Associate Director – Investor And ESG Communications

The role of an Associate Director is to own client accounts, work closely with teams of consultants, attract and retain talent, promote and represent Black Sun externally.

The Black Sun Global Insights and Advisory team is looking for a candidate with strong financial and corporate communications skills, combined with advisory experience in the ESG and sustainability space, to join our corporate reporting team and advise our exceptionally strong client base of FTSE 100 and FTSE250 companies primarily on their annual reports.

Companies are increasingly expected – and required – to incorporate ESG and sustainability issues such, net zero strategies and climate transition plans, into their decision-making at a strategic and operational level.

The Black Sun Insights and Advisory team works closely with regulators, industry bodies and clients to provide the highest standards of advice and support on all aspects of corporate and sustainability communications and reporting, helping companies navigate the regulatory landscape from ISSB and CSRD to the new Corporate Governance Code.

The successful candidate will be a senior member of our 15-strong team, focusing on Corporate Reporting (e.g. Annual Reports) and will also work closely with all parts of the Black Sun business – helping to win new business, developing strategic roadmaps for clients, and contributing to Black Sun’s award-winning thought leadership and best practice consultancy services.

Key responsibilities

Client work and business development

• Owning client work from beginning to end, helping clients develop their value creation story, including leading engaging client workshops, presentations, external events on best practice communication on corporate reporting, with a focus on annual reports.
• Lead (with account team or Director) client relationships and business development initiatives
• Lead pitching for new business and proactively developing corporate and sustainability communication and consultancy products

Team

• Leads knowledge share, education, guidance within teams, within department and between departments
• Oversees internal workstreams and projects, convenes others, proactively contributes to improving processes
• Research, thought leadership and external relations
• Lead on external engagement relations

Skills and experience required
This is a technical role and we require someone with strong experience in corporate reporting.

• 10-15 years of work experience in a relevant sector (either in a blue-chip client/ listed business or a relevant organisation, e.g. corporate reporting consultancy, communications consultancy etc.)
• Solid understanding of the Corporate Governance Code and knowledge of sustainability issues and reporting standards and frameworks, including but not limited to TCFD, UN SDGs, CDP, UN Global Compact, net zero frameworks etc.); keeping up to date with latest developments
• Rounded individual that brings a good mix of attention to detail, people skills and proactiveness, eager to learn and improve

Come join us!

Black Sun Global

Across the globe, there is a powerful movement demanding that businesses focus on purpose, sustainability, and wider value creation. It has never been more important for organisations to build and maintain trust with their key audiences. And that’s where Black Sun come in – we are a partner to some of the biggest brands and businesses worldwide – helping them to build enduring relationships with their stakeholders and spark positive change through better engagement and inspiring communications.

We define, articulate and shape the corporate story, bringing it to life across different channels and content formats. Our team is made up of over 150 talented specialists working across the UK, Europe, South Africa and Asia – analytical thinkers, forward-looking creatives, digital experts and inspiring change makers!

For more than twenty years, we have won many awards and recognition for our work – but great work doesn’t happen by magic. Join Black Sun and you will become part of a, diverse, and inclusive community – a team of passionate and skilful people who will expand your horizon, energise your talents and ignite that spark of magic within you.

You will have the opportunity to make a difference every day, shaping the future of communications and creating positive change – and most importantly, to have fun along the way.

The Positive Change Group

Black Sun is the founding agency at the centre of The Positive Change Group. The Positive Change Group is a truly international stakeholder advisory and engagement collective of like-minded specialist agencies with a shared ambition to help bold and visionary businesses Spark Positive Change – to make a deeper impact on society, shape more ethical practices, build inclusive communities and deliver more sustainable performance.

The Group currently consists of four pre-eminent agencies:  Black Sun Global, People-Made, Stratton Craig and GoCo. Each agency brings together deep expertise on different aspects of stakeholder advisory and engagement – including brand culture, strategic communications, reporting, ESG advisory, analytics and creative storytelling. Current clients within the Group include major international firms, such as AstraZeneca, Burberry, Diageo, Meta, Olam, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone.

With headquarters in London, Singapore, and offices worldwide, the group is transforming the way companies engage with their customers, employees, investors, and communities worldwide. As business increasingly recognises that long-term success is dependent on the support and advocacy of their stakeholders – the Positive Change Group is helping their clients to inspire trust, build more positive relations and create sustainable value for the people that matter most to them.

support and advocacy of their stakeholders – the Positive Change Group is helping their clients to inspire trust, build more positive relations and create sustainable value for the people that matter most to them.

Interview process

Phone chat with talent acquisition manager
1st Interview with hiring director
2nd interview with hiring director and hiring manager, presentation of task

Benefits
In addition to a competitive salary based on skills and experience, as an employee at Black Sun, you will have access to a range of great benefits and perks, including:

25 days holiday per year with ‘bonus’ days for long service
Bonus scheme
Personal development opportunities
Group life assurance
Group personal pension plan
Employee assistance programme
Hybrid working:
We have developed a hybrid way of working, governed by three fundamental principles: Colleague, Client, and Culture. This means that however you decide to deliver work, you should protect all these 3 C’s. After a period of onboarding, employees can work from home, office and, where applicable, on-site with clients. The number of days is dependent on teams, role, time of year and deliverables.

Here at Black Sun we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We foster a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best work and be relevant in a rapidly changing world

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