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. 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

This newly created role will be responsible for overseeing the PRI’s stewardship initiatives that relate to nature, resilient natural systems, and environmental issues (excluding climate). The main focus will be leading the PRI’s soon to be launched collaborative stewardship initiative (collaborative engagement) on nature and building a small team who will work on the initiative over the coming months and beyond.

The planned initiative will involve the formation of groups of PRI signatories who in turn will use engagement and other stewardship tools to positively influence companies across a range of sectors to address forest loss, land degradation and other environmental issues. The initiative may also involve coordination of investors focusing on public policy engagement on nature.

Beyond the nature initiative, the position also extends to providing input and direction for other stewardship documents, guides and initiatives that relate to nature, as well as providing strategic input on stewardship where it relates to environmental issues more broadly.

The role reports to the PRI’s Director of Stewardship but will involve extensive collaboration with the PRI’s sustainability team – in particular the Climate and Environment team – who are responsible for issue expertise on these topics.

Core Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Director of Stewardship, other colleagues in the stewardship team, and counterparts from the Environment team to manage the launch and early stages of the new stewardship initiative on nature.

• Once launched, lead the activities of the initiative, including:

• Strategic direction

• Chairing of investor working group meetings

• Organising involvement of participating investors

• Coordinating an advisory committee and technical group for the initiative

• Ensuring alignment with PRI procedures for collaborative engagement

• Project planning and management

• Outreach to investors and other stakeholders

• Keeping on top of key developments relating to nature at engagement focus companies

• Grow and manage a team to work on the initiative (likely 4-5 staff by end of financial year 2023/24). Deploy excellent people management skills including supporting team members’ professional development and their wellbeing.

• Working with the Environment team and Partnerships team, manage the budget and grant process for any grant funding to support the initiative.

• Input into other PRI and non-PRI stewardship projects, initiatives, guides and other documents that relate to stewardship on environmental issues.

• Work closely together with the other members of the PRI Stewardship team to ensure that the ambition of the PRI’s Active Ownership 2.0 strategy is implemented throughout all work.

• Coordinate closely with the PRI Climate and Environment team and the Sustainability Outcomes team to deliver the PRI’s three-year strategy goals on environmental issues through stewardship actions.

• Maintaining general knowledge on stewardship, environmental issues and nature.

• Build and maintain deep relationships with investors to maintain and expand expertise of stewardship practices, best practices and needs, and channel those relationships to further the PRI’s objectives.

• Build and maintain deep relationships with key partner organisations that will feed into the work on the project.

• As this is a global role, occasional (approx. five times per year) international travel will be required as well as potential calls/meetings outside of normal working hours due to time zones.

Core Competencies:

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

Analytical

• Ensures decision makers have all relevant and available information in a timely manner before decisions are made​

• Evaluates risks, issues and opportunities assessing probability and consequences on both short- and long-term basis​

• Simplifies issues and actions down to key factors and components for ease of use in decision making​

• Can effectively capture and structure ill-defined or vague problems and is comfortable handling uncertainty​

Business Awareness

• Reflects broader understanding of the PRI’s financial, legal and people frameworks in decision making ​

• Understands (and utilises) how the different teams within the PRI contribute to the PRI mission and Signatory value ​

• Understands where the key decision points and points of influence are, advising team members how to act accordingly​

• Prioritises the delivery of PRI objectives within the team ​

• Identifies any conflicts in PRI priorities taking appropriate action where required

Collaborative

• Develops collaborative working relationships breaking down silos and promoting collaborative working by team members​

• Identifies and leads initiatives for building team profile internally and promotes links with other teams ​

• Recognises and acts on non-verbal communication, understanding what is and what is not said in a conversation​

• Proactively develops partnerships that do not currently exist in areas of mutual benefit

Communicative

• Takes a creative and inclusive approach to problem solving that broadens the teams thinking​

• Uses the most effective influencing style to challenge or build consensus (across teams, within teams or upwards)​

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

• Translates complex data that is potentially challenging for the audience and presents it in a way that enables understanding​

Developmental

• Role models continuous, balanced and honest feedback to others​

• Builds a collaborative team environment which values the sharing of forward thinking, creative solutions and innovation​

• Delegates responsibility to more junior team members to develop their capabilities​

• Coaches less experienced team members/ colleagues to help them to be more successful​

• Creates opportunities to develop and train the team to improve their skills and knowledge​

Structured

• Translates project objectives into team work plans​

• Judges how to balance team capacity and where to prioritise effort​

• Embeds project management processes in team, leading by example and clearly defining team roles, responsibilities and expectations​

• Regularly monitors progress within the team, addressing and resolving issues as they arise​

Technical Competencies & Experience:

Team and stakeholder management

• Track record in general management of teams and projects, involving co-ordination of multiple stakeholders.

• Proven people management and leadership skills, committed to fostering an inclusive environment.

• A collaborative and consultative approach to working with others, including appropriately involving the right people, with the ability to inspire trust and drive good decision-making.

• Excellent relationship management and interpersonal skills, including the ability to forge long-term relationships with relevant stakeholders (e.g. industry leaders, civil society, peer organisations…) and drive decision-making in diverse, multi-stakeholder groups.

Strategy and planning

• Ability to lead a programme of work, including planning and managing activities, and driving decision-making processes that balance different needs and perspectives.

• Openness to developing and implementing innovative approaches to addressing complex issues, regularly evaluating success and course-correcting accordingly.

• Ability to understand multiple perspectives and framings of a problem, analysing root causes and identifying potential solutions and relevant risks and opportunities.

• Experience in developing and managing strategy, business plans and resourcing requirements.

• Experience in designing and implementing internal and external communications strategies that encourage participation and buy-in from key stakeholders.

Subject matter expertise

• Demonstrable expertise on stewardship through experience, qualifications and/ or higher education (degree not essential).

• Demonstrable expertise on environment and nature-related issues through experience, qualifications and/ or higher education (degree not essential). Knowledge and/ or experience relating to environmental policy / politics and/ or political economy of environmental issues is desirable.

• Ability to communicate on environmental issues and stewardship to non-specialists, empowering them to bring nature and environmental issues into their work while developing their technical understanding.

• Understanding of key networks and initiatives related to stewardship and nature (desirable).

Written and verbal communication

• Strong written communication and verbal presentation skills with the ability to deliver high quality briefings, reports and presentations with minimal supervision.

• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not essential.

We particularly welcome candidates from under-represented groups, including Black, Asian, and other people of colour, those with visible or non-visible disabilities, LGBTQ+ candidates and those who are neurodivergent.