About this role

The Director will work for the BIS APAC-Japan team based in Tokyo. The role reports to the Head of BIS Japan. The intention is for the person in this role to specialize in corporate governance, environmental and social issues as an investment theme or risk. The successful candidate will cover several sectors in Japan, for voting and engagement purposes, and facilitate the overall development of team capabilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as an expert in BlackRock's Investment Stewardship team focusing on corporate governance and material sustainability-related practices., from an investment perspective in Japan for key audiences internally and externally. Ensure an accurate and widespread understanding of our activities in this area;
• Conduct research and analysis of governance and material sustainability-related practices., from an investment perspective
• Responsible for the implementation of the approved corporate governance policies for sectors and the key markets in the region through engagement with investee companies, including voting at shareholder meetings;
• Engage with Chairmen, CEO(s) and other senior representatives of the companies in which BlackRock invests to address a range of issues including industry trends, strategy and performance in addition to corporate governance;
• Monitoring various corporate governance standards and best practices in the market and contribute to internal guidelines refreshment;
• Initiating, leading and/or participating in internal research projects as required. This could also include contributing to key public policy debates and responding to policy consultations;
• Engaging in public speaking opportunities to disseminate our approach on stewardship to wider constituencies.
• Contribute to regular updates of our publicly available documents, including voting guidelines, ensuring their relevance and timeliness
• Working with BlackRock's client-facing group and with clients directly to ensure client reporting and client presentations meet expectations, and that client queries on stewardship are responded to promptly and to the satisfaction of the client
• Contributing to the continual review of the BIS team's output and working practices to ensure risks are minimised and performance optimised

• A minimum of an undergraduate degree in finance, economics, accounting, business, communications, or relevant fields.
• Investment management, investment banking, corporate finance, investor relations, consulting and/or legal experience is an advantage
• Excellent analytical skills with very strong attention to detail
• The ability to build and maintain successful relationships with colleagues across the firm and with external parties
• The ability to analyse and resolve complex problems under time pressure
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills combined with agile critical thinking and a problem solving mindset, with the ability to collaborate with both technical and non-technical personnel
• Detail focused and persistent to see things through to completion whilst managing multiple tasks and changing priorities
• Organized, self-reliant, and self-motivated.
• Extensive knowledge of Excel and strong knowledge of the entire MS Office suite
• Experience in data analysis, consolidation and creating detailed reports; creativity with clear charts and tables a strong plus
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with senior colleagues, investee company representatives, and the public.
• Proficiency in Japanese and English