Co-Head of Investor Engagement – Engagement Lead

ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system serves our planet and its people. We set ambitious standards for how financial institutions, through their investment decisions, can protect our planet and its people and campaign for this approach to become the norm. We convene shareholders to collectively push companies to tackle the climate crisis, protect nature, improve workers’ rights and shape healthier societies. In the UK and EU, we advocate for financial regulation that has society’s best interests at its core.

Position

As part of the Financial Sector Standards Directorate, the Co-Head of Investor Engagement is responsible for leading ShareAction’s engagement with asset owners, asset managers and investment consultants. The role is key to establishing, sustaining and deepening constructive relationships with investment professionals at the heart of the financial system, challenging, encouraging and supporting them to raise their ambition on climate, nature, decent working conditions and people’s health. This is a new role that has been created from a restructure of the team that we hope will allow both parts to work more collaboratively.

In this role, you will be accountable for designing and leading ShareAction’s strategy to engage and influence major global institutional investors. You will help ShareAction work towards our vision by playing a leading role in shaping a dynamic new strategy for engaging pension funds to be active responsible stewards of pension savers’ capital, helping them to exercise positive influence over the wider investment system in the interests of the people whose assets they manage.

You will work closely with your fellow Co-Head of Investor Engagement, who acts as Technical Lead. They bring analytical and research expertise, ensuring that ShareAction’s insights, guidance and research outputs are informed, credible and robust. Your vital contribution will be to build constructive and sustained relationships with our key audiences in the investment industry and to shape inspiring and engaging events, dialogue and communications that deliver our messages in ways that resonate.

The Co-Head role is not a job share – both Co-Heads are full-time roles. Jointly, you are accountable for the design and overall delivery of ShareAction’s investor engagement strategy and for the wellbeing and performance of the Investor Engagement Team. However, you each have distinct accountabilities within the strategy, and the Engagement Lead (this role) will have primary responsibility for team operations (budget, risk and plan management, as well as monitoring, evaluation and learning). The team comprises eight more junior colleagues, six of whom will sit in your reporting line, with three reporting directly to you. As a team Head, you will also be part of ShareAction’s Extended Leadership Team, which plays a key role in organisational leadership, strategy and decision-making.

You will also liaise closely with colleagues who lead our advocacy with policymakers, as well as those who lead our corporate campaigns, helping to coordinate their efforts to build coalitions of investors that drive change through collaborative engagements with specific companies and sectors. You will also oversee the secretariat function which ShareAction provides to two networks of mission-led investors (the Charities Responsible Investment Network and the Responsible Investment Network – Universities), supporting their ambitions to be at the leading edge of responsible investment practice.

ShareAction’s research, engagement and campaigns are highly respected within the investment industry. If you are excited by the opportunity to influence and shape the way the finance sector responds to the challenge of aligning long-term economic, financial, environmental and social goals, then we’d love to hear from you!

What you’ll bring to the team

We want to hear from you if you’re highly skilled in strategic stakeholder relationship management and have a passion for making the financial system work in the interests of people and the planet. We think this role could suit someone who has previous experience in the financial sector. Or perhaps, you may have worked in wider industry in investor relations, in a professional services organisation, or in a stakeholder-facing role within a civil society organisation or regulatory/policymaking body. Additionally, the key aptitudes we’re looking for are the ability to shape and lead a strategy to engage and influence with impact and the ability to lead and manage a passionate and talented team. However, we recognise that talent comes from all types of backgrounds, and lots of skills are transferable. So, if you believe you would excel in engaging to change the financial industry but don't have one of these profiles of experience, we’re still keen to hear from you, and we welcome opportunities to explore different ways of achieving our goals.

What we will do for you

We are a fast-paced organisation that has grown substantially over the past few years. We recognise that our people work hard to advocate for responsible investment and drive meaningful engagement with those who have the power to create a brighter future. Every day, they bring their expertise, passion and persistence to build a world where the financial system serves our people and planet. We want to ensure we provide the right environment for our colleagues to thrive, and we are committed to improving our employee offer where possible.

Currently, we are pleased to offer:

• A commitment to flexible working: over 60% of our employees have some sort of flexible working arrangement in place.
• Hybrid working: we are committed to supporting our staff to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and meets the requirements of their role.
• Internal promotion and development opportunities: we offer a range of ways to improve your skills and focus on what you love, including promotion, secondment, or sideways development opportunities. For some levels of roles, we offer direct progression.
• The opportunity to help make a difference: we tackle some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. We offer opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience in a friendly, flexible and supportive working environment.
• A unionised work environment: our staff have the opportunity to join the union, and we are supported by our recognised union, Unite. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay.
• Regular in-person meetings, including all-staff away days, retreats and directorate strategy days to create connected teams.
• 8% non-contributory pension: invested with NEST and their green funds.
• A healthcare cash plan with Westfield that gives you money back on your healthcare costs.
• An employee assistance programme: advice and support, lifestyle discounts and short-term counselling.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure at the end of the year, ensuring everyone gets time to switch off together.
• Enhanced family leave pay: up to 18 weeks paid at 90% for either parent.
• Enhanced sick pay: starting at 5 weeks’ full pay from day one.
• Season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.

ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities, and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!

For further information and to apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 9am on Monday 30 September 2024.
First-round interviews: Wednesday 9/Thursday 10 October 2024 (online).
Second-round interviews: Wednesday 16/Thursday 17 October 2024 (in person).

Our hiring process is anonymised; we won’t ask for a cover letter, and we don’t look at CVs until the interview stage. We do this so that we reduce the opportunity for unconscious biases to affect our decision-making, and so we prioritise skills and expertise over how well you can write a CV.

To be considered for this post, you must be legally eligible to work in the UK; unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Please be aware that when shortlisting we are really keen to get a sense of your unique voice and individual experience, especially if you are using generative AI tools as part of your drafting process.