Research Intern, Banking Standards - London, United Kingdom - ShareAction

ShareAction
ShareAction
Verified Company
London, United Kingdom

1 week ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Description

We are at a pivotal moment: the climate and biodiversity crises are deepening, and inequalities are even more marked in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The global investment system has an oversized impact on many of these global challenges. We want to make sure that impact is positive. At ShareAction we work with investors, policymakers and individuals to unleash the positive potential of the investment system. We aim to build a world where our financial system serves our planet and its people.


Team


ShareAction's Banking Standards team seeks to work with stakeholders such as banks, investors, and NGOs to make sure the banking industry take responsibility for their impact on people and planet.

We have a history of campaigning on key aspects of banks' climate strategies - such as their emission reduction targets or their fossil fuel policies - and we are gradually expanding our campaigning, research, and engagement work to other sustainability themes and banking regulation.


Position:


Position

What you'll do _(key responsibilities)_


The Research Intern will primarily support the Senior Research Manager in updating, maintaining, and further developing a database tracking climate-related commitments made by the largest European banks.

The commitments that we currently track include banks' fossil fuel policies and emission reduction targets.

The banking tracker is a critical source of information with multiple use cases:

data collection for the banking survey and other research reports, engagement with banks and investors, and ability to respond quickly to announcements and media queries.

The banking tracker was initially developed in 2021 to address specific research-related needs but has rapidly grown in size, in line with the scope of our banking research.

Its use cases have also evolved in line with campaigning activities, and researchers aim to update it on an ongoing basis (e.g. when a bank makes a new commitment).

Maintaining the database mobilises significant resources and further developments are needed to unlock the intended efficiencies and economies of scale across various use cases.

The database is currently hosted in Excel and we are exploring alternative database management systems. The Research Intern will primarily support this effort during a 12-month internship.

In close collaboration with banking researchers, the Research Intern will contribute to the following tasks:

  • Streamlining the structure of our internalbanking tracker (currently in Excel) and data collection process to ensure updates are made in a consistent manner across banks and themes (e.g. decarbonisation targets, sector policies such as fossil fuel policies).
  • Developing our banking tracker to include new research themes (e.g. green finance targets).
  • Integrating our banking tracker into the research process for banking surveys, ensuring that data can feed into survey questionnaires and scoring sheets.
  • Strengthening the environment and infrastructure of the database to address performance issues and minimise operational errors.
  • Reviewing banks' sustainability disclosures and updating the banking tracker accordingly.
We are keen for the Research Intern to get exposure to all areas of ShareAction's banks workstream.

Depending on the team needs, the intern might be asked to:


  • Support the Senior Campaigns Officer review resolutions paperwork.
  • Contribute to the development of research positions that will inform the contents of our next banking survey and the more systematic consideration of climate justice concerns into our work.
  • Provide adhoc admin and team support.

Requirements:


What you'll bring to the team
Essential

  • Strong interest in climate change, sustainability, and/or the role of the financial system in addressing these issues.
  • Strong interest in data analytics and/or data management.
  • Proficiency in using Microsoft Excel and comfortable using common features of Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Word.
  • Attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.
  • Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
  • Team player willing to support and learn from colleagues.
Desirable

  • Experience using data management software or programming languages (e.g., SQL, Python) or willingness to quickly expand on foundational knowledge.
  • Highlevel understanding of products and services offered by banks to retail and corporate clients.

What we will do for you


Working with ShareAction will offer you the opportunity to achieve significant personal impact in one of the most respected and exciting organisations in the responsible investment space.


  • You will be part of a team that has had demonstrable impact on the climate strategies and sustainability commitments of large European banks.
  • You will benefit from a highly supportive work environment, with a focus on equality, employee wellbeing and mental health.
  • You will have access to a flexible office space in central
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