Specialist, Sustainability Initiatives (18-Month Fixed Term Contract)

The PRI has developed a comprehensive suite of resources, ranging from introductory materials to in-depth technical and policy guides.

Specialist, Sustainability Initiatives (18-Month Fixed Term Contract)

• LOCATION: Hybrid London, City of, UK
  Please note, where PRI has an office there is an expectation to work a minimum of 2 days per week.
• BASIS: Full-Time (18-Month Fixed Term Contract)
• CLOSING DATE: 8:00pm, 23rd Feb 2025 GMT

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.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to join PRI's Sustainability Initiatives Team, supporting and helping to facilitate investor action through a new peer learning and capacity building-focused initiative on nature with an emerging market focus, as well as a climate private markets focused initiative.

The role reports to PRI's Head of Sustainability Initiatives and will work closely with team members across PRI, with PRI investor signatories and with external partners and stakeholders on driving forward a meaningful approach to climate and nature.

Core Responsibilities

Support delivery of two investor initiatives on climate and nature

• Support the coordination of a new peer learning and capacity building-focused initiative on nature with an emerging market focus, including delivering a series of virtual and in-person workshops and facilitating best practice sharing among investors.
• Support and contribute to successful implementation of key deliverables and workplans for a climate-focused private markets initiatives.
• Support governance and strategy development of both initiatives through supporting general governance and project management functions.
• Support the Head of Sustainability Initiatives in delivering against the team's business plan and budget.

Provide technical support and expertise to the two investor initiatives on climate and nature

• Support technical capacity on the nature agenda, with particular focus on reporting, disclosure and guidance to support investor signatories integrate nature into decision-making.
• Support knowledge sharing (externally and internally) on how private markets investors can address sustainability issues, with a focus on climate and nature.

Communication and engagement with signatories and stakeholders (internal and external)

• Engage regularly with signatories involved in the sustainability initiatives and prospective signatories globally and in key strategic markets.
• Engage regularly with key stakeholders relevant to the sustainability initiatives (e.g. industry leaders, civil society, peer organisations), building relationships with stakeholders in the nature and climate space to inform investors' expectations and create channels of communication between investors and relevant stakeholders and technical experts.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other colleagues and teams across PRI to support implementation of the two investor initiatives.

Person Specification

Technical and programme management

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills. Proactive approach to keeping up to date with the latest science and research on sustainability issues including nature and climate with ability to apply knowledge and analysis to identify issues, communicate fact-based insights and develop and evaluate tailored engagement strategies.
• Ability to identify trends (and risks) and solve problems in a structured and rigorous way with a view of implementing improvements.
• Ability to translate complex ideas, systems and data into clear outputs; strong data analysis skills.
• Exceptional programme management skills, with experience in delivering projects successfully, including effectively managing workstreams.
• Ability to translate specialist information and providing technical expertise in a clear and understandable format.
• A strong sense of execution and delivery, working to agreed deadlines, involving relevant colleagues and allowing enough time for review and quality assurance.
• Excellent networking, influencing and interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong and constructive relationships in different circumstances (remote/in-person or internal/external) with a clear understanding of what drives people and how to achieve optimal outcomes.
• Excellent multi-stakeholder engagement and interpersonal skills including working across teams and organisations.
• A collaborative and consultative approach to working with others & committed to fostering an inclusive environment.
• Effectively captures and structures complex, ill-defined or vague problems and is comfortable handling uncertainty (in own work and that of team members), working with ambiguity and adapting quickly to changes when they arise.
• Excellent written communication and verbal presentation skills.
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise on nature, climate and strong understanding of the responsible investment industry through experience, qualifications and/or higher education.
• A depth and breadth of specialist knowledge on how sustainability issues affect investors in different asset classes, especially private markets (private equity, private debt, real assets). Adds value by sharing specialist knowledge and insights in a professional and objective manner.
• Good understanding of the investor role in addressing risks and opportunities linked to system-level sustainability issues.
• Language skills (desirable) in addition to English, in particular Spanish and Portuguese.

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.

The PRI is committed to offering flexibility to our employees, both formal (e.g. part-time work) and informal (e.g. a shift in hours to accommodate caring responsibilities). Please talk to us about how we could make this role flexible for you.