Who are Just?

We’re a FTSE 250 Financial Services company who specialise in retirement solutions and right now, our world is moving pretty quickly. With the defined benefit buy in / buy out space growing each year, Just continues to annually grow its business by over £4bn of assets.

We are a purpose driven company with compelling and credible goals. Quite simply, we help people achieve a better later life. We achieve this by providing competitive and innovative products, services, financial advice and guidance to help our customers achieve security, certainty and provide them with peace of mind in retirement.

That’s who we are. We’re a company on a mission: to become a beacon for the entire retirement industry. Because we believe everyone deserves a fair, secure, and fulfilling retirement.

Purpose
At Just we are recruiting for our future and currently have a great opportunity available to join our expanding Investment Team as a Responsible Investment Manager on a permanent basis in our London office.

This is an exciting role that carries a high degree of responsibility and independence as you will provide support to the Chief Investment Officer and wider Investment team and facilitate delivery on a wide variety of responsible investment initiatives.

Reporting to the Head of Responsible Investment, you will support the investment team on various responsible investment projects whilst working with a range of internal and external stakeholders supporting our corporate sustainability objectives and our vision to become Net Zero by 2050. You will be particularly involved in driving forward the Group’s approach to stewardship activities and determining a strategic way forward for implementation.

The main responsibilities of the role will be:

• Working together with the Head of Responsible Investment to oversee and implement responsible investment strategic objectives.
• Setting, overseeing and implementing stewardship activities. Working closely with the team full integrate stewardship across the investment decision making process. Having full ownership for the ongoing enhancement and reporting on the Group’s UK Stewardship Code application.
• Contributing to and influence the integration of responsible investment criteria into investment decision making.
• People management and day-to-day support of relevant junior members of the responsible investment team. Reviewing and supporting junior members of the team in fulfilling their objectives and priorities.

In this role you will:

Support in the delivery of responsible investment projects and initiatives.

• Stewardship: responsible for overseeing and engaging with issuers, asset managers, external initiatives and other relevant stakeholders to meet our stewardship objectives.
• Develop an understanding of the investment process and specifically how responsible investment and climate change form a part of that.
• Support in overseeing and managing responsible investment projects:
• Climate change: support with overseeing and enhancing existing climate-related risk management and implementation processes
• Integration of environmental, social, and corporate governance (‘ESG’) risks: support responsible investment analysts, investment analysts and credit analysts in ensuring responsible investment risks are appropriately factored into investment-related decisions
• Green/Sustainability bonds: support with overseeing and monitoring the achievement of our sustainability targets in relation to our bond issuances, and other associated targets
• Monitoring and reporting: support with overseeing monitor and reporting on responsible investment and climate-related metrics related to the investment portfolio
• Policies and framework: support with reviewing and enhancing existing/new policies and frameworks on responsible investment e.g. the existing Responsible Investment Framework
• Regulation: remain aware of current and emerging responsible investment-related regulation
• Training and development: develop materials and share knowledge with the wider investment team on responsible investment topics
• Generally, a subject matter expert on responsible investment and support with providing advice and guidance to stakeholders.
• Support the development and execution of our investment strategy, from a responsible investment perspective: 
• Assist in enhancing responsible investment criteria in strategic asset allocation 
• Assist in the research and evaluation of new asset classes, investment managers and funds
• Enhance and develop responsible investment processes for input into investment decision making e.g. responsible investment analysis of new deals
• Support the preparation of clear and concise material and presentations for internal papers, approvals and management information, where applicable.
• Work closely and form strong relationships with internal stakeholders most notably in the areas of Group Strategy, Finance, Actuarial, Risk, Capital Management and Legal.
• Develop an understanding of the dynamics and commerciality of a UK life assurance company. 
• Understand the context of our financial constraints, risk appetite and governance framework. 

Examples of Key Activities

• Lead on coordinating and implementation stewardship activities with issuers, asset managers and external membership platforms.
• Selectively identify opportunities to participate in external collaborative initiatives/consultations.
• Participate in and represent the Group at external initiatives and working groups.
• Check, review and input into responsible investment analysis of new deals.
• Check and review internal responsible investment-related management information.
• Draft and support with overseeing the preparation of committee-related papers.

Skills and Knowledge
Skills:

• Excellent verbal, written communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present investment matters in a clear and concise manner.
• Excellent team-working skills and be comfortable forming and maintaining relationships with internal stakeholders and develop relationship with external parties.
• Strong results focus, with ability to work efficiently and grasp concepts that are not straightforward, yet seek guidance where necessary.
• Excellent numerical skills, with the ability to easily develop and navigate quantitative information e.g. via excel; python skills are desirable but not essential.
• Be able to manage competing priorities and deliver projects in a timely manner.
• Think outside of the box by sharing ideas, challenging others, and identifying new ways of working.
• Manage ambiguity, being flexible and able to adapt work in a fast moving environment.

Demonstrate strong aptitude in:

• Responsible investment matters, in particular related to public and private credit.
• Responsible investment research, due diligence and investment evaluation.
• Approaches to understanding and evaluating responsible investment risks and climate change.

Experience

• A number of years relevant experience within Financial Services, Asset Management, Insurance Investment or Investment Consulting.
• Great working knowledge of stewardship across asset classes and more broadly responsible investment.

Behaviours

• Self-starter, motivated and passionate about own development 
• Strong work ethic with a willingness to go the extra mile and beyond the status quo
• Proactive and entrepreneurial mindset
• Detailed orientated and diligent in work deliveries

Why Just?

We are committed to building a more sustainable business and have publicly committed to reduce our scope 3 emissions to Net Zero by 2050 and our scope 1 and 2 emissions to Net Zero by 2025. We’ve made good progress so far and encourage our people to make small and meaningful changes in their everyday lives, so that we can protect our planet for future generations.

Diversity, Equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a key priority for Just as part of our overall strategy and ensuring all of our people feel proud to work at Just. We have joined a number of initiatives including the Race at Work Charter, designed to improve outcomes for employees from underrepresented backgrounds. We also run a Reciprocal Mentoring scheme for employees from a BAME background, those with a disability and those who identify as LGBTQ+. There are multiple employee network groups, which champion issues including race, gender, social mobility and neurodiversity.

What’s clear about working at Just is that we care. We care about our customers, our purpose, our environment, inclusivity, wellbeing and most importantly - each other.