Lead Specialist – Investments Reference Data Management

Company:

Marsh

Description:

We are seeking a talented individual to join our Investments team, part of our People and Investments business at Marsh. This role will be based in Pune. This is a hybrid role that has a requirement of working at least three days a week in the office.

Lead Specialist – Investments Reference Data Management

Marsh is seeking an experienced Market Data Analyst to design, implement, and manage market data solutions across a complex financial services organization. This individual will play a key role in supporting the firm’s market data strategy, including data governance, vendor data management, and implementation of best-in-class tools and services to support both public and private markets.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise with key market data vendors such as Bloomberg, FactSet, and Refinitiv (Reuters), combined with hands-on experience building and scaling a market data management function within an investment or asset management environment.

We will count on you for:

• Data Sourcing and Management:
  • Perform analysis to acquire new datasets from internal and external sources.
  • Build and maintain relationships with external market data providers, from a day-to-day operational perspective
  • Understand and administer appropriate data permissions for investment professionals
  • Track and report on key metrics for data governance and ensure data quality and integrity throughout its lifecycle.
  • Conduct regular audits and reconciliations to ensure data accuracy and completeness.
• Data Analysis and Reporting:
  • Monitor existing data feeds and identify ways to improve data flow, quality, and consumption.
  • Analyze market data to identify trends based on requests and design solutions the minimize the need for additional licenses.
  • Create and maintain processes to generate accurate and timely reports, helping stakeholders
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  • Support investment teams by handling data requests, onboarding new content, managing access, and resolving issues.
  • Liaise with various internal departments, solution partners regarding market data requests
  • Troubleshoot data issues by working with business and vendor teams
  • Address any data quality issues as part of the validation process
  • Understand the evolving data requirements of business partners and match them with the best market solutions.

• Market Data Strategy & Implementation
  • Lead the rollout of a firmwide market data implementation practice, ensuring alignment with business, technology, and compliance goals.
  • Design an approach to rationalize market data requests from multiple stakeholders and a scalable solution to meet a varied range of needs
  • Define and implement data governance policies, usage standards, and cost optimization processes.
  • Evaluate, select, and integrate market data platforms (Bloomberg, FactSet, Reuters, and others) into business workflows and enterprise systems.
  • Review and interpret complex market data contracts to ensure compliance with licensing, entitlements, and redistribution policies.
  • Identify opportunities for cost savings, contract consolidation, and service optimization.
  • Present strategic recommendations and business cases to senior management on market data solutions and organizational impact.

• Data Governance & Compliance
  • Develop and maintain data governance frameworks and operating models to ensure compliance with market data usage policies.
  • Partner with legal, compliance, and finance teams to oversee audit readiness and mitigate market data risk exposure.
• Market Data Analytics & Optimization
  • Conduct usage analysis and reporting to optimize data consumption and reduce redundant feeds.
  • Support the development of dashboards, KPIs, and reporting tools to monitor data performance and costs.

Operating Style

• Embrace solving data challenges within a complex, siloed and global environment
• Be solution and delivery-oriented finding pathways to solutions by breaking down problems that are to be expected each step of the way

• Adapt to internal team and external team working styles flexing as needed

• Recognize when to take direction versus when to operate independently
• Balance selective use of escalation by driving to solutions with effective collaboration
• Engage closely with key stakeholders across business to identify reference data requirements and collaborate cross functionally to deliver data solutions.

• Strong communication to navigate an environment that lacks clarity with ability to make informed decisions on design with limited requirements using deep data analysis as aid
• Support and influence the development of Marsh’s overall data delivery strategy.
• Demonstrable interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with business stakeholders at all levels.

What you need to have: 

Business Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Information Systems, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 7+ years of experience in market data management, data governance, or investment operations within financial services.
• Deep knowledge of Bloomberg, FactSet, and Reuters (Refinitiv), including data licensing models and entitlement structures.
• Strong understanding of both public and private market investment data needs.
• Proven experience standing up or transforming a market data function, including governance and vendor relationship frameworks.
• Experience with market data inventory and cost management tools (e.g., MDM, DACS, FITS, TRG, MDSL).
• Exposure to cloud-based data distribution models and API integration.
• Understanding of index, reference, and alternative data landscapes.
• Strong proficiency in data management and analysis tools.
• Advanced Excel skills are essential
• Experience with SQL for data manipulation and analysis.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) is beneficial.
• Ability to work with IT to onboard new feeds that will include providing requirements and do corresponding testing
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to create and deliver proposals to senior leadership.
• Strong analytical and project management skills with attention to detail and organizational acumen.

Data Skills

• Deep data analysis extracting data, performing pattern recognitions, reverse engineering data entities, relationships, characteristics to arrive at business concepts and bridging gaps in business understanding
• Mapping data flows, process flows and business flows out of vast amounts of enterprise level datasets
• Deep Knowledge of master data management and reference data design principles and its impact to downstream usages
• Deep knowledge of data management within MDM environment life cycle and cross-environments (ex. implementation of universal identifiers)
• Bring familiarity with integrating disparate data eco systems, data models, data pipelines and supported business workflows.

• Deep Experience with data modeling, ETL processes, and database management systems, with a focus on supporting business needs.
• Familiarity with data governance principles and practices, including metadata management and data quality assurance.

• Strong analytical skills using tools such as Excel, Vision, PowerPoint, Word.

• Strong proficiency in SQL, RDBMS (Oracle/SQL Server), structured and unstructured data analysis
• Proficiency in S&P EDM (Markit EDM), its components and implementation of MDM use cases is a huge plus

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What makes you stand out?

• Outcome oriented, energetic, proactive, critical thinking and a desire to see things done efficiently.
• Entrepreneurial approach to problem solving balancing the needs for tactical and strategic solutions.
• Ability to look for quick wins for the business teams using principles of design thinking in an agile delivery model.
• Ability to work with competing priorities and facilitate prioritization discussions with the business.
• Ability to work creatively in a plan, build, and operate mindset as solutions are developed and implemented.

• Ability to communicate complex issues in a simple and coherent manner.
• Attention to detail, and proven track record in project management and engaging with a variety of stakeholders.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

• Certifications such as CAIA, CIPM, or CFA is a strong plus.

Why join our team:

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work and supportive leaders.
• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have impact for colleagues, clients and communities.
• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.

Marsh (NYSE: MRSH) is a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $27 billion and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit marsh.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Marsh is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age, background, caste, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Marsh is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.