Anyone got a uranium analyst for UBS?

Banks and stockbrokers are scrambling to fill niche ECM jobs, with uranium emerging as a particularly hot sector.

Investment banks are increasingly focused on small to mid-cap fund raising in the $30m to $200m range.

Large firms like UBS and Macquarie, who would have previously shunned deals of this size, are now competing for mandates as deal flow dries up elsewhere, says a headhunter who asked not to be named.

"Uranium is a clear area of growth. I'm seeing more demand for analysts with these skill sets as uranium stocks are going up," adds Caan Krsztew-Ivanow, search consultant, H Capital.

It's not just the big IBs who want uranium analysts, stockbroking firms are recruiting them too.

Austock has a new small-cap team, while Patersons Securities is "going hell for leather in uranium," says the anonymous headhunter.

But just how do you find a uranium candidate, given that not many bankers currently specialise in the sector?

The answer, it seems, is to poach them from mining companies, says Krsztew-Ivanow. "Banks are becoming more flexible and are hiring analysts from the industry who understand how the industry works."

Why would mining candidates want to join a bank? "It means still using your sector knowledge but gaining an understanding of investment banking at the same time," says Krsztew-Ivanow.

Uranium analysts are typically in their early to mid 30s, with at least five years' experience in this niche area.

Global banks often have mirror roles in Hong Kong or Singapore, or the Australia-based job is an APAC-wide position which involves plenty of travelling.