AUTHENTICALLY ENCOURAGING

At Baillie Gifford I feel that managers genuinely care about me and my wellbeing. They put lots of time and resources into your personal development and continued growth, and there’s a wide range of both technical and personal training available, including online courses where I can study relevant topics at a time that suits me. It’s exciting to know this is an environment where I will keep learning and be challenged throughout my career, not just during the graduate programme.

STRONG NETWORKS

I recently attended an event hosted by the LGBT+ Employee Network to kick-off Pride Month, where I met people from across the business and heard some really moving speeches from my colleagues. I’ve also joined BShe, a new employee-led network supporting all who identify as women in their career progression at Baillie Gifford. It’s exciting to help build something from the ground up and help the firm to become an even better place to work.

Application Procedure

FAQs

Do I need to have studied a particular degree?

We welcome applicants with degrees in any subject for all our graduate programmes. We expect a minimum 2:1 degree across our programmes.

Do I need to have graduated within the last three years?

There’s no time limit on how long ago you gained your degree, and we welcome applicants who have gained postgraduate work experience. For our Investment Research programme, we encourage applications from Masters and PhD students.

Can I apply for more than one than one programme or placement?

We encourage you to think carefully about which opportunity is right for you and to apply to one programme or placement. Find out as much information as you can and attend one of our events to hear from the programme leaders and current graduate trainees.

What do I do if I have a special requirement and need help applying for a programme?

Just get in touch. We’ll do everything we can to make our application process accessible for you. So, if you do need our support, please contact us at hr@bailliegifford.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Where are your offices based?

As all of our UK graduate programmes are based in our head office, if you accept a place, you’ll need to either relocate to Edinburgh or be able to commute to our Edinburgh office.

Do you reimburse the travel and accommodation costs for interviews?

We will reimburse expenses related to the recruitment process. Our first-round interviews will be conducted via zoom, second round we will invite to our office in Edinburgh so that we can meet you in person. We will reimburse expenses including travel, accommodation, and reasonable food expenses. Please retain any receipts.

How long is the application process and when are the interviews?

You’ll receive an automated response when you submit your application to confirm that we’ve received it. We aim to get back to you within eight weeks of your application. However, depending on the number of applications we receive, timescales may vary. We begin screening applications from September. Interviews are scheduled and offers are made on an ongoing basis, so we’d encourage you to apply sooner rather than later.

Apply: Baillie Gifford & Co