Vice President - Active Investment Stewardship

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Job description

Job Summary:

Our client is establishing a dedicated investment stewardship team for our active business. This capability builds on the innovation and customization has brought to stewardship to reflect clients' individual investment choices and goals. The person in this role will contribute to our voting and engagement activities in relation to our active investment strategies, consistent with our fiduciary duties as an asset manager to seek the best risk-adjusted returns for clients, within the mandates our clients have given us.

As an Active Investment Stewardship, you would be a specialist team member within the active investing business which manages stewardship engagement and voting on behalf of clients invested in active strategies globally. This is an exciting opportunity to join a new function, and we are looking to build a team of high performing associates and VPs located between LON and NY. The team sits within Portfolio Management Group (PMG) which encompasses Fixed Income, Fundamental Equities, Private Credit, Systematic Investments, Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions and Private Investors Businesses. Our activities are informed by our Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines and insights from active investment analysts and portfolio managers, with whom we work closely in engaging companies.

Engagement with public companies is the foundation of our approach to stewardship within fundamental active investing. Through direct dialogue with company leadership, we seek to understand their businesses and how they manage risks and opportunities to deliver superior financial returns to our clients. Generally, portfolio managers and stewardship specialists engage jointly on substantive matters. Our discussions focus on topics relevant to a company's success over time including governance and leadership, corporate strategy, capital structure and financial performance, operations and material sustainability-related risks, as well as macro-economic, geopolitical and sector dynamics. We are constructive and patient investors, and generally support management as they adapt and develop their businesses to perform over time. We aim to build and maintain strong relationships with company leadership based on open dialogue and mutual respect.

The Analyst will be responsible for voting and engagement in relation to a universe of companies, in collaboration with active investors. They will provide support on portfolio company analysis, engagement preparation and follow up, and reviewing and assessing corporate governance in advance of voting. The intention is for the person in this role to specialize in a subset of the companies in engagement universe, along with various aspects of relevant policy, to support the delivery of our annual and long-term objectives. They will report to the Head/Deputy Head.

Key responsibilities at the Vice President level include:

Demonstrating expertise in analysis of company performance, corporate governance and material sustainability-related practices.

Preparing for, participating in, and documenting engagement meetings with portfolio companies, often alongside active investors.

Learning and applying engagement priorities, proxy voting policies, and key industry initiatives that have impact on policies and practices.

Supporting data gathering, benchmarking and reporting to support voting decisions and policy positions.

Assisting in the preparation of position papers to facilitate issue discussion with broader audiences.

Collaborating across the team to identify ways to improve policy and business processes.

Building strong relationships and collaborating with relevant counterparts within the active investment business and selectively contributing to cross-platform initiatives.

The tasks involved in fulfilling these responsibilities include:

Preparing for engagement with senior representatives of portfolio companies, including crafting memos in preparation for meetings highlighting key data that will be useful in our engagement and stewardship efforts.

Coordinating with active investors in fundamental equity and fixed income on engagement meeting agendas, questions and objectives.

Participating in industry research groups and thematic initiatives with the active investment teams as appropriate.

Attending, documenting and leading (as needed) engagement efforts, including recording research notes to be stored and shared with select audiences within active investment business.

Monitoring policy developments to improve the relevance of guidelines.

Participating in peer benchmarking analysis and modeling to contribute to leading engagement and voting practices.

Monitoring proxy voting workflow to ensure all accounts are voted as intended and are in accordance with the appropriate guidelines.

Supporting the development of position papers and reporting.

Analyzing companies' shareholder meeting agendas and related materials in order to vote in the manner most consistent with corporate governance policies and fiduciary responsibilities.

Collaborating with client-facing and communications colleagues to ensure client reporting and client presentations meet expectations, and that client queries on corporate governance are responded to promptly and to the client's satisfaction.

Reviewing the team's output and working practices to ensure risks are minimized and performance optimized.

Non-negotiable requirements of this position:

An undergraduate degree in finance, economics, accounting, political science, history, sustainability or another relevant field.

A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in a financial service focused role, ideally with a demonstrated strong understanding of financial statements and corporate finance.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information and convey it in a clear and concise manner to senior-level audiences.

A diligent, focused, and persistent work ethic to implement while leading multiple tasks and changing priorities.

The ability to prioritize, analyze, and resolve complex issues under time pressure while maintaining consistent attention to detail.

An organized, self-reliant, and self-motivated approach to responsibilities.

A keen interest in corporate governance and material sustainable business practices.

Collaborative working style, and strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to build and maintain successful relationships with colleagues across the firm and with external parties.

Proficiency using Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft products.

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