YOU’RE NOT NORMAL, ARE YOU?

Need a change? Had enough of being treated with dignity? Come ply your trade at the lang cat! We all float down here in Leith. You’ll float too!

This is a job advertisement from the lang cat.

Have you heard of the lang cat? Daft name, brilliant company. Since it started in 2010, it has spent the past 6 years delivering market-leading, no, market–defining research, insight and consultancy to the who’s who of financial services.

We also have a PR, content and strategic communications division which is currently flying, winning contracts against some of the more established names over in PR World (worst theme park ever, although there are lots of mobile phones).

Why are both parts of the business succeeding? Lots of reasons that involve each part of the business pulling together. Your role will be an analyst in #teamdata, the merry band of oddballs who produce the regular data and insight that helps to underpin much of the technical expertise across the lang cat.

WHAT A WAY TO MAKE A LIVIN’

It’s all about collating and managing data / information from various sources on a regular basis. Then organising it into a database and using it to produce analysis that populates various products and sources, including our website, regular publications and bespoke client work.

This involves primary research, that means collecting data from 20+ (and growing) data partners. It means managing a contacts list at each data partner and maintaining good relations with each of them.

In a nutshell, if you can look at a problem or a scenario, break it down and think about how you can manipulate or use data to solve it, then you’re likely to find this interesting. And if you like the idea of collecting large volumes of data, organising it, analysing it and playing it back to a range of audiences, you’ll be at home in the team.

It’s also about desk research, where the role will involve researching a subject and producing usable material from the research.

That’s at the heart of it, but because we’re a small company, the other things that you do and how you might develop will be flexible based on you, meaning there’s room to grow.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR, THEN, MR CAT?

Boiling all of that down, if you’re going to succeed in this role, here’s a list of stuff that’s not up for negotiation;

• You’ll have the technical competency to manage and manipulate large amounts of data (and enjoy doing that sort of thing) that feeds into our product cycle.
• You’ll be highly numerate.
• You will enjoy building external relationships and not be shy to pick up the phone to strangers (who won’t be strangers after that).
• At least competent to expert level on Microsoft applications, especially Excel.
• Have a serious eye for detail, particularly involving data and numbers. (You noticed the typo in the first sentence of this advert and felt irritated/smug about it)
• Find the financial services sector interesting (as much as anyone does) and therefore want to develop your understanding of it, so you can help us find out what the data means.
• Be self-disciplined. We will help you but not every minute of the day.
• Be able to work with and in a small team.
• You’ll also need to be articulate, able to hold your own with and against a load of folk who are strong-minded, and disciplined enough to get the work done without needing someone to STANDOVERYOUWATCHING all the time.

Be ready to get fired in about whatever needs doing understanding that sometimes life is like totally unfair and you just have to get on with it.

YOU SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE, YOU

Where are you just now? We think there’s a chance you might currently be working in a role like a Paraplanner, business analyst or market insight analyst.

In terms of qualifications, you might have left school and worked your way up through the industry. Or you might have a degree in something like maths, economics, CS, business studies or marketing.

Or you might have what you think is an irrelevant qualification but have experienced the industry and want to develop in it.

Or, you know what, you might just be working in a pish job that doesn’t make use of your awesome skills and qualifications and know deep inside that you want a different career.

We think that the role needs somebody with existing financial services experience, but we do have an open mind (it’s up to you to convince us). You absolutely need to have a desire to build a career in the sector, because a big part of what’s good about this role is the chance to learn huge amounts about the industry.

SOME THINGS ABOUT WORKING HERE

• We’re a small team so you will need to enjoy mucking in and getting on with things under your own steam. No-one in the company is above or below any job and the only way we succeed is if everyone does their bit.
• You’ll work in an atmosphere that is unparalleled in the industry. It’s awfy intense from time to time. Deadlines can be punishing and we can all be grumpy sausages sometimes. But the flip side of that is that you’ll laugh more than is probably acceptable in the workplace.
• You’ll do work that makes a real difference to the industry. You’ll be helping to produce things that lead to senior business-leaders making decisions. You’ll help to produce numbers that will go in the mainstream press.
• You’ll work with some of the sharpest minds in the industry. And Steve and Terry.

How does this all sound to you? If you’re interested, email Steve Nelson, and tell us your story.

THE DETAIL

This is a full-time role based at the lang cat’s beautiful, airy offices in Leith, Edinburgh, but with travel from time to time. It’s offered as a permanent role, but comes with a six-month probationary period. Salary will depend on experience. There’s a pension scheme (8% unconditional), a profit and performance related bonus scheme and you can have a holiday sometimes if you must. Working hours are flexible and you can work from home some of the time if you want. You get all the tools and tech you’ll need to do your job and access to the office Sonos on the understanding that ritual humiliation of your music taste will be guaranteed. The coffee is decent and plentiful.

A NOTE TO AGENCIES

Hi lads, us again. We’ve never paid for hiring staff and don’t plan to start now. But if you do think you’ve got the bestest candidate ever, you can put them up for our consideration, on one condition. If we take them, we’ll pay your fee. But if we don’t take them, you agree to pay us 25% of your candidate’s first year’s target salary. And FIFA 18 when it’s out. Because sauce for the goose, is sauce for, y’know, the other thing.

And that’s it. Hope to hear from you all soon.

Love

the lang cat