Company Profile

Founded in 1977, GMO is a global investment manager committed to delivering superior long-term investment performance and advice to our clients. We offer strategies and solutions where we believe we are positioned to add the greatest value for our investors. These include multi-asset class, equity, fixed income, and alternative offerings.

We manage approximately $60bn for a client base that includes many of the world’s most sophisticated institutions, financial intermediaries, and private clients. Industry-wide, we are well known for our focus on valuation-based investing, willingness to take bold positions when conditions warrant, and candid and academically rigorous thought leadership. Jeremy Grantham, GMO’s Co-Founder and Long-Term Investment Strategist, is renowned as an expert in identifying speculative investment bubbles and also as a leading climate investor and advocate.

GMO is privately owned and employs over 430 people worldwide. Headquartered in Boston, we also have offices in San Francisco, London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo (a representative office). Our company-wide culture emphasizes commitment to clients, intellectual curiosity, and open debate. We celebrate and respect our differences, while embracing and valuing what each of us brings to work, as we know that diverse teams in an inclusive, caring environment achieve higher engagement and better client results.

Overview:

The ESG team at GMO supports the broader organization in the delivery of investment outcomes and advice that help our clients meet their financial goals and fulfill their objectives using a long-term, valuation-based investment philosophy. With an emphasis on stewardship, we believe that when we are successful, we can both help our clients achieve their investment goals and serve as authentic contributors to society and our financial markets, working toward a more resilient and sustainable planet. In this senior role, you will interact regularly with senior management and boards of GMO’s portfolio companies with an objective of building relationships and promoting effective ESG practices. Partnering closely with members of the ESG team, as well as members of our senior leadership team, investment teams, and client facing teams, the ESG Corporate Engagement Lead will support the achievement of the firmwide ESG priorities.

The ESG Corporate Engagement Lead will be responsible for:

Engagement Related Responsibilities:

•Collaborate with the Stewardship Committee and proxy voting team.

•Lead and coordinate corporate engagements across GMO:

- Provide ESG insights and support for investment-team led engagements.

-Oversee engagements conducted by other ESG team members.

•Develop and execute on annual engagement plan:

- Research and recommend engagement themes and objectives.

- Identify engagement targets.

- Prepare pre-engagement research and briefs.

- Initiate discussions with investment teams on potential engagements.

- Conduct or participate in direct engagements.

- Prepare voting / escalation recommendations based on engagement results.

•Perform and triage bi-weekly scans of portfolio for emerging risks:

- Work with investment teams and Investments Sub-Committee on emerging ESG risks with analytics to support discussion and planned next steps.

- Maintain GMO’s exclusion list and heightened review list.

•Identify, evaluate and recommend to Stewardship Committee collaborative engagement opportunities with external like-minded peers and organizations. 

- Lead or participate in GMO-endorsed collaborative engagements 

•Maintain Engagement Database:

- Monitor and follow-up on progress for all engagements.

- Update engagement reporting (quarterly to clients, annually in Sustainability reports).

- Evolve and enhance Engagement Reporting

Other Responsibilities:

•Support ESG team members on various projects and ad hoc requests.

•Partner with investment team members to develop research and provide subject matter expertise and insights on material ESG risks.

•Provide education and thought leadership on ESG & climate risks.

•Maintain and evolve ESG dashboards (with focus on engagement reporting).

•Provide input into client /marketing presentations, client ESG reporting and GMO’s external ESG-related publications (e.g., Sustainability Report and TCFD Report).

•Support the development of new ESG product strategies.

•Represent GMO’s ESG efforts at GMO client meetings and speaking engagements.

•Manage and coordinate the ESG team’s contributions to RFPs and DDQs. 

Required skills:

•5-7 years’ experience in conducting corporate engagements on ESG.

•Master’s degree in finance, sustainability, or other related discipline preferred.

•Strong background in ESG or climate change.

•Familiarity with investments and finance.

•Ability to speak effectively and persuasively at a senior level.

•Strong analytical skills, communication skills (both written and oral) and attention to detail.

Characteristics:

•High energy, positive attitude, intellectual curiosity and professional. 

•Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.

•Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, set goals and meet deadlines.

•Self-directed and motivated. 

•Ability to forge strong working relationships internally and externally.

GMO is committed to the recruitment, employment, and promotion of all candidates equally, regardless of an individual's gender, race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, genetic information, physical or mental disability (except where such disability is a bona fide occupational disqualification) or any other classification protected under federal, state or local law.

The position will be based in Boston where GMO is currently operating in a hybrid work model.

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