Location: Brussels or Luxemburg

Basis: Full-time

Level: Senior Specialist

salary - 60-80 EUR

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. 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 of Belgium and Luxemburg, Signatory Relations’ will be responsible for enhancing Responsible Investment awareness and providing investors with the tools to implement it in their investment process in the Belgium and Luxemburg markets. The role involves the management of PRI’s recruitment and signatory coverage, as well as the coordination of PRI’s other activities in these regions. It offers scope for regular domestic and occasional international travel primarily for signatory meetings, industry events and internal meetings.

Core Responsibilities:

■  Support the Director of Continental Europe in delivering against the team’s business plan and budget

■ Raise awareness on Responsible Investment among regional asset owners, investment managers, service providers, and other PRI stakeholders

■ Signatory relationships: develop engagement with Belgian and Luxembourgian signatories through successful new signatory on-boarding, signatory review meetings, reporting and assessment sessions and other PRI-supported events. 

■ Outreach: Target for recruitment of new signatories amongst public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurers, endowments/foundations, as well as key investment managers and consultants. 

■ Strengthen relationships with key targeted stakeholders in the region, to support the development of responsible investment locally.

■ Collaboration with other PRI teams:  assist on strategic and/or ad hoc projects developed and enhance understanding of key Belgium and Luxemburg markets’ issues and players amongst colleagues

■ Events: Represent PRI at relevant events to help raise the organisation’s profile in the region.

■ Collaborate with other Relationship Managers in Continental Europe

■ Collaborate with the person in charge of PRI’s Francophone Programme

■ Provide regular reporting to the Director of Continental Europe and Chief Signatory Relations Officer as required

Core Competencies:

PRI expects roles at a ‘Senior Specialist level’ within the organisation to demonstrate management 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 piece of work

•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

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​

Technical Competencies & Experience:

■ Significant past experience in the asset management and/or financial sector).

■ Advantageous knowledge and experience would include understanding of the institutional investment space in Belgium and Luxembourg and globally and a background in investment.

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

■ Proven 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 and French, Dutch would be highly desireable

■ Demonstrable experience in public speaking, giving presentations and leading meetings with investment executives at all levels and their trustees/Boards.

■ Excellent networking, relationship management and interpersonal skills, extensive network in Responsible Investment and/or ESG related fields

■ A collaborative and consultative approach to working with others, working closely with London-based colleagues to deliver mutually agreed solutions supporting PRI’s agenda.

■ Good team player, with experience working internationally with a strong partnership ethos. Committed to fostering an inclusive environment

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

■  IT/system skills - Microsoft Office, CRM (PRI uses Salesforce), social media, webinars, etc.

■ As this is a global role, international travel may be required.

■ Language skills, other than English, an excellent professional command of the French language and, ideally a good understanding of Dutch.