Risk Trainee

Polar Capital – Company Overview

Polar Capital is a specialist fund management company dedicated to serving a diverse client base. Since our founding in 2001, we have grown steadily and now comprise fourteen autonomous investment teams, each managing active, specialist portfolios that are distinct from market indices. Together, these teams manage approximately £41 billion in assets, primarily invested in listed equities.

Our investment teams are supported by a strong infrastructure of marketing, administrative, and operational professionals. The firm is headquartered in Victoria, London, where nearly 170 staff are based, with an additional 30 colleagues working across nine satellite offices worldwide, including in France, Switzerland, China, and the United States.

Programme information

You will join us as a Risk Trainee as part of the Investment20/20 Trainee Programme where you will develop the key skills and knowledge required for your role. The primary role of the risk team is to have an independent risk oversight of the portfolios but you will also have exposure to all business areas, thereby gaining a breadth of industry knowledge and experience to enable you to make informed decisions about where you would like to develop your career.

As part of the Investment20/20 Programme, you will have opportunities to meet and network with over 300 trainees across the industry and participate in socials and insight events.

The traineeship is a fixed term one-year contract paying £30,000 per annum. You will receive 27 days annual leave. The role is based in London. The company has a hybrid working environment and the successful candidate would be expected to be in the office a minimum of four days per week. 

Responsibilities include:

• Data validation and investigation across a wide range of tools that produce both risk and performance insights.

• Produce regular reporting to fund boards and for Investment Risk Oversight meetings. 

• Support the Risk team in writing up the minutes of the committee or working group meetings.

• Support Risk team in delivering efficient processes in responding to internal requests.

• Partner with the risk development team to maintain the tools for assessment, monitoring, and reporting of risk and performance reports.

• Carry out other duties as assigned.

Requirements

If you are a graduate who has an interest in working within financial services and have the following attributes, we are interested in hearing from you:

• Strong desire to gain experience within the investment management industry in a risk role or similar sector/role. 

• Degree in mathematics, statistics, core sciences, software engineering or similar 

• High level of attention to detail. 

• Excellent organisational and communication skills (both written and verbal). 

• Self-starter with a ‘can do’ attitude.

• A strong desire to learn.

• Inquisitive and enjoy interpreting information and problem solving.

Must have skills

• Excellent level of numeracy and analytical reasoning

• Confident working with large, complex data sets; comfortable identifying and investigating anomalies

• Proficient in Excel, exposure to Python or willingness to learn is an advantage

• Organized and efficient, with strong attention to details

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• Confident and proactive approach. Comfortable asking questions and flagging issues

How to apply

Applications to be sent via email.

Subject the email: Investment 20/20 – Risk Trainee

Your application should include: 

• CV

• Covering letter

• Answer the 3 questions below (250 words per answer):

  • What are you hoping to achieve from the trainee programme?

  • What evidence can you give us that you are someone with personal drive and determination? 

  • Tell us about the most interesting project or piece of work you have completed as part of your studies at either school/college or university. What did you have to do and what interested you most about it? 

Successful candidates will have to undergo interviews in person.

Key dates

(Please note, we may take down the advertisement earlier if enough applications have been received). 

Start date October 2026.

Unfortunately we are unable to respond to all applications. Should you not hear back from us within one month of the closing date, please presume that the application was unsuccessful.