Sustainable Investing – Active Ownership Internship

Robeco has recognized APAC’s strategic importance since establishing its regional headquarters in Hong Kong in 2008. Today, the firm has a strong presence across the region, with offices in Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo, combining deep local market knowledge with global investment expertise. APAC is a core growth market for Robeco and a key part of its long-term strategy.

At Robeco, we believe that integrating ESG factors enables us to make better-informed investment decisions. Actively exercising our influence and stewardship responsibilities through engagement and voting is an integral part of Robeco’s approach to sustainable investing.

The Active Ownership team conducts engagement with more than 200 companies in our investment portfolio to encourage them to improve their performance on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. The objectives of our engagements can range from ensuring companies adopt climate transition plans and conduct due diligence on human rights in their supply chains, to appointing independent directors and safeguarding shareholders’ rights.

Robeco is seeking to set up a Sustainable Investing (SI) Internship Program in Singapore by appointing a Sustainable Investing Intern to work on different aspects of stewardship. The internship position will sit within Investments and report to the designated colleague from the Sustainable Investing (SI) Center of Expertise based in Singapore. The duration of the program will be 6 months.

As an intern, you will support the Active Ownership team by contributing to company-level sustainability research and engagement preparation. This includes conducting peer group analyses of companies’ performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics, such as environmental management, human rights and corporate governance. You will also have the opportunity to participate in conference calls with investee companies to discuss their sustainability strategies.

Description of Active Ownership internship project:
During the internship, you will work on an engagement baseline research project, which typically involves:

• Analysing a specific sustainability challenge, assessing its relevance for investors and defining engagement objectives.

• Conducting in-depth company research to support active ownership and engagement activities

In addition, you will:

• Contribute to sustainability investing research across a broad range of topics, including company sustainability assessments, peer group analyses, regulatory developments and salient ESG issues affecting companies globally.

• Collaborate closely with colleagues across Robeco’s SI Center of Expertise and investment teams to deliver high-quality engagement research.

• Participate in conference calls with the companies we invest in to discuss their sustainability strategies and practices.

Previous projects have included assessing companies’ climate transition plans, developing assessment frameworks for climate physical risk management, researching corporate operations in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs), supporting biodiversity-focused engagements along the supply chains of transition minerals, and assessing companies’ potential contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Interns receive close guidance and supervision from experienced colleagues in the Active Ownership team based in Singapore and collaborate virtually with colleagues in Robeco’s global offices.

We are interested in working with final stage MSc students who may come from a broad range of studies. Some financial industry knowledge or experience would be helpful but is not essential. Former interns started their internship with us during the writing phase of the thesis, to help kickstart a professional career by graduating with tangible and relevant work experience. The role requires close coordination with mulitple stakeholders and across offices (Rotterdam, Zurich, London, Hong Kong) so strong communication skills are important.

• Degrees related to sustainability – e.g. environmental sciences, geography, sociology, philosophy, business and/or finance.

• Skilled in research, social engagement, data analytics, creativity and inquisitiveness.

• Writing and oral communication skills.

• Proficiency in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint.

• Availability to work full time in Singapore for a period of 6 months.

• Meeting the legal requirements to work in Singapore (Robeco is unable to sponsor an Employment Pass for these vacancies).