Finance Co-op/Internship

Closing date: May 30, 2024

Use your financial and analytical skills in a fast-growing company where you can have an impact. The British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) is currently seeking 13 co-op students/interns in our Finance department for the Fall 2024 (September to December), Winter 2025 (January to April) and Summer 2025 (May to August) work terms. Apply and develop your skills with one of our Finance teams.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

BCI manages a globally diversified portfolio of assets valued at C$233 billion and is one of Canada’s largest institutional investors. We invest globally to support pension and other funds for more than 30 clients based in British Columbia. We are proud to have been chosen as one of and . These national and provincial competitions recognize employers who offer exceptional workplaces for their employees.

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH

The Finance department is part of the Operations group and is responsible for investment and corporate accounting, valuation, as well as financial statements and financial reporting to our clients. The team also leads BCI’s budgeting process, tax structuring and tax compliance, finance client engagement, finance operations, and performance measurement and attribution. 

Working with our internal business partners, auditors and external advisors, the Finance department strives to be a trusted advisor to our internal and external clients by providing timely, accurate, and relevant financial information.

Finance Client Engagement

1 position starting September 2024 (8-month term)

The Finance Client Engagement co-op/intern will work within our Finance department in the Client Financial Planning & Analysis and Client Financial Reporting teams. This is a great opportunity for you to gain a broad understanding and experience in areas such as financial planning, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting, financial analysis, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), stakeholder communication and management, while using technologies and applications including MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, Power Point), Jet Analytics, MS NAV, and Share Point.

Assist with the preparation of special purpose financial reports that are prepared for clients on an as needed basis

Assist with the financial planning deliverables for pension clients’ fee consultation and approval meetings, including fee estimates modeling, briefing notes drafting and working with teams from front, middle and back offices

Assist with the preparation of benchmarking deliverables including client KPI reports and CEM Benchmarking reports for audience including senior management, other departments, and clients

Assist with the monthly internal cost recovery process, including processing large data sets, modeling, and reporting

Monitor emails received from clients and, depending on the request or question, respond directly to the client, or assign to an appropriate member of the team for follow up

Monitor and assist with the analysis on clients’ requests related to investment management fees

Corporate Accounting

1 position starting January 2025 (8-month term)

The Corporate Accounting co-op/intern will work within our Finance department in the Corporate Accounting team. This is a great opportunity for you to gain a broad understanding of core corporate functions such as accounts payable and receivable processing, account reconciliations, supporting employee reimbursement claims processing and ad hoc projects, where required. This role will be using technologies and applications such as MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word), Jet reporting, MS NAV, Share Point, and Workday.

Assist with various Finance projects, including procedural documentation

Assist with the processing of payables and receivables for the corporation, including employee reimbursement claims and vendor/customer invoices

Research best practices, provide recommendations, and work collaboratively in a team environment

Support the Corporate Accountant on other tasks as required by the Corporate Accounting branch

Investment Accounting

2 positions starting September 2024 (8-month term)

2 positions starting January 2025 (8-month term)

The Investment Accounting co-op/intern will work within the Investment Accounting branch. In this role, you would be exposed to multiple asset classes, review and reconcile daily transaction postings, validate portfolio value changes, and support other departments in their reporting needs. You would have the opportunity to work with other departments in the investment life cycle, from those who make investment decisions to those who are responsible for financial reporting, valuation and portfolio return reporting.

Work as part of a team responsible for validating and analyzing net asset values of various investment structures.

Work and learn with teams focused on public markets, infrastructure, real estate, private equity, and derivatives

Review and reconcile daily net asset valuations across all asset classes

Learn how to utilize industry leading software and reporting solutions

Assist in documenting and performing key internal controls

Tax

3 positions starting Sept 2024 (4 or 8-month term)

2 positions starting January 2025 (8-month term)

The Tax co-op/intern will work on the Tax Team, which is responsible for tax compliance and deal advisory work. The Tax Team supports BCI by managing tax matters related to the investment asset classes and corporate offices. Ongoing tax compliance is important to maintain good standing with Canadian and International governing bodies. BCI’s Tax Team also plays a significant role in structuring and coordinating investment deals. If you are interested in developing and implementing tax compliance strategies while gaining an understanding of the deal process, please consider applying.

