About abrdn
What is abrdn?
abrdn now trades as Aberdeen: abrdn.com redirects to the group's own sites, which are branded "Aberdeen Group plc" and registered in Scotland (SC286832) at 1 George Street, Edinburgh. Its live job ads state the ambition directly — "At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK's leading Wealth & Investments group." The company is built from three businesses, "interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser": interactive investor is described as "the UK's second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform"; the Adviser business "provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers"; and Investments is "a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale". Underneath sits a simple proposition — "an unwavering belief in the power of investing to change lives".
Where will I work?
Edinburgh is the centre of gravity, accounting for most of the UK vacancies on the Workday careers site, alongside occasional UK field roles advertised as "Not Office Based (UK)". The wider group hires in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Shanghai and Philadelphia. The working pattern is hybrid by design: "At Aberdeen we've adopted a 'blended working' approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business."
What is the abrdn team like?
Four cultural commitments shape the place: "We put the client first", "We are ambitious", "We are empowered" and "We are transparent" — the last defined as having "the honest and important conversations that fuel our performance and build trusted relationships". Development is self-directed and well resourced: the GoodPractice portal hosts "bite-sized learning including videos, articles, exercises, animations", with Skillsoft, getAbstract and Harvard ManageMentor alongside it, plus sponsorship "in the forms of financial support and/or study support, for professional qualifications". Aberdeen is "a Disability Confident Committed employer" and invites candidates to ask for adjustments, "for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability".
Work-Life Balance
There is no four-day week, compressed schedule or reduced-hours policy published on the careers site or in any live job ad. The leave allowance is the standout instead: "You're entitled to 40 days holiday if you work full time, pro-rata if you work part time, this includes public and company recognised holidays." Every UK job ad repeats the same headline package — "40 days' annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits".
Perks and Benefits
- 40 days holiday including public and company recognised days, pro-rata part time
- Salary-sacrifice pension with a 16% employer contribution
- Company-funded private health insurance, family cover optional
- Life assurance of eight times insurable salary
- 26 weeks paid UK parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers
- Employee share plans and Give As You Earn
- Discretionary performance-based bonus, where applicable
- Employee Assistance Programme
- GoodPractice, Skillsoft and sponsored professional qualifications
- Employee discount site, gym discounts and season ticket loans