About The Role
We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director to lead the strategic direction, operational execution, and cross-functional coordination of FAIRR’s research, analytics, and investor products portfolio. This senior leadership role sets the vision and priorities for FAIRR’s flagship tools including the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, the Climate Risk Tool, and the organisation’s broader ESG research and data infrastructure.
The successful candidate will provide executive oversight of a multidisciplinary team encompassing product management, ESG research, data engineering, and analytics. They will lead the development and delivery of actionable insights that enable institutional investors to assess systemic risks and opportunities in the global food system. With a forward-looking approach grounded in market trends, policy developments, and corporate performance, the Director will ensure that FAIRR’s products and research remain analytically rigorous, investor-relevant, and at the forefront of sustainable finance.
As a member of FAIRR’s Executive Committee, the Director will play a central role in organisational decision-making, shaping the external positioning of FAIRR’s work, and building long-term strategic partnerships across the investment ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Research & Product Leadership
• Lead the strategic vision and roadmap for FAIRR’s ESG research and investor tools portfolio, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s mission and the evolving needs of institutional investors.
• Provide strategic oversight of the senior lead role, who is responsible for day-to-day delivery and execution of FAIRR’s major data products, including the Coller FAIRR Index and other benchmark and scenario-based tools.
• Guide the development of new products, ensuring that ESG issues are translated into decision-useful, financially material insights.
• Ensure FAIRR’s products and research align with international frameworks such as ISSB, TCFD, and SFDR, and maintain high methodological transparency.
2. Cross-Functional Influence and Collaboration
• Leading the conversation across FAIRR by acting as a thought leader as FAIRR’s senior lead across product, data, and research functions, setting direction and fostering alignment across departments.
• Set priorities and standards for cross-functional collaboration between Investor Outreach, Research & Engagement, Policy, and Communications teams.
• Build strong relationships across teams to ensure operational integration, shared accountability, and cross-functional delivery.
3. Team Leadership and Delivery Oversight
• Develop and articulate a compelling vision for the department that is linked to the organisational strategy and is responsible for creating Team goals and KPIs
• Develop and deploy new strategies for building a high performance function in line with our emerging opportunities and the strategy.
• Lead a diverse high performing team of research professionals, ESG analysts, and data specialists, setting clear objectives and supporting individual and collective growth. Foster a culture of innovation, quality, and learning within the team.
• Line manage senior leads, ensuring strategic clarity and performance accountability.
• Hold regular strategic planning sessions with their direct reports to align on execution timelines, priorities and investor feedback.
• Contribute to a collaborative leadership culture by supporting organisational needs beyond core responsibilities, including external representation and cross-team initiatives where required.
4. Investor-Focused Innovation and Market Engagement
• Represent FAIRR as a credible and engaging figure at high-level strategic conferences, panels, investor meetings, and in the media, enhancing the organisation’s visibility and strategic influence
• Lead the continuous improvement of FAIRR’s products and research through structured investor feedback loops and market intelligence.
• Ensure outputs are investor-relevant, analytically sound, and practically scalable.
• Monitor regulatory, technological, and market trends to inform product development and research direction.
5. Organisational Leadership
• Provide direction and governance over FAIRR’s technical analytics and data infrastructure functions, ensuring the robustness, security, and scalability of systems that support research and investor products.
• Drive significant impact and improvements across their function; strategically planning for how people and processes scale.
• Represent the Products & Analytics function on FAIRR’s Executive Committee, contributing to organisational strategy and governance.
• Lead departmental planning, budgeting, and performance evaluation.
• Support the Executive Director in managing strategic funders, partner relationships, technical collaborators, and investor networks to grow FAIRR’s influence and capability.
• Represent FAIRR at high-level investor, regulatory, and media engagements as a senior spokesperson, delegating technical or delivery-focused representation to the senior leads as appropriate.
Essential Criteria
• Minimum 10 years of experience in investment research, ESG data, sustainable finance, or a related analytical leadership role
• Exceptional leadership skills with a proven track record of managing multidisciplinary teams across research, data, and product functions
• Advanced degree in finance, economics, sustainability, or a related discipline
• Strong understanding of how ESG, climate, and nature-related risks are integrated into institutional investment strategies
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex product or research portfolios that serve investor audiences
• Experience working across teams and functions in mission-driven, collaborative organisations
• Executive-level communication skills, including experience with high-profile public speaking and media engagement
• Experience overseeing technical systems and data infrastructure is highly desirable
Desirable Criteria
• Prior experience contributing to or engaging with international sustainability standards (e.g. TCFD, ISSB, SFDR)
• Understanding of data governance and technical infrastructure within ESG-focused platforms
• Experience in not-for-profit or hybrid-impact organisations
• Familiarity with ESG analytics across asset classes, including private markets and fixed income
• Experience managing funder relationships or strategic partnerships
About us
The FAIRR (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return) Initiative was established in 2015 by the Jeremy Coller Foundation. The FAIRR Initiative is the fastest-growing ESG investor network with more than 400 investor members representing over $70 trillion in combined assets to leverage capital markets and drive positive change across the global food sector. FAIRR focuses on raising awareness of the key environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities impacting the protein value chain. Visit the FAIRR website for more information: www.fairr.orgller Foundation (JCF) is a private foundation based in London and operating globally.
The Jeremy Coller Foundation (JCF), established in 2002, is the philanthropic vehicle of Jeremy Coller, Chair and Chief Investment Officer of Coller Capital, a leading private equity secondaries business. The Jeremy Coller Foundation is a strategic grant-making organisation with two primary focus areas. First, the Foundation is working to further venture and management education, partnering with Tel Aviv University on the Coller Institute of Venture and the Coller School of Management. Second, the Foundation seeks to address animal welfare, environmental and human health issues caused by intensive animal agriculture. You can learn more on the JCF website: www.jeremycollerfoundation.org.
WHY JOIN US?
Working for FAIRR provides the opportunity to be part of something big! As a purpose-led organisation, we offer a role that allows you to make an impact on people and the planet through our work on sustainable food systems. Our team is building for the future. We are a fast-paced organisation, offering a place to learn, do great things with great people, and have the autonomy to make decisions that spark and manifest real change.
FAIRR is comprised of several expert teams: Thematic Research & Engagements, Data & Research, Policy, Investor Outreach, Communications & Marketing, People & Culture. Our teams have grown rapidly but are still small enough to be innovative due to agility and collaboration. Teamwork and strong working relationships are key to our culture and enable a high level of trust within the team. All of this makes FAIRR a fantastic place to work to achieve real impact in the Global Food system – our goals are ambitious and exciting!
FAIRR’s culture is one of autonomy and responsibility, enabling skill development and career growth. Our team are supported and given stretch opportunities through our collaborative engagements with investors and the work we do with corporates producing innovative tools, data and research. You will have the opportunity to work on a range of high-profile topics to grow your expertise.
We are located in a modern office near Marble Arch.
