Overview

Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

The Church of England Pensions Board (“the Board”) is a statutory body which is a corporate trustee and administrator of four pension schemes, including both defined benefit (final salary, hybrid and CARE) and defined contribution arrangements. The investment team is responsible for the administration of approximately £3.2 billion, in a diversified portfolio. There are 41,000+ members, pensioners and other beneficiaries.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 16th August 2023 (tbc)

Post Introduction

With a particular focus on Social issues (such as human rights, inequality, decent work, affordable housing, health and wellbeing), this role will be responsible for supporting and delivering key responsible investment functions within the Pensions Board. The role holder will work as part of a small overall team and be expected to deliver the key responsibilities outlined below, enabling the Board to manage risks and opportunities, and maintain a position as a recognised leader in responsible investment: supporting reporting, engagement, proxy voting, monitoring and screening, project management, and supporting the presentation of the Board’s work to internal and external audiences.

Role Responsibility

The main responsibilities for this role relate to the advancement of the Board’s stewardship of Social issues through the following activities:

• Research: Prepare analytical research on responsible investment topics relevant to the role’s focus areas, in close collaboration with the investment team and in support of the Board’s stewardship strategy.
• Engagement and communication: Support the Board’s engagement activities and programmes, including thematic and company specific analysis and engagement, and preparation of communication materials.
• Proxy Voting and Screening: Support the delivery of the Board’s proxy voting processes, recording vote rationales where we vote against management, and supporting the reporting of our voting patterns to internal and external audiences.
• Reporting: Support the monitoring and reporting of the Board’s stewardship activities, to meet regulations, internal expectations and the Board’s various external commitments (including the UK Stewardship Code, UNPRI, etc.)
• Project Management and Coordination: Support the responsible investment team’s planning and project management capacity.

The Ideal Candidate

The ‘perfect candidate’ rarely exists, even on paper. If you’re excited by the prospect of working for the Pensions Board and have relevant transferable skills or experience related to Social issues, please do go ahead and apply. You may be a far better candidate than you realise!

Essential (unless otherwise stated below)

Skills and Experience:

• Proven ability to undertake desk-based research and administrative duties in order to support the Board’s responsible investment activities. 
• Clarity of communication and demonstrable ability to produce high quality outputs such as briefings and presentations, within a defined timeframe.
• Strong organisational skills and competence in using relevant computer software to facilitate effective communication and data management.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of the topics relevant to the focus of this role, as highlighted by the Board’s stewardship strategy and ethical investment policies.
• Understanding of the Pension Board’s responsible investment approach.[1]
• Some knowledge of investment practices and corporations. [Desirable]

Personal Attributes:

• Enthusiasm to learn and develop new skills.
• Collaborative approach to working effectively as a team and problem solving.
• Affinity for and interest in responsible investment as means to support and deliver a just and sustainable world.

[1] As set out in the Board’s Stewardship Report and policy positions.

About Us

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.  

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions at Careers | The Church of England

Our NCI values

• We strive for excellence 
• We collaborate 
• We act with integrity 
• We show compassion 
• We respect others 

We welcome everyone and we accept and value people for who they are and what they contribute, treating others in the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. We actively listen to and include others, encouraging and enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in discussions and decisions. When we disagree, we aim to disagree well with respect and kindness.  

We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you. If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org.

• As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.  
• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.