Responsible Investment Standards Programme Lead
Company
ShareAction
Location
Hackney
Employment Hours
Full Time
Employment Type
Permanent
Salary
Job Requirements/Description
ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system services 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.
What you'll do
This role sits at the centre of ShareAction's five-year strategy for the period . As Programme Lead for Responsible Investment Standards (RIS), you'll steward one of our most strategically important programmes - defining, defending and advancing the standards that underpin responsible investment and driving leadership among pension funds, ensuring the programme contributes directly to the organisation's three strategic shifts: durable rules, asset-owner accountability, and public legitimacy.
Asset owners, such as pension funds, sit at the top of the investment chain, controlling the retirement savings of millions of people. How they invest that capital - and how they hold their fund managers to account on risks like climate change - shapes whether the system serves people and planet. Your work will help push pension funds towards genuine leadership and towards stronger laws and confident regulation across the UK and EU.
It's a varied role spanning policy advocacy, direct engagement with asset owners, coalition-building and research. Early priorities include activating asset owners as system stewards and delivering our flagship benchmark of global asset managers. You'll also work closely with colleagues developing new work to strengthen the voice of pension savers, ensuring the millions of working people whose retirement incomes are at stake stay at the heart of everything we do.
You'll join a cohort of senior Programme Leads - spanning Energy Transition, Health and Pension Saver Power - helping to embed ShareAction's new programmatic way of working. You'll report to the Director of Investment Standards & Policy, working closely with the wider Leadership Team, including the CEO, COO and Director of Campaigns & Communications.
On the strategy side, you'll set the direction for campaigns that influence investors, companies and policymakers, with clear change goals and a strong theory of change behind them. You'll hold strategic oversight of the whole RIS portfolio, build a shared framework for planning and measuring impact, and report regularly to the Leadership Team on how things are progressing. You'll also lead the programme's evolution in line with our strategy and make sure RIS acts as the organisational hub for responsible investment standards - working closely with our thematic programmes and the Pension Saver Team to keep everything joined up.
Funding is a big part of the role, too. You'll take the lead on securing funds for the programme, working closely with the Director of Investment Standards & Policy and our Fundraising Team, and you'll build and manage funder relationships directly, supporting Directors and the CEO on the bigger, cross-programme funder conversations. You'll also represent ShareAction externally - at events, in the media, and in the rooms where the debate gets shaped.
Day to day, you'll oversee delivery of the whole programme portfolio, holding responsibility for its objectives and outputs. At the heart of this is our Investor Engagement and Research Team, which you'll lead directly - overseeing everything from benchmarking the asset management industry to publishing research and guidance for asset owners, building the relationships that strive up standards, and providing secretariat support for our CRIN and RINU networks. You'll keep an eye on risk across the portfolio and work closely with peers across ShareAction's Extended Leadership Team to keep it all well coordinated.
You'll take overall responsibility for the programme's financial performance, working with programme staff to manage budgets that flex in line with fundraising income. On the people side, you'll directly manage five members of staff and oversee the work of 12 more, building a team culture that's healthy, inclusive and genuinely supportive. You'll also matrix manage colleagues across the wider portfolio and share learning and best practice to build consistency across programmes - including shaping how ShareAction approaches research governance more broadly.
We'll also look to you to stay on top of best practice across communications, campaigns, policy, research and investor engagement and to keep pace with political, commercial and sector developments - including horizon-scanning on emerging themes like AI, bondholder stewardship and pension governance, so RIS is always ahead of the debate, and coordinating engagement with investors across the organisation.
You'll work closely with other Programme Leads, the Leadership Team, and stakeholders including asset owners, asset managers and funders - using your skills to influence real change in how the financial system serves people and the planet. If this role sounds like something that would build on your current skillset and engage you, we'd love to hear from you!
What you'll bring to the team
We're looking for someone with:
We have a formal hybrid working policy in place. As this role involves regular engagement with London-based stakeholders, you can expect regular time in our Aldgate office (typically at least once or twice a week), alongside the flexibility to work in a way that suits you.
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:
What you'll do
This role sits at the centre of ShareAction's five-year strategy for the period . As Programme Lead for Responsible Investment Standards (RIS), you'll steward one of our most strategically important programmes - defining, defending and advancing the standards that underpin responsible investment and driving leadership among pension funds, ensuring the programme contributes directly to the organisation's three strategic shifts: durable rules, asset-owner accountability, and public legitimacy.
Asset owners, such as pension funds, sit at the top of the investment chain, controlling the retirement savings of millions of people. How they invest that capital - and how they hold their fund managers to account on risks like climate change - shapes whether the system serves people and planet. Your work will help push pension funds towards genuine leadership and towards stronger laws and confident regulation across the UK and EU.
