Job Description
At abrdn We empower our clients to plan, save and invest for their futures.
Through the expertise, insight and innovation of our team, we aim to help clients create more ways for money to make an impact. We set our sights on giving them more confidence to achieve their goals, and more clarity about what they need next. And we focus on delivering outcomes that are more than just financial – by investing sustainably to build a better world.
About The Department
At abrdn, we offer expertise across all principal real estate sectors – enabling our clients to target opportunities in their home market and globally.
Our success in real estate is built on deep local research, global insight and an active approach to investing and development of our real estate assets. In this way, we seek to enable our clients to benefit from global real estate themes such as demographic change, urbanisation, technology plus environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
About The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to work in a global real estate team to drive sustainability performance of a diverse property portfolio of ~1500 assets which span the UK, Europe and Asia. The role includes a specific focus on driving net-zero performance across real estate funds and ensuring climate change risk has been adequately integrated and considered, as well as being responsible for representing abrdn at industry groups and communicating our ESG approach to a wide range of stakeholders including investors, real estate teams and service providers.
The ESG Manager will assist the Head of ESG, Real Estate, working closely with the Real Estate investment team, to develop and manage the firm’s real estate assets in accordance with the firm’s agreed principles for ESG Real Estate Investment. This is focused on maximising ESG opportunities in conjunction with minimising the adverse impacts that the firm’s real estate portfolios have on the environment; and ensuring compliance with all mandatory and elective ESG reporting and certification requirements.
The scope of the Real Estate division includes global direct and multi manager with support to the listed REIT and real estate lending team within the firm’s Credit division.
Key Outcomes / Responsibilities
- Assist with the on-going development of the firm’s ESG strategy and objectives ensuring implementation across the full Real Estate capability set.
- Lead on the creation and delivery of net-zero strategies working closely with fund investment teams.
- On-going development and implementation of processes and systems to facilitate the consistent, timely and accurate recording, management and reporting of ESG data.
Investment process
- Provide support and expert advice to the investment teams ensuring that investment, asset management and development decisions are made in line with ESG requirements.
- Work with the investment teams in setting and agreeing fund and asset level ESG strategy and underlying targets.
- Work with the investment teams to actively manage environmental and obsolescence risk.
Internal and External Collaboration
- Represent the firm through active involvement and engagement in relevant industry bodies and Events including bodies such as the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), the British Property Federation (BPF), the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).
- Provide high quality service, support and communication with clients at all times and responding to evolving client needs and expectation. This involves presenting the house ESG approach to clients on how we consider ESG risks and opportunities.
- Contribute to though leadership and research on relevant ESG themes.
- Lead education and training to the investment teams to ensure adequate levels of knowledge and understanding of ESG requirements and the practical implementation of the ESG strategy and objectives.
- Produce and procure reports and submissions to indices and benchmarks consistent with and supportive of our ambition to be a global leader in ESG.
- Ensure that all global regulatory requirements are understood, communicated and met at all times.
Skills And Experience
- In depth understanding of climate change impacts for real estate with a good understanding of building services installations/systems.
- Strong written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to forge relationships quickly and effectively.
- Awareness of ESG related regulations, directives, guidelines and industry standards globally.
- Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels from clients, internal teams and external suppliers.
- Expertise in software tools for management, manipulation and mining of sustainability data.
- Self-reliant, innovative, results orientated.
- Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and productive; team player.
- Experience of dealing with external customers and suppliers.
The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate significant experience within an ESG role, ideally from within a Real Estate environment.
Our Benefits
There’s more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.
When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around, including 40 days annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary, performance based bonus, private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount site amongst many others. You can read more about our benefits here.
Our Inclusive Culture
We are committed to exploring the possibilities of working smarter. This means we’d like to hear from you, whatever way you like to work.
We have a long-term commitment to building inclusive workplaces; we value diversity in our workforce and welcome enquiries from everyone. If you need assistance or a reasonable adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist. You can find out more about our inclusive culture here.
We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment. We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance. We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.
If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.