Responsible Investment Manager

Blue Octopus; West Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading investment company as a Responsible Investment Manager, focusing on developing and implementing verification frameworks and impact reporting processes for GSS bonds. This role entails working collaboratively across teams to enhance sustainable fixed income investments, with a commitment to making a positive impact.

Benefits

Vitality Health Insurance

Generous holiday allowance of 30 days plus bank holidays

Professional Development opportunities

Cycle to work scheme

Life Assurance 6x of salary

Qualifications

• Experience in fixed income investing, especially with labelled bonds.
• Understanding of ESG frameworks and impact reporting.
• Ability to translate complex sustainability data into insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of verification framework for GSS bonds.
• Design impact reporting processes to align with industry standards.
• Collaborate with Portfolio Managers on integrating ESG in investments.

Skills

ESG integration

Analytical skills

Collaborative mindset

Strong communication skills

Job description

An opportunity to make a difference

At Border to Coast our purpose is to make a difference. Our focus is to secure the pensions for over a million people who have provided valuable service to their communities and society. We’re a £60bn asset manager, based in Leeds, providing innovative investments that deliver sustainable returns over the long term for our partners – 11 local government pension funds based around the UK.

Responsible Investment (RI) is central to our work, it’s a priority for our partner funds, and is embedded in how we invest across our range of assets. Our award-winning Responsible Investment team act as a centre of excellence to help colleagues across the organisation better integrate Responsible Investment into their decisions and actions.

As we prepare to launch a new Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) Bond fund, we are looking for a passionate and experiencedResponsible Investment Managerto help shape and deliver our approach to verification and impact reporting for GSS bonds, and in future develop our approach to incorporating RI across our fixed income investments.

This is a unique opportunity to join a growing, award-winning RI team and play a key role in building our internal capability in sustainable fixed income.

The role – what you’ll be doing

As aResponsible Investment Manager,you will:

• Lead the development and implementation of an internal verification framework for labelled (and unlabelled) bonds.
• Design and deliver an impact reporting process, including case studies and alignment with industry frameworks.
• Collaborate with Portfolio Managers and Credit Analysts to integrate ESG considerations into fixed income investment decisions.
• Monitor third-party verification providers and assess the credibility of issuer-level sustainability disclosures.
• Contribute to the inclusion of GSS bonds in our Net Zero plan, and our wider RI reporting framework
• Support broader RI initiatives across our investment strategies, with a particular focus on fixed income.
• Help build team-wide capability in RI across fixed income, contributing to training and knowledge sharing.
• Work closely with the wider teams across the organisation.

About You

You are a thoughtful and analytical RI professional with an understanding of sustainable fixed income and ESG integration, preferably but not necessarily with experience of working with labelled bonds. You enjoy building frameworks, working collaboratively, and translating complex sustainability data and concepts into meaningful insights. We’re looking for someone who is eager to make a difference. You may not meet every requirement, and that’s okay — we value diverse experiences and perspectives.

You may have:

• Experience in fixed income investing, ideally with exposure to labelled bonds or sustainable finance.
• Strong knowledge of ESG frameworks, verification standards and impact reporting.
• Excellent analytical and research skills, with the ability to assess issuer-level sustainability credentials.
• A collaborative mindset and strong communication skills, able to engage with internal and external stakeholders.
• A proactive, adaptable approach and a desire to contribute to a growing, purpose-driven team.

If you meet some of the criteria, are interested in finding out more about Border to Coast and if we’re a good fit for you, please contact (email address).

About Us

Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is a collaboration of 11 Local Government Pension Funds, where we are directly responsible for the management or oversight of more than £55bn of assets (at 31 March 2025). Border to Coast is a FCA-regulated investment company created to pool the investments of like-minded Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds – our ‘Partner Funds’. Established in 2018, we are the largest LGPS pools in the UK, and the largest UK asset manager outside London and Edinburgh.

Our purpose is to make a difference for the Local Government Pension Scheme. We seek to do this by providing cost-effective and innovative investment opportunities delivering returns over the long term for our Partner Funds, their employers and over 1.1 million LGPS members.

Since launch, Border to Coast has been awarded many accolades: ‘Best Pool of the Year’ at the LAPF Investment Awards three years out of four, most recently winning ‘Pool Innovation of the Year’, named at the Professional Pensions UK Pensions Awards as ‘Equity’ and ‘Alternatives Manager of the Year’, and our Climate Change report has won Pensions for Purpose awards two years in a row.

Pay and rewards

Joining Border to Coast, you will receive competitive remuneration and have access to excellent benefits:

• Vitality Health Insurance for all employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• A generous holiday allowance of 30 days a year, plus bank holidays - it’s important for colleagues to maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Professional Development including the opportunity to gain fully funded qualifications
• Critical Illness Cover
• Pension scheme
• Stunning Leeds city centre location only a short walk to the train station
• Cycle to work scheme
• Life Assurance 6x of salary
• Sustainable travel plans and public transport discounts
• Range of discounts for Leeds gyms, shops and restaurants

At Border to Coast, we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We value diversity of thought and experience. It’s not just the right thing to do. We know it makes for better decision making - and outcomes – for Partner Funds and their members. We are committed to creating an inclusive and engaging workplace. We encourage colleagues to progress, be themselves and be their best. We actively support personal and professional development.