About the PRI

The PRI is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions. The PRI acts in the long-term interests of its signatories, of the financial markets and economies in which they operate and ultimately of the environment and society as a whole. The PRI is truly independent. It encourages investors to use responsible investment to enhance returns and better manage risks but does not operate for its own profit; it engages with global policymakers but is not associated with any government; it is supported by, but not part of, the United Nations.

Working at the PRI provides an opportunity to engage with highly motivated, culturally diverse professionals on a wide range of cutting edge issues, such as income inequality through the lens of sustainable finance. The PRI provides scope for development at all levels with opportunities for project leadership and management working alongside some of the most influential signatories and leaders across financial markets and economies. In combination with a supportive culture that encourages continuous learning and flexible working policies, PRI is a highly engaging place to work on truly transformative issues.

Job description

The Relationship Manager, US will be part of the US Signatory Relations (SR) team, currently composed of four members. The Relationship Manager, US will be working towards enhancing Responsible Investment awareness and providing investors with the tools to implement it in their investment process in the US markets. The role involves contributing to PRI’s recruitment and signatory coverage. There will be scope for regular domestic and occasional international travel primarily for signatory meetings, industry events and internal meetings. The successful candidate will work closely with other PRI colleagues in the UK.

Core Responsibilities:

• Awareness: raising awareness about the materiality of ESG issues for investment processes among asset owners, investment managers and service providers.

• Signatory servicing and Stakeholder relationships: Enhance US signatory implementation and satisfaction, through successful new signatory on-boarding, signatory review meetings, reporting and assessment sessions, development sessions and other PRI-supported events. Strengthen relationships with key targeted stakeholders in the US, to support the development of responsible investment locally.

• Outreach: Target for recruitment to the PRI public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurers, endowments/foundations, as well as key asset managers and consultants.

• Other projects: Assist on strategic and/or ad hoc projects that are consistent with overall Signatory Relations team or PRI objectives as needed.

• Events: Represent PRI at relevant events to help raise the organisation’s profile in the US and help showcase relevant recent research, initiatives and guides.

• Signatory Relations team: Aid overall team effectiveness by contributing to Signatory Relations monthly team meetings, for example with respect to asset owner recruitment and coverage.

• Collaboration with other PRI teams: Develop strong working relationships with PRI’s other teams on US market-related issues, especially Reporting & Assessment, Investment Practices and Policy & Research.

Core Competencies:

PRI expects roles at a ‘Senior Specialist level’ within the organisation to demonstrate skills across the following core competencies:

Analytical

•Looks for opportunities to add value by sharing specialist knowledge and insights

•Broadens the view to consider all possible options even if they initially seem unlikely solutions

•Can effectively capture and structure ill-defined or vague problems and is comfortable handling uncertainty (in own work and that of team members)

•Considers examples outside of the PRI in offering alternative solutions or guidance

Business Awareness

•Demonstrates an understanding of the business, including its finances, mission and its culture

•Identifies and utilises key relationships (both internal and external) for successful execution of project or

•Knows when and how to challenge senior managers

•Applies industry knowledge and understanding of external influences, coupled with an appreciation of PRI mission and strategy to inform decisions

Collaborative

•Demonstrates ability to build good working relationships at all levels

•Drives collaboration within projects or work programmes to deliver high quality outputs

•Aligns expectations with senior managers to reach agreement

•Promotes knowledge sharing across the organisation

•Flexes style and approach based on colleagues’ level of understanding and preferences

Communicative

•Independently delivers well-structured, logical outputs that deliver maximum impact with minimum editing

•Presents advice or recommendations within the context of the recipient’s area of focus to gain buy-in

•Improves the knowledge of senior managers by making complex specialist principles easy to understand

•Appreciates the impact of their communication on others, modifying behaviour and communication style to work in different situations

Developmental

•Shares specialist knowledge openly with others, creating opportunities for others to learn, grow and succeed

•Builds an environment within the PRI which values forward thinking, creative solutions and innovation

•Is active in specialist networks as a means of furthering own knowledge and applying at the PRI

•Uses good questioning skills in a way that causes others to think about their approach

Structured

•Prioritises where contributes own time based on the value it would deliver

•Uses project management and oversight of individual work processes to improve organisational performance

•Continuously monitors external developments to incorporate into own work activities

•Translates project objectives into own work plans

Technical Competencies & Requirements:

• Experience in the asset management and/or financial sector, preferably within the Asset Owner community.

• Strong interest in responsible investment, sustainability, environmental, social and governance issues, and their overall impact on long term investment outcomes and society.

• Business development and relationship management skills, preferably within the financial sector, or within other service-based industries, such as management consulting.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; demonstrable experience in leading meetings and pitches to investment executives at all levels and their trustees/Boards.

• Good team player, with experience working internationally and a strong partnership ethos; willingness to work both independently and closely with London-based colleagues to deliver mutually agreed solutions supporting PRI’s agenda.

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification; Master’s degree in one or more relevant fields and/or a recognised investment qualification preferable.

• At least intermediate knowledge of relevant IT (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint and/or Salesforce).