Sustainability and Responsible Investment Trainee - The Investment Association

About the Investment Association

“At the IA, we are committed to serving our members, embracing new ideas and striving for excellence. We are inclusive, consideration and act with integrity in all we do.”

The IA champions UK investment management, supporting British savers, investors and businesses. Our 250 members manage £10 trillion of assets. Our mission is to make investment better. Better for clients, so they achieve their financial goals. Better for companies, so they get the capital they need to grow. And better for the economy, so everyone prospers.

Our purpose is to ensure investment managers are in the best possible position to:

• Build people’s resilience to financial adversity

• Help people achieve their financial aspirations

• Enable people to maintain a decent standard of living as they grow older

• Contribute to economic growth through the efficient allocation of capital.

The money our members manage is in a wide variety of investment vehicles including authorised investment funds, pension funds and stocks and shares ISAs. The UK is the second largest investment management centre in the world, after the US and manages £5.1 trillion in overseas client AUM.

Overview of the Role

The Investment Association (the “IA”) is looking to recruit an Assistant Policy Adviser to support our significant focus and work on Sustainability & Responsible Investment (S&RI).

The role is varied, and the right candidate will contribute to wide range of Sustainability & Responsible Investment issues, as they affect investment managers. This includes direct support for the IA Director of Sustainability & Responsible Investment and the team’s Public Policy Specialist and includes extensive member engagement, as well as communication with a wide range of influential stakeholders.

The role sits within the IA’s Investment & Capital Markets team and reports to the IA Director of Sustainability & Responsible Investment.

This team has an oversight and coordinating role for all Sustainability & Responsible Investment activity of the Association. As part of this team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to some of today’s most significant work and debates, including the development and implementation of relevant sustainable finance rules in the UK and world-wide, as well as exploring the wider role investment managers play in a sustainable economy, society, and planet.

Core responsibilities of the role include:

• Providing key support for relevant IA committees, working groups and forums, including logistics, helping to organise agendas, producing papers. These include, amongst others:

  • the Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee;

  • the UK Sustainability Reporting Forum;

  • Helping the Director of S&RI with contributions to European Funds and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) ESG and Stewardship Standing committee; and

  • Any related sub-working groups, as they emerge.

• Assist in the identification and production of responses to policy consultations on Sustainability and Responsible Investment issues from bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority, European Securities & Market Authority, International Organization of Securities Commissions, and the European Commission;

• Help contribute to the IA work on a review of the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). This will involve helping the team’s advocacy work regarding its SFDR position, working with members through various committees and Forums, helping to draft documents for Brussels audiences. This will also involve helping to run the IA SFDR Implementation forum for the IA and liaising with the chair of that committee and members to ensure agendas are prepared in advance and meetings run smoothly.

• Researching national and global initiatives as well as key trends in sustainability and responsible investment;

• Support with the preparation of briefing papers on key issues, including contributing to IA Board papers to help prepare the S&RI note and producing circulars for members;

• Providing member support which includes building relationships, answering member queries;

• Accompanying the IA team to internal and external meetings and taking clear and concise meeting notes;

• Depending on experience, compiling and delivering PowerPoint presentations;

• Liaising with other trade bodies, regulators and Government where appropriate.

Ideal Experience

The role would suit someone with a higher education (degree, diploma) and some research and writing experience. Some understanding of sustainability and responsible investment issues would be beneficial but not essential.

We are specifically looking for:

• Excellent research and communication (written and verbal) skills;

• Accuracy and good attention to detail;

• Willingness and ability to learn quickly;

• The ability to work collaboratively within a small team and to be adaptable about the tasks, policy priorities and projects allocated;

• Good time management skills and ability to juggle multiple tasks, to prioritize and deliver on time;

• Great work ethic – proactive, hardworking, and enthusiastic with a ‘can do’ attitude;

• Good technology/digital skills would be an advantage.