Location: Tokyo-To, Japan

The J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) Global Sustainable Investing and Stewardship team is recruiting for an Investment Stewardship Specialist, covering Japan.

As an Associate in the Sustainable Investing and Stewardship Team, you will support the delivery of the annual priorities and long-term objectives of the JPMAM Global Investment Stewardship team by leading and driving regional efforts in corporate engagement, proxy voting and reporting. You will be in a front office environment and will involve regular interaction with our research analysts and portfolio managers across Equities and Fixed Income to coordinate and align engagement activities and voting proxies, as well as engaging with representatives of the companies in which we invest on their sustainability policies and practices.

You will possess a passion for creative and critical thinking about financial markets, and a desire to be part of a fast-growing team. You will report to the Japan Head of Investment Stewardship.

Job responsibilities:

• Conduct proxy voting and governance research of investee companies, ensuring proper execution of JP Morgan Asset Management’s Global Proxy Voting Guidelines. Collaborate with investment teams and other stewardship specialists to exercise and document proxy voting, and support voting-related audit programs and compliance reporting.
• Contribute to the firm’s initiative of enhancing the firm’s proxy voting process to empower decision-making for investors and investment stewardship teams. Responsibilities include collaborating with internal partners, such as the technology teams; providing expertise on relevant company general meeting research and historical data; ensuring alignment with the firm’s proxy voting guidelines; and supporting robust reporting capabilities. The initiative also includes enhancing the voting policy screening, enabling investors and stewardship teams to efficiently triage proposals and focus on ballots requiring in-depth analysis and targeted evaluation.
• Compile proxy voting committee and engagement working group presentation materials and minutes, and assist in the preparation of regulatory filings and surveys on stewardship activities.
• Assist client reporting on stewardship activities, including engagement and voting, in collaboration with the wider SI&S teams and JPMAM’s client servicing teams to ensure client reporting and client presentations meet expectations, and that client queries on our stewardship activities are responded to promptly and to the satisfaction of the client.
• Support corporate engagement (research of investee companies, materials preparation, and coordination with other internal stakeholders), and document engagement meetings.
• Contribute to the ongoing maintenance and development of the firm's stewardship policies, priorities, and the strategies for implementing them each year.
• Build key working relationships across internal constituents from investment teams, business teams, and corporate teams.
• Support the writing and production of our annual investment stewardship report and occasional thought leadership pieces on investment stewardship topics.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills 

• Bachelor’s degree (finance, economics, law, accounting, public policy, or related field)
• Strong English and Japanese language skills (written and spoken)
• 3+ years of financial services experience or a background in a relevant specialist organization such as research, consultancy or NGO, best in Asset Management with previous exposure to investment stewardship and financial investment activities; or; high level specialist knowledge of sustainability-related issues 
• Excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills with an ability to apply sound judgement
• Proven presentation, communication, and influencing skills; strong report writing skills
• Ability to work and drive change effectively in a high volume, rapid pace, deadline-oriented global investment environment
• Team player with strong self-motivation and analytical skills
• Ability and willingness to work with key internal groups – portfolio managers, analysts, product specialists, RFP teams, corporate actions teams

Leading and driving regional efforts in corporate engagement, proxy voting and reporting