Climate & Nature Investment Strategist

In this role you operate as a strategic lead and work with the Managing Director Responsible Investment Strategy & Partnerships to support the Management Board of APG Asset Management (AM) in defining the 2030 climate and nature strategy and embedding it across the organization. By doing this, you contribute to the overall APG corporate strategy as well as APG’s external positioning. Climate and nature expertise, strategic thinking and communication skills are key elements of this role, as well as a strong understanding of portfolio management.

Dit wordt je functie

Climate and Nature are overarching themes for APG as a corporate and when investing on behalf of its clients. We are looking for a climate and nature strategist to set the direction on these themes from a total portfolio perspective to anticipate on future developments and ensure that APG and its clients remain leading in their approach. What do we mean by that?

APG invests in different private and public asset classes on behalf its clients. All asset classes have developed and are implementing a strategy how to address climate and nature risks and opportunities in line with client objectives. Our clients have defined carbon reduction goals, as well as investment targets for climate and nature solutions and aim to be nature positive. Moreover, climate & nature are integrated within stewardship activities.

RI S&P operates at the total portfolio and the strategy level and is not responsible for implementation in the portfolio. However, we review consistency of methodologies and approaches across the portfolio and between different RI products of which climate & nature are a component. Through such review we guide on future product and strategy development. Therefore the strategist would be expected to understand asset class approaches and put them into the overall context, identifying any room for further development.

Various regulatory initiatives apply to APG as a corporate and/ or the portfolio we manage. As a strategist you understand how these interact and affect the wider market and the products that we offer. Keeping up to date on market developments and thinking, including new methodologies and data sources is an essential part of the role, and translating those into our context in order to lead within APG as a subject matter expert. The strategist will facilitate the APG community of investment professionals to help build everyone’s knowledge and understanding. He/ she will also advise on how APG can best use its influence with regard to policy and standard setting initiatives.

The strategist works closely with the multi asset team to embed climate and nature into monitoring and steering the total portfolio, and thereby supporting the Investment Committee in asset allocation decision.

What You Would Do

This role contributes to RI S&P’s overall goals of:

• defining APG 2030 RI strategy and linking it to APG Group corporate strategy
• strategic positioning of APG as leading long-term responsible investor
• defining APG’s strategy for engaging with external parties to build relationships and in support of its own strategic future
• identifying areas for innovation and improvement when implementing APG’s RI Strategy, and translating these into workable solutions together with the relevant teams
• ensuring RI is embedded in the management of the total portfolio
• defining APG’s RI USP and how to communicate it effectively both internally and externally creating internal alignment to ensure that APG as a whole is effectively represented towards policymakers (lobby) and standard setters, as well as in industry initiatives building a network of likeminded peers and fostering external relationships that may lead to better investment opportunities and organisational efficiency and development
• bringing into the organisation an external market perspective on RI-related data and systems solutions, in collaboration with the COO and other relevant department, with a focus on agility and cost efficiency
• facilitating knowledge exchange sessions with external speakers on key transition topics of food, materials, and energy