Investment Analyst

Symotree Global; Pretoria; Hybrid; ZAR 514 000 - 1 202 000; Full time

Job summary

A private investment firm in South Africa is seeking a high-performing Investment Analyst. The ideal candidate will analyze financial statements, identify investment opportunities, and use AI tools for research. Applicants should have a strong academic background in Finance or Economics, with relevant experience in financial analysis and valuation. This role operates in a hybrid work environment and values independent, analytical thinking.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of financial analysis, audit, or investment research experience.
• Quant-rigorous degrees will be considered.
• Academic excellence: First Class/Distinction or equivalent GPA.

Responsibilities

• Analyse S&P constituents and 13F filings to find potential investments.
• Perform financial statement and competitive analysis.
• Prepare investment memos with facts and valuation ranges.

Skills

Financial analysis

Analytical thinking

Use of AI tools

Financial modelling

Valuation analysis

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Finance, Economics, or Accounting

CFA Level II or III candidate

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

Symotree is searching for high‑performing Investment Analyst for our client to fulfil the role outlined below.
Role : Investment Analyst
Location : South Africa (Hybrid)
Type : Full‑time | Private Investment Firm

About The Hiring Organisation

The organisation is a privately held investment company (BVI domiciled) built on a simple design —one ship, two engines, one destination.
Engine 1 : A cash‑generative mining operation in South Africa.
Engine 2 : A Contrarian Commodity Desk focused on cycle opportunities.
The Vault (Sea‑Change Portfolio) : Our compounding equity portfolio, dedicated to identifying durable compounders while avoiding growth and value traps.
We are building a modern, enduring investment house rooted in rationality, deep research, and quiet excellence.

Role

The analyst will help construct and monitor the Sea‑Change Portfolio – a long‑term vault of businesses with moats, sound capital allocation, and compounding cash flows. The role combines classical financial analysis with modern, AI‑enabled research methods to surface insight from vast public data.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyse S&P constituents and 13F filings to identify potential compounders.
• Perform financial statement analysis to assess business models, moats, competition, and capital intensity.
• Maintain a structured scorecard of companies and sector insights.
• Use AI tools intelligently to synthesise filings and automate research summaries.
• Prepare investment memos that present facts, logic, risks, and valuation ranges.
• Work closely with the Chairman on allocation decisions.

Who You Are

We are intentionally looking for a rare intellectual archetype, not a conventional job‑seeker. Please read carefully and apply only if this genuinely describes you.
Naturally introverted and analytical : draws energy from independent thinking, not networking.
Truth‑seeking and precise : numbers before narratives, facts before noise.
Detail‑driven but panoramic : can live in footnotes and still see industry structure.
AI‑native : enjoys using modern tools to work faster and cleaner, while verifying sources.
Calm, patient, and independent : thinks in decades, not quarters.
Prefers a private, owner‑led setting to corporate bureaucracy.

Academic & Technical Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Finance, Economics, or Accounting (preferred).
• Quant‑rigorous degrees (Engineering / Applied Math) considered with proven financial literacy.
• Academic excellence : First Class / Distinction, top decile, or GPA = 3.6 equivalent.
• CFA Level II (passed) or active Level III candidate strongly preferred ; Level I considered for exceptional academic performers.
• 2–4 years of financial analysis, audit, or investment research experience.
• Skilled in financial modelling and valuation : FCF & DCF analysis, ROIC, unit economics, sensible multiples, and scenario testing for table reading SEC filings (10‑K, 10‑Q, 20‑F) and tracking 13F disclosures.
• Proficient in Excel / Google Sheets ; strong presentation and analytical writing skills.
• Naturally adopts AI tools to enhance speed, clarity, and data synthesis without blindly trusting them.

Culture

The organisation operates like a private research lab, not a corporate floor.

No noise, no politics, no dashboards.

Every analyst is expected to think like an owner and work with intellectual honesty and discipline.