Associate Director - Local Governments - South

About the Role:

Grade Level (for internal use):

12

The Team:

S&P Global Ratings is one of the world's leading providers of independent credit risk research and benchmarks. Within S&P Global Ratings, Americas Public Finance is an important sector as our credit analysis supports key funding initiatives and serves as a growth driver for many areas of the economy. The Local Governments, South team specializes in credit analysis for cities, counties, and special districts across the southern United States, maintaining a strong culture of analytical excellence and customer service in a supportive, collaborative, and results-driven environment.

What You Stand to Gain:

• Lead complex credit analysis for diverse local government entities across the dynamic southern U.S. markets

• Gain exposure to senior leadership and external stakeholders through committee participation and public speaking opportunities

• Develop expertise in municipal finance while contributing to market-leading research and thought leadership

• Advance your career in a globally recognized organization with opportunities for professional growth and development

The Impact and Responsibilities:

Impact:

This position is critical to maintaining our market leadership in local government credit analysis across the southern United States. You will directly influence credit opinions that impact billions of dollars in municipal financing, helping communities fund essential infrastructure and services while providing investors with trusted, independent analysis.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary analyst on complex local government credit transactions and prepare well-supported rating recommendations for rating committees, with clear rating reports supporting our credit opinions

• Function as an active, vocal voting member of rating committees, which deliberate rating outcomes and review materials prior to publication

• Publish timely and insightful credit reports as well as relevant research pieces focused on southern U.S. local government markets

• Demonstrate strong knowledge of ratings criteria and financial statement analysis, while staying informed on relevant news and issues affecting credit quality in the municipal bond market

• Function as a sector expert on local government credits, publish thought leadership pieces, and represent the company to external stakeholders through conferences and media interactions

• Mentor and provide analytic support to junior analysts, fostering a collaborative environment to build consensus across groups with competing priorities

Compensation/Benefits Information:

(This section is only applicable to US candidates): S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is 137,000-160,000 Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual's geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses, and certifications.

What We're Looking For:

Basic Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required; postgraduate qualifications preferred

• An S&P Global employee at this level would typically have 5-7 years of extensive experience in public finance or local government analysis

• Strong understanding of municipal finance, including general fund operations, capital planning, and debt structures

• Ability to think independently and critically with strong integrity, analytical curiosity, problem-solving, and research skills

• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills for internal and external audiences

• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated skills in quantitative analysis and financial statement interpretation

• Ability to work collaboratively in team environments while also functioning independently with initiative to expand knowledge and support team goals

• Proactive organization with excellent time management skills and ability to prioritize and meet multiple deadlines

• All employees are required to work from the office a minimum of 2 days per week

• We require all candidates who reach the final stage of our interview process to attend at least one in-person interview, which is ordinarily at your nearest S&P Global Ratings office. This must be completed before we can proceed to an offer

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with southern U.S. local government markets and regional economic dynamics

• Knowledge of S&P's analytical products, services, and rating methodologies

• Proficiency with financial modeling and analysis tools beyond standard Microsoft Office applications

• Experience in public speaking, conference presentations, or media interactions related to municipal finance

US Right to Work Requirements: This role is limited to persons with an indefinite right to work in the United States.

About S&P Global Ratings
At S&P Global Ratings, our analyst-driven credit ratings, research, and sustainable finance opinions provide critical insights that are essential to translating complexity into clarity so market participants can uncover opportunities and make decisions with conviction. By bringing transparency to the market through high-quality independent opinions on creditworthiness, we enable growth across a wide variety of organizations, including businesses, governments, and institutions.

S&P Global Ratings is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI).  S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world’s leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today.

For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/ratings

What’s In It For You?

Our Mission:

Advancing Essential Intelligence.

Our People:

We're more than 35,000 strong worldwide—so we're able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective. Our team is driven by curiosity and a shared belief that Essential Intelligence can help build a more prosperous future for us all.From finding new ways to measure sustainability to analyzing energy transition across the supply chain to building workflow solutions that make it easy to tap into insight and apply it. We are changing the way people see things and empowering them to make an impact on the world we live in. We’re committed to a more equitable future and to helping our customers find new, sustainable ways of doing business. Join us and help create the critical insights that truly make a difference.

Our Values:

Integrity, Discovery, Partnership

Throughout our history, the world's leading organizations have relied on us for the Essential Intelligence they need to make confident decisions about the road ahead. We start with a foundation of integrity in all we do, bring a spirit of discovery to our work, and collaborate in close partnership with each other and our customers to achieve shared goals.

Benefits:

We take care of you, so you can take care of business. We care about our people. That’s why we provide everything you—and your career—need to thrive at S&P Global.

Our benefits include: 

• Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for the mind and body.

• Flexible Downtime: Generous time off helps keep you energized for your time on.

• Continuous Learning: Access a wealth of resources to grow your career and learn valuable new skills.

• Invest in Your Future: Secure your financial future through competitive pay, retirement planning, a continuing education program with a company-matched student loan contribution, and financial wellness programs.

• Family Friendly Perks: It’s not just about you. S&P Global has perks for your partners and little ones, too, with some best-in class benefits for families.

• Beyond the Basics: From retail discounts to referral incentive awards—small perks can make a big difference.

For more information on benefits by country visit: https://spgbenefits.com/benefit-summaries

Global Hiring and Opportunity at S&P Global:

At S&P Global, we are committed to fostering a connected and engaged workplace where all individuals have access to opportunities based on their skills, experience, and contributions. Our hiring practices emphasize fairness, transparency, and merit, ensuring that we attract and retain top talent. By valuing different perspectives and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration, we drive innovation and power global markets.

S&P Global has a Securities Disclosure and Trading Policy (“the Policy”) that seeks to mitigate conflicts of interest by monitoring and placing restrictions on personal securities holding and trading. The Policy is designed to promote compliance with global regulations. In some Divisions, pursuant to the Policy’s requirements, candidates at S&P Global may be asked to disclose securities holdings. Some roles may include a trading prohibition and remediation of positions when there is an effective or potential conflict of interest. Employment at S&P Global is contingent upon compliance with the Policy.

Recruitment Fraud Alert:

If you receive an email from a spglobalind.com domain or any other regionally based domains, it is a scam and should be reported to reportfraud@spglobal.com. S&P Global never requires any candidate to pay money for job applications, interviews, offer letters, “pre-employment training” or for equipment/delivery of equipment. Stay informed and protect yourself from recruitment fraud by reviewing our guidelines, fraudulent domains, and how to report suspicious activity here.

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