Senior Research Officer – Financial Sector

ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system serves 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.

ShareAction s Financial Sector Research (FSR) team researches a variety of sectors performance and publishes regular rankings and analysis, as well as engaging with each surveyed institution and providing them with detailed recommendations for improvement. The FSR team also supports other campaign teams within ShareAction by providing relevant data and increasingly aims to share more data externally, too.

What you ll do

The Senior Research Officer will contribute to this research, collecting information from institutions and databases, analysing quantitative and qualitative data, producing engaging content, and translating this analysis into actionable steps for institutions in our reports.

The focus of this role is to support the production and publication of our survey of the European banking sector. In this role, you will work closely with colleagues in both the Financial Sector Research and the Banking Standards teams to:

• Develop a methodology that is consistent with other financial sector benchmarks published by ShareAction, reflects recent market developments, draws on internal and external subject matter expertise, and reflects our campaign priorities.
• Collect, audit and analyse data regarding banks climate and sustainability strategies.
• Produce accurate and engaging written reports and data visualisations summarising the key findings of the research and drafting credible and persuasive recommendations.
• Support the presentation of the survey s findings to banks, investors, funders, and the media.
• Contribute to responses to external consultations from regulators, policymakers, and other NGOs and support data sharing with external partners as appropriate.

The survey and benchmark of the European banking sector will be led by the Banking Programme team, with support from the Financial Sector Research team. This role will sit within the Financial Sector Research team, to benefit from the experience and processes already established for ShareAction s asset management and insurance benchmarks. While you will focus on the survey of the European banking sector, there will be an opportunity to contribute to and learn about the other financial sector benchmarks as part of this role.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Analysing quantitative and qualitative data and writing reports on banks responsible finance performance.
• Coordinating between the Financial Sector Research and Banking Standards teams to ensure consistency across ShareAction s financial sector benchmarks.
• Conducting research across the themes covered by the benchmarks that draws on internal and external resources to inform survey development and data analysis.
• Using Excel and Python to analyse and organise large data sets (training will be provided for Python if needed).
• Participating in engagement calls with banks and answering technical questions relating to the research content.
• Presenting findings of our work to external and internal stakeholders through blogs, presentations, webinars, and roundtables and supporting the coordination of these events as appropriate.
• Organising and planning work with a high level of autonomy.
• Supporting the monitoring, evaluation and learning of our work.
• Contributing to funding bids and reporting on KPIs to funders where appropriate.
• Supporting the wider Financial Sector Research team to deliver other pieces of research, particularly the asset manager and insurance sector benchmarks.
• Keeping up to date on relevant news and information on the financial sector and the thematic areas covered by our work.

What you ll bring to the team

This a very exciting time to be joining ShareAction as we seek to develop our benchmarks to increase their impact. In this rapidly evolving field, we are looking for a person with excellent research and communication skills and a passion to make a difference to join our team. We will ensure that you receive sufficient support and oversight to ensure you feel comfortable and knowledgeable in delivering this bold and challenging research.

We welcome anyone who shares our passion for environmental and social justice through the transformation of the financial sector. Please feel free to apply even if you re not sure you tick every box.

Essential

• Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, and a proven ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative research.
• A broad understanding of how the financial sector works and how financial institutions can have an impact on environmental and social issues.
• A keen interest in driving the finance sector (particularly asset managers and insurers) to better serve people and planet.
• Excellent organisational skills and a proven ability to manage competing demands while still meeting deadlines.
• Strong communication skills in written and spoken English.
• Competency with Microsoft Excel, including writing formulae and building charts.
• Strong team-working skills with the ability to work collaboratively.
• A passion for ShareAction s vision, mission, and values.

Desirable

• Subject matter knowledge in climate change, biodiversity, or human/labour rights.
• Knowledge of/experience with the finance sector; an understanding of responsible investment and its implications for different types of financial institutions.
• Understanding of how private commercial banks operate and what products and services they offer to corporate and retail clients.
• Advanced data visualisation skills.
• Experience giving presentations.
• Any experience in programming, particularly an interest in learning Python for data processing.
• Experience managing relationships with external stakeholders.
• Experience with Microsoft Office 365, particularly SharePoint.
• Experience with CRM systems, ideally Salesforce.

We are currently formalising our hybrid working policy; however, the FSR team normally meets in the office on a weekly basis, with some flexibility possible.

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, flexible and supportive working environment.
• A unionised work environment: our staff have the opportunity to join the union and are supported by our recognised union, Unite. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay.
• Regular in-person meetings, including all-staff away days, retreats and directorate strategy days to create connected teams.
• 8% non-contributory pension, invested with NEST and their green funds.
• Healthcare cash plan with Westfield that gives you money back on your healthcare costs.
• Employee assistance programme: advice and support, lifestyle discounts and short-term counselling.
• 25 days annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure at the end of the year, ensuring everyone gets time to switch off together.
• Enhanced family leave pay: up to 18 weeks paid at 90% for either parent.
• Enhanced sick pay starting at 5 weeks full pay from day 1.
• Season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.

ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities, and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work . click apply for full job details