Job: Executive Director, GRASFI

About GRASFI

The Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (see: https://sustainablefinancealliance.org) was founded in 2017 to promote multi-disciplinary academic research on sustainable finance and investment. GRASFI consists of the following research universities, each with expertise in this emerging field:

• University of Bologna
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Cambridge
• Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing
• City, University of London
• Columbia University
• École Polytechnique – ENSAE
• EDHEC Business School
• University of Edinburgh
• Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
• University of Hamburg
• Imperial College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Maastricht University
• Macquarie University
• University of Otago
• University of Oxford
• PSL Université Paris-Dauphine
• Queen’s University, Canada
• Singapore Management University
• SOAS, University of London
• Stanford University
• Stockholm School of Economics
• University of Toronto
• University College London
• University of Waterloo
• Yale University
• University of Zurich

GRASFI organises a major annual academic conference on sustainable finance and investment. The conference is the largest convening of academic researchers working on sustainable finance and investment. The 1st Annual Conference was held at the University of Maastricht in 2018, the 2nd at the University of Oxford in 2019, the 3rd at Columbia University in 2020, and the 4th Annual Conference at the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) in Beijing in 2021. The 5th Annual Conference will be organised by the University of Zurich in September 2022.

GRASFI is in the process of becoming a UK registered charity and its charitable objects are four-fold:

• promoting highly impactful academic research on sustainable finance and investment through a major annual academic conference on the topic;
• developing academic collaboration between researchers internationally working on sustainable finance and investment;
• nurturing the growth and development of graduate students and junior academics working on sustainable finance and investment, including the grant of scholarships and bursaries to attend the annual academic conference; and
• promoting knowledge and raising standards on sustainable finance and investment in the form of facilitating academic research and publication in peer-reviewed articles and online.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

The successful candidate will have responsibility for scaling the activities of GRASFI, working closely with the Co-Chairs and Honorary Treasurer to secure funding, and ultimately delivering capabilities that help to grow and develop rigorous academic research on sustainable finance and investment internationally.

We expect the successful candidate to have knowledge and understanding of working with researchers. They will develop strategy, setting clear objectives and securing the necessary funding to achieve those outcomes.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Contribute to the day-to-day operational management and strategic direction of GRASFI, including organising Board meetings and leading the organisation of the annual conference.
• Develop a long-term strategy and business plan, together with the Board, to ensure the sustainability of GRASFI.
• Build and manage a team to execute GRASFI’s charitable objects.
• Identify and secure funding for GRASFI activities, through proposals created with input from the Board.
• Promote GRASFI nationally and internationally, disseminate the value of its work and the associated research and project outcomes to advance knowledge in the specialist area.
• Represent GRASFI at external meetings/seminars and liaise with member universities, funders, sponsors, stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with GRASFI member universities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Educated to masters level or equivalent, with experience of operational management and of being entrepreneurial.
• Evidence of the ability to secure funding through a track record of successful grant / commercial applications.
• Evidence of effective teamwork in interdisciplinary research contexts and multiparty collaborations.
• Proven track record of building and maintaining strategic partnerships and stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of working across and bringing together multiple disciplines and translating outputs to non-expert users and audiences.
• Experience of sustainable finance, working in academe, and/or working in financial services would be desirable but not essential
• A commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion

Location: Flexible

Salary: Competitive

To apply: Please send a page CV, cover letter, and example of written work, to: ben.caldecott@smithschool.ox.ac.uk

The deadline is Monday 13^th June 2022 at 1200 UK time. We encourage early applications as we will appoint as soon as we identify a suitable candidate.