Who we are

S-RM is a global intelligence and cyber security consultancy. Since 2005, we’ve helped companies, governments and private individuals solve some of their most complex challenges.

Our Corporate Intelligence division uses the latest research and intelligence-gathering techniques to investigate how companies and individuals really do business in today’s world. We work with some of the world’s most prominent organisations to help them understand partners, customers, assets and territories across the globe - the healthcare company a private equity firm wants to invest in; the prospective client a bank wants to onboard; the market a multinational wants to enter. We also provide specialised investigative support to law firms, businesses and individuals in contentious situations such as litigation, commercial disputes and internal investigations.

From our offices in London, Manchester, New York, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Cape Town, we deliver critical insights from every country across the world. Further information about each of our five Corporate Intelligence practice areas can be found on our website: Compliance Due Diligence, Deal Advisory, Disputes & Investigations, ESG and Strategic Intelligence.

The role

The successful candidate for the Senior Associate role will play an important part in the development of S-RM’s fast-growing Asia Pacific team. In particular, the Senior Associate will work closely with a Hong Kong-based Associate Director to help build out S-RM's Northeast Asia practice in Japan and Korea.

The candidate will be involved in numerous areas of the management of the team personnel and casework. You will be expected to promote best practice relating to research, assessment and methodology and ensure delivery aligns with the high expectations of our clients.

Good teamwork and clear communication are integral to success at S-RM. We work together to address multi-faceted intelligence challenges in order to provide our clients with well-sourced, objective reporting on sometimes contentious and complex issues. Senior associates attend business development and client management meetings, which may include travel to Japan and/or Korea to meet with clients and to expand our human source networks

S-RM provides a mixture of internal and external training to promote your development, in addition to providing ongoing mentoring and support in your career.

We expect that the successful candidate will likely be involved with some or all of the following:

• Managing open source and human source-led due diligence investigations;
• Writing regionally-focused reports on companies and individuals;
• Conducting extensive research in Japanese;
• Editing reports and providing constructive feedback;
• Training, development and line management of more junior members of the team;
• Preparing proposals for new business;
• Analysing human source material and supporting the development of S-RM’s human source network; and;
• Presenting to clients

The role will be based in our Hong Kong office; however we have flexible working arrangements available.

What we are looking for

Candidates with the following skills and experience are likely to succeed as a Senior Associate at S-RM. That said, if you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply.

Nobody checks every box—we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas and have some interest and capabilities in others.

We’re looking for someone with some or all of these skills who can adapt to change and work comfortably in a fast-paced environment:

• A high working proficiency in written and spoken English is required;
• As a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience;
• Extensive experience working in the corporate intelligence industry;
• A high working proficiency in Japanese will be required for this role;
• Experience interacting with clients;
• Excellent research and investigative skills;
• Experience planning and organising projects;
• Experience contributing to pitches and business development activities is desirable;
• Relevant experience managing others; and,
• A working knowledge of financial and commercial concepts.

The individual will need to have the following key personal skills and attributes to perform successfully in this role:

• A clear interest in regional political and business affairs;
• A proactive mindset and a willingness to work outside the job specification when required;
• An ability to thrive under pressure and work to tight deadlines; and
• Willingness to occasionally travel to Japan.

The successful candidate must have permission to work in Hong Kong by the start of their employment.

Our benefits

We offer thoughtful, balanced rewards and support to help our people do their best work and live their lives outside it, including:

• Holiday – 20 days per year increasing to 25 days (+1 day for every year you worked at S-RM, up to a maximum of 5 days) in addition to bank holidays
• MPF (Mandatory Provident Fund) – MPF mandatory minimum contribution is 5% which is currently capped at HKD$1,500 per month. On top of that we offer an additional 1% of voluntary matching contribution up to a total maximum of 6%.
• Life insurance – 4x annual salary

Parental Support:

• Maternity leave- 26 weeks of full pay followed by 13 weeks of half pay
• Paternity leave- 6 weeks of full pay
• Maternity benefit (as part of the Private medical healthcare cover) for female employees and wives of male employees - after 1 year on cover.
• Fertility treatment leave – 5 days of leave per cycle of treatment per year

Various Health and Medical Benefits:

• Private medical healthcare with Manulife including clinical, hospital and dental cover. Offered to you, your partner* and children**
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) for employee and immediate family, including counselling sessions
• Eye tests and glasses reimbursement up to certain cost on an annual basis
• Free access to the world-famous mindfulness app Headspace
• Seasonal flu vaccination

The application process

We want to get to know you, and for you to get to know us, to see if we’d be a good fit. We are responsive and respectful of people’s time throughout our hiring process.

The easiest way to get your details to us is to send a CV and cover letter directly through this LINK.

We expect the interview process will consist of the following steps:

1. A preliminary call which will be a chance for you to find out more about S-RM and the role.
2. A research and writing task to do in your own time. This will assess your analytical and writing skills and give you a better sense of the work we do.
3. One interview discussing the research task and your technical skills.
4. One interview discussing your previous experience, broader competencies, and suitability for the role.

S-RM nurtures a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion and we are dedicated to developing a workforce that displays a variety of talents, experiences and perspectives.