RI Research Analyst

RI Research Analyst

Business Area: Responsible Investment

Place of Work: London

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

When you join USS, the size and scale of our pension scheme means you will have numerous opportunities to learn and develop your career.

Given our size, you'll have real autonomy and influence as you collaborate closely with a wide-ranging team of experts.

About the role

In your role as RI Research Analyst, you will make a meaningful and valued contribution from the outset. This role will provide a great opportunity to undertake investment research on the four key thematic priorities in the RI strategy of climate, nature, people and governance.

These will be the core focus areas of the role; however, the analyst will need to have broad RI expertise and the ability to provide insight and analytical expertise on other areas of responsible investment as required to meet the Scheme’s ambition to be a visible leader in RI.

What you will be doing

As a trusted part of the Responsible Investment, you will:

• Work with the investment and advisory teams across USSSIM to identify material ESG risks and opportunities.
• Explain how such risks and opportunities can manifest over short-, medium-, and long-term investment horizons as investment risks/opportunities and bring these insights into the investment and advisory team processes.
• Provide ESG reviews for the equity teams – new and annual updates of existing reviews- and provide meaningful insight into the FI ESG process and the PMG DD process.
• Contribute to ongoing enhancement of the ESG process across all investment teams, working with asset class leads.
• Create investment-focused reports on material ESG issues to brief the investment and advisory teams as appropriate.
• Contribute to strategic research projects as an RI SME, e.g. the Exeter climate work and the planned Oxford project for FY25/26.
• Contribute to the development of individual security level engagement plans, working with the HORI and Stewardship lead.
• Contribute to the development of collaborative engagement plans. Represent the Scheme in collaborative engagements, as deemed appropriate by HORI and the asset class and stewardship leads.
• Work with the RI Reporting analyst on reporting. Be the initial “go to” source/gatekeeper for case studies, engagement and stewardship examples etc.

About you

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box, if you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, then please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements outlined in this profile.

To be successful in the role, you will have:

• Relevant degree. Investment qualifications such as IMC, CFA, etc highly desirable.
• Direct experience of stewardship and engagement, and the ability to devise and structure engagement plans.
• Solid technical knowledge of proxy voting and practical experience of investor rights and responsibilities across asset classes.
• Solid financial markets and /or investment experience gained from asset management, global banking, credit research agencies and or/ investment or strategic business consultancy.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Why join us?

At USS, every individual contributes to building a secure financial future for our members and their families.

We strive to create a work environment where everyone can thrive professionally while making a meaningful impact on the lives of others. We're also committed to helping you build your career by providing development opportunities.

We put a focus on recognising and supporting each individual's unique career path, driving this forward with the support of an engaged and proactive management team.

Here at USS, we want you to thrive in and out of work with a friendly team, flexible culture and excellent range of benefits!

How we will reward you

• Great starting salary
• Generous annual leave package
• Access to a high-quality pension scheme provided through Universities Superannuation Scheme
• Supportive people policies (including enhanced occupational sickness pay and family-friendly pay)
• Financial contributions towards your personal development to help you maintain your physical and mental well-being
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing services, i.e., private healthcare, discounted gym membership
• Learning and development opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and talent
• Employee Volunteer Days to support the communities where you work and live
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Our culture and values

Our people are what make us different. We work together to create a diverse and inclusive culture that embraces individuality, where people are welcomed and feel comfortable in the knowledge that they can be themselves.

Our purpose firmly states the importance of members, putting them ‘front and centre’ of what we do. This is embedded through our values:

• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Excellence

About us

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) was established in 1974 as the principal pension scheme for universities and higher education institutions in the UK.

We work with around 330 employers to help build a secure financial future for more than 528,000 members and their families.

We are one of the largest pension schemes in the UK, with total assets of around £75.5bn (at 31 March 2023). To find out more, please visit https://www.uss.co.uk

• USSIM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strive to ensure our recruitment process is as flexible and inclusive as possible so we can attract diverse candidates and recruit the best talent. We want all candidates to perform at their best during the recruitment process, so if you need any reasonable adjustments or if there is anything we can do to help support you through your recruitment journey please let us know by contacting [email protected].