It's a varied role spanning policy advocacy, direct engagement with asset owners, coalition-building and research. Early priorities include activating asset owners as system stewards and delivering our flagship benchmark of global asset managers. You'll also work closely with colleagues developing new work to strengthen the voice of pension savers, ensuring the millions of working people whose retirement incomes are at stake stay at the heart of everything we do.
You'll join a cohort of senior Programme Leads - spanning Energy Transition, Health and Pension Saver Power - helping to embed ShareAction's new programmatic way of working. You'll report to the Director of Investment Standards & Policy, working closely with the wider Leadership Team, including the CEO, COO and Director of Campaigns & Communications.
On the strategy side, you'll set the direction for campaigns that influence investors, companies and policymakers, with clear change goals and a strong theory of change behind them. You'll hold strategic oversight of the whole RIS portfolio, build a shared framework for planning and measuring impact, and report regularly to the Leadership Team on how things are progressing. You'll also lead the programme's evolution in line with our strategy and make sure RIS acts as the organisational hub for responsible investment standards - working closely with our thematic programmes and the Pension Saver Team to keep everything joined up.
Funding is a big part of the role, too. You'll take the lead on securing funds for the programme, working closely with the Director of Investment Standards & Policy and our Fundraising Team, and you'll build and manage funder relationships directly, supporting Directors and the CEO on the bigger, cross-programme funder conversations. You'll also represent ShareAction externally - at events, in the media, and in the rooms where the debate gets shaped.
Day to day, you'll oversee delivery of the whole programme portfolio, holding responsibility for its objectives and outputs. At the heart of this is our Investor Engagement and Research Team, which you'll lead directly - overseeing everything from benchmarking the asset management industry to publishing research and guidance for asset owners, building the relationships that strive up standards, and providing secretariat support for our CRIN and RINU networks. You'll keep an eye on risk across the portfolio and work closely with peers across ShareAction's Extended Leadership Team to keep it all well coordinated.
You'll take overall responsibility for the programme's financial performance, working with programme staff to manage budgets that flex in line with fundraising income. On the people side, you'll directly manage five members of staff and oversee the work of 12 more, building a team culture that's healthy, inclusive and genuinely supportive. You'll also matrix manage colleagues across the wider portfolio and share learning and best practice to build consistency across programmes - including shaping how ShareAction approaches research governance more broadly.
We'll also look to you to stay on top of best practice across communications, campaigns, policy, research and investor engagement and to keep pace with political, commercial and sector developments - including horizon-scanning on emerging themes like AI, bondholder stewardship and pension governance, so RIS is always ahead of the debate, and coordinating engagement with investors across the organisation.
You'll work closely with other Programme Leads, the Leadership Team, and stakeholders including asset owners, asset managers and funders - using your skills to influence real change in how the financial system serves people and the planet. If this role sounds like something that would build on your current skillset and engage you, we'd love to hear from you!
What you'll bring to the team
We're looking for someone with:
- A proven track record of leading complex programmes or portfolios that influence the choices of decision-makers. These should be programmes that integrate a range of disciplines and levers, ideally in a not-for-profit or campaigning context.
- Broad subject matter expertise across relevant campaigns or thematic areas and the ability to hold strategic oversight across multiple topics.
- Knowledge of the pensions industry: how it works and what incentivises pension funds to take action.
- Experience leading bid development and managing funder relationships, with a track record of securing significant funding.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, including developing senior-level relationships.
- Experience leading and developing teams, including through matrix management of structures, and creating cohesive, healthy and supportive team cultures.
- The ability to develop and communicate strategy clearly, connecting programme-level work to organisational priorities.
- Excellent project and programme management skills, including designing consistent frameworks in fast-moving, contested contexts.
- Strong financial management skills, including managing complex, flexible budgets.
- The ability to translate strategy into actionable plans in contexts where there might be no tried and tested playbook, with enthusiasm for innovation and confidence in leading others through change.
- Some understanding of responsible investment standards, stewardship, and the political and regulatory landscape shaping investor behaviour in the UK and EU.
- Experience as a lead spokesperson in an advocacy context, through public speaking or media engagement.
- Experience leading and/or running high-profile campaigns that mobilise diverse stakeholders, including investors, civil society and policymakers.
- Experience using external communications and media as a tool for change.
- Familiarity with risk management frameworks in a programme or portfolio context.
- Experience conducting and overseeing large research projects.
We have a formal hybrid working policy in place. As this role involves regular engagement with London-based stakeholders, you can expect regular time in our Aldgate office (typically at least once or twice a week), alongside the flexibility to work in a way that suits you.
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 also 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 . click apply for full job details
Company
ShareAction
Location
Hackney
Employment Hours
Full Time
Employment Type
Permanent
Salary