2026 Investment Advisory Graduate Analyst Programme, Reading

Length of programme:  Around 3 years to achieve your relevant professional qualification, however you are employed on a permanent basis from the start of your graduate role.

Qualifications you’ll work for: Charter holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (IFoA)

Location:  Reading

Entry requirements:

• To apply for this role you need to have completed an undergraduate degree or higher level qualification by 1 September 2026 and have achieved a 2.1 or higher. If you are in your final year of university study, we are looking for those on track to achieve this.
  
  
• We are open to applications from those studying any subject. Studying towards the actuarial exams will require strong mathematical skills and a keen interest in financial concepts.
  
  
• If you have studied a non-numerical degree subject, we will require you to have obtained a Maths A-level at B or higher or within an equivalent qualification.
  
  
• We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position and therefore you will need to be able to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Work we do in Investment Advisory at Isio

Our Investment Advisory team is an area of rapid growth within our Pensions Practice. Providing invaluable services to pensions, trustee, corporate and wealth management clients, we advise on a diverse range of investment-related subjects, including asset allocation, financial risk management and fund manager selection.

For graduates, it’s the chance to take the first step towards becoming an expert in your field. Challenging and rewarding, working in Investment Advisory requires strong communication skills and financial acumen, paired with the ability to take responsibility right from the beginning.

The Investment Advisory team is focused on delivering proactive and strategic advice through the production of insightful, independent investment research.

Our services are purely advisory - we don’t manage any money for clients or trade in any securities. Working with institutional investors such as pension funds, companies and charities, we offer a wide range of investment advice in areas where our investment graduates will build their experience in:

• Asset Liability Modelling – enabling investors to better understand the risks arising from different investment strategies.
  
• Risk Management – analysing a client’s financial risks and making recommendations on how to hedge them.
  
• Capital Markets Views – assessing investment opportunities for our clients’ portfolios.
  
• Fund Manager Selection – helping clients to pick high quality fund managers.
  
• Implementation and Transition Management – helping clients to implement our advice in the most efficient way.
  
• Fiduciary Management – advising clients on selecting, implementing and monitoring a fiduciary manager

As a Graduate Analyst working in Investment Advisory at Isio you will get involved in:

• Working in a client team to assist in the delivery of client advice, ranging from design of an appropriate investment strategy, to implementation of the chosen strategy.
  
• Setting up our asset liability and allocation models to better understand the client’s range of potential future outcomes.
  
• Preparing and presenting investment monitoring reports to our clients.
  
• Asset class research; evaluating investment cases and current market pricing for asset classes – from traditional equities to alternatives such as direct lending.
  
• Researching fund managers and fiduciary managers.
  
• Presenting your investment analysis and recommendations to the rest of the team and to clients.

You’ll study for a professional qualification whilst being trained on the job. Your role will see you build up a wide range of knowledge on investments and capital markets, through delivering both client work and researching asset classes. Later in your career, you’ll have the option to tailor your client and research focus, to specialise in certain asset classes or investment strategies.

Training and Development

As an Investment Advisory graduate analyst at Isio, you can choose whether to study for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams, or for the actuarial exams to qualify as a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA). We recognise the challenges and time constraints involved in balancing work and study commitments, so we’ll support you with a study day allowance and tutorials.

Additional support will come from:

• Meeting your peers and senior leaders at a Graduate induction event.

• Support with developing your personal and professional skills.

• Regular technical training and opportunities to develop wider market knowledge throughout your career within Isio.

• A buddy from your first day to help you settle in.

• A Study Mentor who helps advise and guide students through the study and exam process.

• A Performance Manager to support you with your individual progress and performance.

What we are looking for in Graduates joining our Investment Advisory team

Our success stems from the quality of our team. That’s why we have an entrepreneurial atmosphere that offers the opportunity for every member to influence the shape and future development of the team. So, as well as financial acumen, we look for graduates who are articulate with strong communication skills.

It is important to be able to maintain a good level of self-discipline and time management to balance your work while studying for professional exams. We will also be looking to see how applicants align to our core beliefs:

Power in Partnership: We work in partnership with our clients & each other – building open and trusted relationships. Working together allows us to deliver the best for our clients.

Future Focus: We want to push our industry forward by solving problems in better ways that benefit both our clients & society.

Strength in Difference: We work with diverse perspectives to find better solutions. Working with differences makes us stronger.

People First: We recognise that pensions is a people business. People are the source of Isio’s expertise, and it is people’s lives that we affect through our advice

Isio is a people business, and we’re committed to helping our great colleagues gain a wide variety of experience, significant development opportunities and progression through the business. The variety of work that’ll be available to you will enable you to do this.

On top, we also offer:

• A competitive salary
• A defined contribution pension scheme
• Life insurance
• Healthcare benefits
• Income protection
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and two ‘Company’ days – a celebration day for you and an extra day over Christmas, and the option to purchase additional holidays
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) allowance
• Flexible working
• A flexible benefits package
• Comprehensive study support package

You can find out more about Isio and the benefits we offer here Isio - Careers & Benefits.

About Isio

Isio was ‘born’ in 2020 from the sale of KPMG UK’s Pension Practice to a private equity firm. An industry-leading challenger, we provide diverse expertise spanning Pensions, Investment, Benefits and Wealth to give clients an integrated experience.

Isio is built by challengers, innovators and forward-thinkers, grounded around a vision which strives to deliver greater financial confidence for everyone. We empower and develop those who join us – valuing curious minds and giving people the freedom to outperform. Known and respected for our agility, we harness specialist experience, bold thinking and the desire to push the boundaries of what we can achieve for our clients, from small to blue chip, public to private.

At Isio, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace, in which our colleagues feel they belong, regardless of background or difference. We uphold the values of respect, fairness, and inclusion in our actions and decisions. We believe that by adhering to these principles, we will create a stronger, more innovative, and supportive environment for all, as well as ensuring that the advice and support we provide to our clients is more creative, more insightful and leaves a lasting impact.

We have offices across the UK and many of our roles offer a hybrid, flexible approach to work to help create a work-life balance that works for you. Isio Group is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

If you think you may require a reasonable adjustment to be made for any reason at any stage of your recruitment process, please email hrearlycareers@isio.com

What’s next?

Click on ‘apply’ below and follow the simple application process online.