Senior Research Officer – Banking Standards

at  ShareAction

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 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 Banking Standards team works towards holding financial institutions accountable for their impact on climate change. We have a history of campaigning on key aspects of banks’ climate strategies—such as their emission reduction targets or fossil fuel policies—and we are gradually expanding our work to include other sustainability themes and banking regulation. Recently, we have achieved significant wins, such as contributing to HSBC becoming the world’s largest bank to cease financing for new oil and gas fields, Barclays dramatically reducing its oil sands financing, and mobilising investors to call on Societe Generale to set a renewable energy target.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Contract type: Permanent
Who it reports to: Senior Research Manager
Salary: £33,900 – 37,653 + 8% pension contribution
(We normally offer a starting salary at the start of the range)
Deadline for applications: 9:00 a.m. on Monday 25th November
Interview dates: There will be 2 rounds, with the first round of interviews taking place online
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. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!
Our hiring process is anonymised, we won’t ask for a cover letter and we don’t look at CVs until the interview stage. We do this so that we reduce the opportunity for unconscious biases to affect our decision making and so we prioritise skills and expertise over how well you can write a CV.
We also actively encourage incoming staff to consider flexible working arrangements; recognising that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance and reduce stress. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.
While we embrace hybrid working at ShareAction, we also think there is a lot of value in spending time together in person. We run all-staff away days, a yearly retreat and more regular team and directorate meet-ups so that we can develop our ideas and plans together. As part of the induction process, we’ll invite you to our office in Aldgate so you can meet and get to know your line manager, team and others from across the organisation.
To be considered for this post you must be legally eligible to work in the UK, unfortunately we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.
Please be aware that when shortlisting we are really keen to get a sense of your unique voice and individual experience, especially if you are using generative AI tools as part of your drafting process

Working alongside three other researchers, you will assess banks’ positions on climate change and other sustainability themes. This involves collecting information from banks’ disclosures and external databases, analysing quantitative and qualitative data, and translating insights into actionable steps for banks and investors engaging with banks, among other stakeholders. You will have many opportunities to challenge banks and shape sustainability standards for the banking sector by contributing to:

• Investor briefings and short research notes reviewing climate commitments made by individual banks. For example, see our analysis of Barclays’ latest energy policy here
• Banking sector benchmark, ranking European banks on their approach to climate change and other sustainability themes. For example, see our 2022 Banking Survey here
• Thematic reports and internal position papers reviewing how the European banking sector aims to address specific issues and/or the relevant standards banks rely on. For example, see our report on banks’ financing of oil & gas expansion here

In this rapidly evolving field, we are looking for a person with excellent research and communication skills, and passion to make a difference, to join our team. Your key responsibilities will be:

• Assessing banks’ climate commitments and conducting ad-hoc research on banks’ climate performance to generate insights that support campaigning needs and ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders
• Maintaining an internal database tracking banks’ sector policies and climate targets, enabling accurate and efficient use across various research and campaigning activities
• Drafting investor briefings and similar research materials in close collaboration with campaigners to support engagement with focus banks, members of our investor coalitions, journalists, and others
• Once comfortable in the role, presenting research to banks and providing technical expertise during calls with banks, investors, and other key stakeholders, with support from others in the team
• Conducting thematic research to inform ShareAction’s position and recommendations on climate change and other sustainability themes
• Contributing to the development of a survey methodology, collecting data, and analysing feedback to produce ShareAction’s banking benchmark
• Working closely with our communications team to coordinate press and social media around publications, and providing ad-hoc research support to the media team
• Assisting in the submission of responses to external consultations and taking ownership of consultations in specific areas of expertise
• Supporting our engagement workstream by helping organise webinars, sending research reports to banks, and helping colleagues answer banks and investors’ technical research questions
• On an ad-hoc basis, supporting other areas of work in the banking team, such as filing shareholder resolutions, drafting investor letters and AGM questions, and other operational needs

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and the role might change slightly from time to time