Buy side investment analyst assistent - #2190692

About Oak Life Science

Oak Life Science Ltd is a London-based long-term investment institution investing its own capital, founded in 2024 by Zhou Kelian (Sally). Before Oak Life, Sally spent fourteen years in life-science tools and cross-border supply chains. The business she built and ran is a leading privately owned import supply-chain company for scientific instruments in China. Oak Life is where she puts the judgement built over those years, about companies, opportunities and people, to a real test: through rigorous research, clear decisions and long-term results.

We invest across private and public markets, covering the US and Europe from London, with China coverage deepening as our Shanghai team is established. We look for two kinds of companies: those the world does not easily change, serving enduring needs with durable advantages; and those that can change the world through new technologies, products or business models. Private markets let us see new technologies and entrepreneurs early; public markets show us how mature businesses, competition and valuation really work. Each tests our assumptions about the other.

Our mission is to direct capital to the right companies, share the returns with the people who shape our judgement, and reinvest capital, experience and resources in the next cycle of value creation. We want our returns to come from backing companies that solve real problems and create genuine value, and from having judged them well.

For the people who join us, this means real responsibility from the start, working closely with the founder on live investment decisions, and sharing in what the institution builds: not only financial reward, but professional growth and a lasting sense of achievement.

Role Description

This Investment Research Associate will work directly with the Founder, supporting research on US and European listed companies, initially in life science and related innovation-led sectors. The role suits someone early in their career who is genuinely curious about how businesses work and enjoys studying companies in depth. Alongside the research, the associate will help turn our work into Oak Life's investment process. The role is full-time, based in London, with a hybrid mix of office and home working.

Key Responsibilities

Research companies and industries. Build a deep understanding of the companies we cover: their business models, industry structure, competitive advantage, management, financial performance and capital allocation.

Turn research into clear conclusions. Build financial models and valuation scenarios, identify the variables that matter most, and write concise memos setting out the investment case, valuation, key risks, contrary evidence and what to monitor.

Go beyond desk research. Support management meetings, expert calls, conferences and company visits, and help verify key information.

Challenge assumptions. Test market consensus and the Founder's views with evidence; distinguish facts from assumptions and say clearly what would change your mind.

Monitor what matters. Track portfolio companies and the watch list, flag important developments promptly and keep a concise weekly research update.

Help build our investment process. Work with the Founder to document research and decisions, capture lessons from each investment, and build a disciplined process we can apply consistently over time.

What We Are Looking For

• 1–3 years of experience in equity research, investing, investment banking, consulting, corporate strategy or a similar analytical role; exceptional graduates will also be considered.
• Genuine curiosity about business: you study companies because you enjoy it, and you can explain why a particular business fascinates you.
• The ability to get to the core of an industry and a company's business model, and to identify the key drivers and the key risks.
• Solid financial-statement analysis and modelling skills, and a good grasp of valuation.
• Rigorous, evidence-based thinking: you separate facts from assumptions, look for contrary evidence and change your view when the facts change.
• Resourcefulness in finding reliable information quickly.
• Clear, concise written and spoken English.
• High integrity, intellectual honesty, low ego and dependable follow-through.

Useful, but Not Essential

• Knowledge of, or strong interest in, life science tools, biopharma services, applied AI, software or related innovation-led sectors.
• Your own investment write-ups, stock pitches or personal research on companies.

What matters most. Curiosity, business sense, intellectual honesty, clarity and reliability. We care more about how you think than about your previous title. The right person will grow into a trusted thinking partner, not simply a producer of reports or models.

Compensation. Competitive base salary and discretionary bonus, commensurate with experience.

How to apply. Please apply through LinkedIn. Along with your CV, include a short note (no more than one page) on one company, explaining how it makes money, why it can keep making it, and what could stop it. Please add the note to the same PDF as your CV.