Head of community engagement jobs

ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system serves our planet and its people. We set ambitious standards for how financial institutions, through their investment decisions, can protect our planet and its people and campaign for this approach to become the norm. We convene shareholders to collectively push companies to tackle the climate crisis, protect nature, improve workers’ rights and shape healthier societies. In the UK and EU, we advocate for financial regulation that has society’s best interests at its core.

What you’ll do

ShareAction’s Banking Standards team works towards holding financial institutions accountable for their impact on climate change. We have a history of campaigning on key aspects of banks’ climate strategies – such as their emission reduction targets or fossil fuel policies – and we are gradually expanding our work to include other sustainability themes and banking regulation. We have achieved significant wins, such as contributing to HSBC becoming the world’s largest bank to cease financing for new oil and gas fields, Barclays dramatically reducing its oil sands financing, and mobilising investors to call on Societe Generale to set a renewable energy target.

The team is structured around two main pillars: our campaigning and our research pillar. The research pillar ensures that the team’s campaigning and advocacy work is based on sound analysis and facts. The Senior Research Manager oversees the research pillar, currently composed of three more junior researchers. The Senior Research Manager is responsible for developing and implementing a research strategy that underpins campaign needs for analysis and insight in line with campaign timelines and available resources. You will oversee and contribute to the delivery of high-quality research outputs, including thematic reports, investor briefings, and surveys of Europe’s largest banks, and ensure that they are underpinned by clear and robust research methodologies. Alongside the Head of Banking Programme and the Senior Campaign Manager, you’ll act as an ambassador for the team in external forums, the media, and when meeting with and presenting to external stakeholders, including banks, civil society organisations, and investors.

If this role sounds like something that would build on your current skill set and engage you, we’d love to hear from you!

What you’ll bring to the team

To be successful, you will:

• Have a good understanding of how banks work and how they can help address climate change, developed through experience working in or with banks.
• Be a strategic thinker.
• Have excellent project management and organisational skills, with a proven ability to autonomously manage research projects, allocate tasks, and handle multiple competing priorities to meet deadlines.
• Have extensive experience carrying out research and an ability to summarise complex issues and datasets for others in a clear and concise way.
• Have advanced Excel skills.
• Have experience managing a team of research professionals and/or providing direct line management support.
• Have a proven ability to handle relationships with multiple external stakeholders in the private and public sectors.
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to flex your style according to your audience.
• Be a collaborative team player who is comfortable receiving feedback and ideas from more junior staff, seeks opportunities to support colleagues and is willing to support other areas of work as needed.
• Be passionate about the issues ShareAction advocates for and be comfortable working in a campaigning environment.

It would also be great – but not essential – if you meet the following criteria:

• Experience in conducting surveys and/or carrying out qualitative or quantitative research on financial institutions.
• A good understanding of responsible investment.
• Experience integrating innovative tools and approaches into research processes, such as AI tools.
• Subject matter knowledge in climate change, biodiversity and/or human rights.
• Experience using the Salesforce CRM system and/or Cascade and/or Eikon.

We have a formal hybrid working policy in place, and the Banking team meets in the office every Tuesday for a team meeting and team lunch. We also aim to organise additional team-specific meetings on those days. We expect candidates who live in London to come to the office every Tuesday and those who live outside London to come to the office two Tuesdays a month.

What we will do for you

We are a fast-paced organisation that has grown substantially over the past few years. We recognise that our people work hard to advocate for responsible investment and drive meaningful engagement with those who have the power to create a brighter future. Every day, they bring their expertise, passion and persistence to build a world where the financial system serves our people and planet. We want to ensure we provide the right environment for our colleagues to thrive, and we are committed to improving our employee offer where possible.

Currently, we are pleased to offer:

• A commitment to flexible working: over 60% of our employees have some sort of flexible working arrangement in place.
• Hybrid working: we are committed to supporting our staff to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and meets the requirements of their role.
• Internal promotion and development opportunities: we offer a range of ways to improve your skills and focus on what you love, including promotion, secondment, or sideways development opportunities. For some levels of roles, we also offer direct progression.
• The opportunity to help make a difference: we tackle some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. We offer opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience in a friendly, flexible and supportive working environment.
• A unionised work environment: our staff have the opportunity to join the union and are supported by our recognised union, Unite. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay.
• Regular in-person meetings, including all-staff away days, retreats and directorate strategy days to create connected teams.
• An 8% non-contributory pension invested with NEST and their green funds.
• A healthcare plan with Bupa.
• An employee assistance programme: advice and support, lifestyle discounts and short-term counselling.
• Death in service cover of 3x salary.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure at the end of the year, ensuring everyone gets time to switch off together.
• Enhanced family leave pay: up to 18 weeks paid at 90% for either parent.
• Enhanced sick pay: starting at 5 weeks’ full pay from day 1.
• Season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.

ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities, and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!

For further information and to apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 9.00 am on Monday, 29th September 2025.

Applications will be reviewed regularly, and this advert may close earlier than stated if a suitable candidate is identified. You are therefore encouraged to apply as soon as you can. Previous applicants should not reapply.

Interview dates: There will be two rounds of online interviews for selected candidates.

To be considered for this post, you must be legally eligible to work in the UK; unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.