Principles for Responsible Investment

Senior Lead, Social Issues

Employment Type - Full time (please note, where PRI has an office there is an expectation to work a minimum of 2 days per week)

Location - Hybrid · London, City of, UK

Salary - £105,000 - £110,000 (GBP)

Closing: 11:59pm, 15th Nov 2026 GMT

About the PRI

The PRI is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions.

The PRI’s three distinct capabilities relate to the core elements of the PRI’s approach to achieving a sustainable financial system:

Translate RI (Responsible Investment) thought leadership into insights and practical support that is tailored to what signatories need to progress their RI practice.
Convene our vast network to create opportunities for collaborative action.
Harness our global scale to influence policymakers and regulators to effect system change.

Job Description

This is a senior role in the Policy and Research team, serving the PRI’s global signatory base by leading the organisation’s work on social issues, including human rights and socio-economic developments of relevance to responsible investors. The role is responsible for shaping PRI’s strategic direction across these issue areas, ensuring high-quality insights and practical support for signatories, and driving delivery through regional markets, guidance and tools, policy engagement and collaborative investor initiatives.

The successful candidate will bring significant international expertise in applying social issues in business and investment contexts, alongside the credibility to represent the PRI externally and influence thinking across the responsible investment ecosystem. Success in the role will depend not only on deep expertise in social issues, but also on the ability to identify connections between social, economic, political and environmental developments, and generate insights relevant to the strategic challenges facing investors and the broader financial system. The role reports directly to the Chief Policy and Research Officer, is part of a small group of senior issue experts working across the organisation.

Core Responsibilities

This role’s core responsibilities include providing leadership on social issues across the PRI, shaping strategic priorities and organisational delivery in these areas, and representing the PRI internally and externally with credibility and influence.

Using your advanced experience on social issues with a business or investment context, foster subject matter understanding and build expertise across the PRI organisation and signatory base.
Working with the Issues Expert Group - shape PRI's strategic understanding of how social dynamics interact with major global trends and investment themes, identifying where investor action, market practice and policy engagement can most effectively contribute to long-term outcomes. This includes issues at the intersection of social issues and major global trends, such as inequality, social inclusion, rights-respecting business conduct, decent work, technological change and just transition considerations.
Serve as a trusted adviser to PRI leadership, regional teams and issue experts, providing strategic insight on emerging social developments and their implications for investors, markets and PRI priorities.
Be a spokesperson for the PRI, at events, with the press or in other senior-level contact and exchanges on social issues and human rights.
Keep abreast of market-wide developments, building on existing career experience and maintaining a strong understanding of emerging expectations, practices and debates relating to social issues in investment and business.
Maintain open exchange and dialogue with key stakeholders, including PRI signatories, UN partners, think tanks and research institutes, NGOs and initiatives that contribute to and are aligned with PRI’s strategic objectives.
Work collaboratively across different teams within the PRI on investment practices, stewardship, policy, data and disclosure to build in-depth understanding and deliver quality resources to signatories on social issues.
Provide coaching and mentoring to colleaguesincluding sharing technical knowledge and expertise where appropriate.
Support the Chief Policy and Research Officer in delivering against the team’s business plan and budget.
Provide regular reporting to Directors and the Executive Team as required.

Person Specification

Higher education in one or more fields of sociology, human geography, anthropology. labour economics, behavioural economics or related disciplines.
Significant professional experience and subject matter expertise in assessing and responding to social and human rights issues in business, investment or responsible investment contexts, with the credibility to be recognised as a senior leader in the field.
Strong strategic and systems-thinking capability, with the ability to shape priorities, identify inter-linkages across issues, including different economic sectors, and translate complex external developments into clear organisational direction and practical support for signatories.
Excellent networking, relationship management and interpersonal skills, with experience of building trusted relationships with investors, companies, multilaterals, civil society organisations, think tanks and other stakeholders relevant to PRI’s strategic objectives.
Horizon-scanning capability, with experience identifying emerging social trends and translating uncertainty into strategic priorities and practical decision-useful insights.
Excellent programme management skills, including a track record of delivering complex work successfully, coordinating across teams and leading work involving colleagues who may not be direct reports.
Well-developed collaboration and leadership skills, with experience of working across multidisciplinary teams and of coaching, mentoring and developing colleagues in an inclusive and supportive way.
Excellent written communication, verbal presentation and spokesperson skills, with the ability to represent complex and sensitive issues clearly, credibly and persuasively to internal and external audiences.
A collaborative and consultative approach, with sound judgement, openness to diverse perspectives, and a commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and continuous professional development.
Strong operational discipline and digital fluency, including virtual collaboration tools, with the ability to support effective planning, reporting and delivery in a global role; international travel may be required, and additional language skills are desirable.

We particularly welcome candidates from under-represented groups, including Black, Asian, and other People of Colour, those with visible or non-visible disabilities, LGBTQ+ candidates and those who are neurodivergent.

N.B. We reserve the right to close a vacancy before the closing date in the event of an overwhelming response or a change in business priorities.

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Senior Lead, Social Issues