Principal – Sustainable Investing and Innovation

OPTrust is seeking a Principal for Sustainable Investing and Innovation in Toronto on an 18-month hybrid contract. The role involves building an investment program focused on sustainability, leading responsible investing initiatives, and overseeing OPTrust's Climate Change Strategy. The position offers a collaborative environment, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth within a purpose-driven team dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the investment sector.
Principal – Sustainable Investing & Innovation

Department: Investment Division - Sustainable Investing & Innovation

Type: 18-month contract

Location: Toronto (Hybrid)

Posting Date: April 03, 2025

At OPTrust, paying pensions today, preserving pensions for tomorrow is our mission and business.

When you choose OPTrust, you join a team of smart, talented people who fuel our success and have a passion for pensions. Everyone at OPTrust – in Toronto, London and Sydney – makes a meaningful impact. Our culture is driven by team members with different backgrounds and perspectives, creating an inclusive and fulfilling place to work for everyone. We work in a fast-paced environment, but we find time to have fun and give back to the community.

What OPTrust Offers You
• Unique culture rooted in our core values – collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence and continuous improvement.
• A purpose-driven environment where we all work towards the common goal of paying pensions today and preserving pensions for tomorrow.
• A flexible, hybrid work model.
• Comprehensive benefits focused on your health and wellness.
• Optional membership in our world-class defined benefit pension plan.
• A dedicated inclusion, diversity and equity strategy with meaningful opportunities to participate, including our employee-led resource groups.

About the role

OPTrust’s Sustainable Investing and Innovation team (“SII”), established in 2020, sits within OPTrust’s Investment Division with a three-fold mandate. The first is to build an investment program focused on innovative areas that support OPTrust’s long-term sustainability, starting with investments in private market (i.e., venture, growth, and private equity) funds focused on climate opportunities. The second is to lead the organization’s responsible investing (RI) program and wider investment governance with an eye to continuously improving the integration of RI principles across the Investment Division. The third is to oversee the delivery and strategic evolution of OPTrust’s broader Climate Change Strategy.

Why join the SII Team?
• Purpose-driven work: Be part of a team at the forefront of sustainable investing and innovation, contributing to OPTrust’s long-term resilience and impact.
• Unique investment exposure: Gain hands-on investment experience within a climate-focused mandate, enabling you to stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies across industries, and providing unique exposure to sustainability from an investment perspective.
• Flexible and evolving mandate: Help shape a strategy with room for innovation and adaptation.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work alongside investment professionals across asset classes on responsible investing and climate change initiatives.
• High-performing, collaborative team: Join a close-knit team that values shared learning, diverse perspectives, and collaboration.
• Opportunity to make the role your own: With a growing mandate and broad set of team priorities, there are many ways for a self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset to contribute meaningfully.

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal (associate-level) to join the SII team on an 18-month parental leave contract. While this is a contract role, there may be future opportunities within the team or organization at the end of the term.

The ideal candidate will have two to four years of private market investment experience, strong financial and analytical skills, an entrepreneurial mindset, and be comfortable working cross-functionally with diverse teams and stakeholders. This role would be well suited to someone interested in contributing to the building and execution of an earlier-stage investment strategy, while also supporting responsible investing initiatives across the organization.

Reporting to the Senior Managing Director, Sustainable Investing and Innovation, and working closely with the broader SII team, the principal will provide high-quality analysis, research, and investment evaluations pertaining to new investment opportunities within the SII portfolio. They will also support responsible investing projects across all asset classes in the Investment Division.

What you’ll do

Investment Selection, Due Diligence and Portfolio Management – 75%:
• Performs detailed due diligence in evaluating fund investment opportunities, including industry research, track record and performance analysis, and the preparation of investment memorandums.
• Participates in the investment decision-making process, including presenting and contributing thoughtfully to investment committee discussions.
• Represents the SII team in meetings with external managers and other industry stakeholders, including undertaking meeting preparation, developing questions and engaging in thoughtful discussions.
• Monitors and maintains the investment opportunity pipeline.
• Assists with the ongoing management and monitoring of portfolio investments, including preparing quarterly reports and distilling insights from our investment partners.
• Supports SII and deal team leadership in periodic portfolio strategy reviews.
• Identifies, researches, and monitors emerging trends relevant to the SII portfolio and the wider organization.

Responsible Investing, Governance and Climate Change – 25%:
• Works in partnership with investment teams across asset classes on ESG and governance integration activities, including the delivery of the Climate Change Strategy.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of responsible investing initiatives, including ESG data projects, across the Fund.
• Participates in responsible investing committees and cross-functional working groups, as needed.

What you bring
• 2-4 years of relevant private markets experience, preferably in institutional investing, private equity, investment banking, or other related role; experience in fund investing is a strong asset.
• Undergraduate degree required.
• A willingness to travel (3-5 trips/year).
• Demonstrated experience supporting investment processes, including multiple diligence streams.
• Knowledge of and interest in climate change and other sustainability investment themes; experience with ESG issues across asset classes is an asset.
• Proven relationship-building skills and ability to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Effective oral and written communication and presentation skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and interest in supporting the building and execution of an earlier-stage investment strategy.
• Exemplify OPTrust’s values: collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence, and continuous improvement.

Please submit your application via Workday by April 18, 2025.

Serving a membership as diverse as ours and investing in a global market means cultivating an environment that embraces inclusion, diversity, and equity in everything we do. OPTrust is an organization engaged in building on our unique and diverse strengths. We know a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, gender identities and perspectives are critical to achieving our shared goals.

If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please send a message to

careers@optrust.com

, or discuss your needs with the Talent Acquisition Consultant during the telephone screening. We will do our best to work with you and provide appropriate accommodation.

As an organization we’re seeking ways to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92. We are working with the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business to build bridges with Indigenous communities and partners, and we have created an employee-led Reconciliation Working Group that will work with Indigenous experts to identify a path to reconciliation for our organization.

We thank all interested applicants, however only those under consideration will be contacted.