Director, Stewardship, Sustainable Investment, GAM

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This is a maternity leave contract position for a term of up to 18 months.

BMO Global Asset Management’s Sustainable Investment (SI) team oversees the firm’s ESG initiatives and supports investment teams in integrating ESG considerations into investment processes. In addition, the team owns and executes on BMO GAM’s firm wide commitments to responsible investment, develops thought leadership on emerging ESG topics and employs a progressive approach to stewardship and active ownership activities. The team works with both internal and external stakeholders across all sales channels in both asset management and the wider wealth businesses.

The Director, Stewardship, Sustainable Investment will be primarily responsible for implementing and overseeing strategy and activities related to proxy voting, corporate engagement, public policy engagement and industry collaboration. They directly manage SI team individuals with defined proxy voting and/or engagement responsibilities as well as guide stewardship activities more broadly across the team. This role works closely with the Head of SI, SI team members, investment teams and other internal stakeholders to ensure stewardship activities support business needs.

Strategy

• Supports the Head of SI with the development and implementation of the GAM-wide SI program, specifically related to its Stewardship pillar, and corresponding team and business planning.
• Monitors stewardship implementation strategy including effectiveness of internal and external resources on an annual basis.
• Stays abreast of best practices related to industry standards, regulatory developments and stewardship best practices to inform proxy voting guidelines, internal policy updates and engagement planning.
• Fosters and grows relationships with key stakeholders within the SI and sustainability community to represent the team’s expertise and position on ESG issues.
• Develops and mentors talent across the team to empower individuals, facilitate cross-training, support succession planning and career growth.

Proxy Voting

• Oversee and guide the voting of proxies and voting-related engagement, mainly in the North American market, according to our corporate governance guidelines and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Manage annual updates to our corporate governance guidelines informing proxy voting strategies, including ensuring internal approvals and close communication with external service providers.
• Oversee and manage internal and external proxy voting stakeholder relationships according to internal governance structures, including decision-making with portfolio managers, leading internal relevant committees and managing touchpoints with external proxy voting and engagement service providers.

Engagement

• Oversee and manage the overarching engagement program, including setting targets, engagement record-keeping, tracking progress and guiding the team to meet their annual goals.
• Provide guidance related to thematic engagement project campaigns on Climate Action, Social Equality and Good Governance and advise subject-matter experts on engagement best practices.
• Assess and oversee BMO GAM’s participation in collaborative investor initiatives and manage the relationship with external proxy voting and engagement service provider.

 Client and external facing elements

• Leads relevant educational presentations for institutional/retail clients and stakeholders and oversees client deliverables including stewardship reporting and ad-hoc client requests.
• Speaks frequently at industry events on topics related to ESG themes and stewardship approaches including policy developments and participates in leadership positions within industry committees and roundtables on behalf of GAM.
• Authors and mentors team members on external facing thought leadership/research.

Other 

• Engages and socializes stewardship activities and initiatives with internal stakeholders including BMO FG counterparts.
• Closely follows relevant public policy developments and updates to inform formal consultation responses and approvals.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of direct or relevant experience and post-secondary degree in related field of study or an equivalent combination of education, experience and advanced understanding of the functional area and the market, preferably in Asset Management
• 5+ years of oversight and team management related to ESG and or sustainability
• Strategic thinker that is able to adapt to the fast-changing environment of responsible investment
• Strong experience with sustainability/ESG regulation, policy and standards in North America and globally
• Direct experience with proxy voting and/or corporate governance, preferably in the North American market – in depth
• Knowledge and experience with proxy voting data provider platforms and tools
• Detailed understanding of investment management processes and portfolio management decision-making to collaborate effectively with investment teams
• Passionate about responsible investment and thematic ESG issues
• Experience using, preparing and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data
• Strong communication and presentation skills with internal and external audiences – In-depth
• Excellent organizational and multi-taking skills; strong attention to detail – In-depth
• Collaboration & relationship management skills – In-depth

The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one – for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.

BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s differences, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation, please contact your recruiter.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.