From autonomous vehicles, to the software behind the Internet of Things, to the power of big data—innovation and disruption are driving the markets as never before, with industries and whole sectors changing at speeds that were once unfathomable. Underpinning this massive change is financial services—the engine that helps ignite companies to develop new products and create new markets. Harnessing that explosive growth takes a lot of hard work, thoughtful strategy, good advice and financing. And, of course, the people who can make all that happen. Which is why we are always looking for bright, curious and creative people to join our team at Morgan Stanley.
Here at Morgan Stanley, our people are our greatest asset, taking on challenges big and small to help our clients realize their goals. How do we do that? By valuing collaboration. If you have a good idea or a solution to a problem that no one has thought of, we want to hear from you, whether you’re an Associate or a Managing Director and whether your college major was finance, technology, liberal arts or engineering. A diversity of opinions, experience and backgrounds creates the wealth of perspective that brings about success.
Here are a few other reasons why you should consider working for Morgan Stanley, a place I’ve been proud to call my employer for over three decades.
1. You are encouraged to use your creativity to tackle complex problems
If you are someone who enjoys stretching yourself professionally, who is excited to take on new and complex challenges every day, you’ll find a way to build a gratifying career at Morgan Stanley. Take Sebastian, a quant analyst for the firm. Sebastian told us, “I don’t feel like I’ve stopped learning here at Morgan Stanley. Once I’ve mastered a concept, there’s always something else I can become good at.” Together, we work across business units to find solutions to whatever problems we face. Take combatting climate change as an example. Morgan Stanley is committed to achieving net-zero financed emissions by 2050 and contributing to the decarbonization of the real economy. This will require broad transformation across sectors and economies. Our employees support our clients through their own climate transitions and also help scale low-carbon and green solutions as part of the firm’s 2030 $1 trillion sustainable finance target, which includes business activities and products related to clean energy, climate adaptation solutions, energy efficiency and carbon reduction and removal.
2. You’ll find opportunities to innovate every day, including as a technologist
Working in technology at a financial services firm offers many of the same exciting opportunities for innovation that big tech companies and startups do, combined with mobility, autonomy, complex tasks and direct impact. As Rose-Gaelle, a software engineer puts it, “At first, I was confused when a Morgan Stanley recruiter called me about a summer internship. How could my skills transfer to a position within an investment bank?”
What she discovered once she was hired was that “Morgan Stanley is the ideal place for motivated and talented people, especially technologists.” In fact, we’ve been honored as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators and the leader in the publication’s Banking and Finance category.
Our Innovation Group funds promising employee projects in key areas, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analytics, and fintech and fosters relationships with top technology players and promising startups. It also offers an accelerator program to expedite the patent-filing process. To that end we have multiple Innovation Labs, which provide a “sandbox” that allows employees to experiment with code, hardware and other technologies in a flexible and controlled environment.
3. You’ll have the chance to work at a company where diversity is highly valued
At Morgan Stanley, diversity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s something we embrace every day. Our employees represent a wealth of different backgrounds and bring their unique perspectives, ideas and experiences to whatever role they take on, helping cultivate a workplace that is resilient, results-driven and effective. And we look to promote diversity in other ways, too. Our Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab is an in-house accelerator supporting early-stage tech and tech-enabled startups led by underrepresented entrepreneurs, a segment who receive only a fraction of the venture capital money that other entrepreneurs do. The Lab is designed not only to help close this trillion-dollar funding gap, but to give underrepresented founders the tools, access and opportunity they need to succeed.
4. You’ll be encouraged to give back to your community
A common thread that unites our people—across divisions, levels and regions—is our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we live and work. Morgan Stanley employees create meaningful, lasting social impact, whether they are working at food banks during our Global Volunteer Month every June or offering expertise as part of our annual pro bono initiative. The Morgan Stanley Strategy Challenge matches nonprofits with rising talent within the firm to develop action plans that help address mission-critical issues.
The Strategy Challenge has delivered 145,000 service hours valued at over $28.7M to 183 nonprofits since the program began in 2009. But you don’t have to be picked to participate in the Strategy Challenge to give back at Morgan Stanley. Since 2006 our employees have contributed over 2.8 million hours of volunteer work during our annual Global Volunteer Month—that equates to 245 years of donated time and effort to help the communities we call home across the globe.
It’s just one more reason why Morgan Stanley is such a special place to work. But don’t take my word for it. Read what our rising talent in roles across the firm has to say about what they find so rewarding about working at Morgan Stanley. I hope you’ll be encouraged to join them.