Support various compliance and deal advisory projects. Projects may include updating investment structure diagrams, collecting and interpreting historical data, and filing tax returns

Organize and maintain tax documents, SharePoint sites, and Excel databases

Gather and prepare information for Canadian, US, and International tax filings

Support indirect tax filings, including GST and PST

Collaborate with internal teams (ex: Corporate Accounting, Legal, Asset Classes, etc.) and external groups (lawyers, accountants, and other advisors)

Document new procedures and suggest improvements to established processes

Prepare tax forms and materials for management and other departments

Valuations

1 position starting January 2025 (8-month term)

1 position starting May 2025 (8-month term)

The Valuations co-op/intern will work in the Financial Reporting & Valuations (“FR&V”) team, responsible for the daily price verification for Fixed Income and Public Equity securities as well as for the quarterly and year-end valuation processes for BCI’s private investment portfolio, including Private Equity, Infrastructure & Renewable Resources, and Private Credit. This is a great opportunity for you to learn and apply your knowledge to prepare valuation of liquid and illiquid investments.

Assist with the daily price verification of fixed income and public equity securities

Assist with the review of valuations prepared by investment teams and/or external valuators, verifying or challenging key valuation assumptions

Assist with gathering valuation information for presentation and disclosure in pooled fund financial statements

Assist with maintain internal controls for liquid and illiquid investment valuation processes and develop procedure documents

Report on drivers of changes in value at an investment level and for a consolidated portfolio in a clear and concise manner

Assist in projects and strategic initiatives, as requested

REQUIRED SKILLS

All co-op/intern positions require the following skills:

Good attention to detail

Ability to communicate clearly and concisely

Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy

High level of professionalism combined with strong interpersonal skills

Ability to meet deadlines while potentially dealing with competing priorities

Good understanding of finance

Fundamental understanding of accounting principles

Aptitude for learning new systems and tools

Good Excel skills

Ability to work and grow in a team environment

There is a preference for candidates with an understanding of the investment industry, and a desire to grow their knowledge of the industry.

Pursuit of an economics, finance, or BCom degree, CPA designation or related area in at least their 3rd year is preferred.

WHAT WE OFFER

Excellent career development and training through real world experience in one of our teams supporting accounting, internal and external reporting, tax, or valuations.

Work with a dynamic team in a fast-paced environment

The development of real-world skills at one of the largest institutional investors in Canada

Exposure to some of the most talented, approachable, and inspiring people in the industry

The ability to opt-in for access to Dialogue, a user-friendly app that offers virtual primary care, employee and family services, and mental health supports

Time to connect with co-op students & interns at BCI – build your network and shared learning

BCI investment professionals lead a monthly Investment Club to share industry knowledge with employees who work in other departments

2 paid days per year for volunteering

Competitive pay: $2,260.00 gross bi-weekly or $2,090.00 gross bi-weekly + vacation leave paid based on 6% of salary ($2,260.00 gross monthly for those with (or working towards) a graduate degree or joining the Investment Strategy & Risk department OR $2,090.00 gross monthly for those with (or working towards) an undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate)

Travel: if coming to Victoria for this work term, BCI will provide a fixed-rate travel allowance based on your location

THE DETAILS

Work term: Fall 2024 (September to December), Winter 2025 (January to April), and/or Summer 2025 (May to August).

Department: Finance

Office Location: 750 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC

Spend your off hours exploring beautiful Victoria and Vancouver Island

All co-ops/internships will need to be completed in person at our Victoria office with the option to work one day per week from home. Please note, some positions are not eligible for hybrid work.

HOW TO APPLY

Application deadline: May 30, 2024 at 11:59pm PT

Please upload a cover letter, resume, and transcripts (unofficial transcript will suffice)

Please indicate which position(s) and term(s) you are applying for

Note: The ability to legally work full-time in Canada for the duration of your work term is a condition of employment at BCI

At BCI, we value diversity and believe in fostering an inclusive culture where all employees can be successful.

We are performance and client focused and value integrity; if you share these values, we want to know you. 

We recognize that some skills can be learned on the job and encourage all to apply.

We would like to hear from you