ESG Client Consultant

Position Overview

MSCI ESG  is seeking to expand its ESG Consultants team in Europe. MSCI ESG Research is a leading provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) research to institutional investors globally. Successful candidates will have a Responsible Investing (RI) or financial background and exhibit a passion for ESG issues. They should have proven abilities to develop strong working relationships with external clients, learn MSCI ESG Research products and guide clients to better use those products.

Consultants must be adaptable, eager problem solvers, and able to lead cross-organization teams. Great communications skills are a must as they represent MSCI ESG Research to all levels of client management. As MSCI ESG Research continues to grow, our clients span some of the world's largest asset manager, pension funds, and foundations. Managing the relationships for a portfolio of clients exposes Consultants to a wide range of institution types and ensures a challenging role with daily client interactions. To succeed in the role, a Consultant must learn about ESG products and issues, about their client's line of business and investment process and constraints and then bring that knowledge together to provide insight and best practices to those client organizations.

Performance is based on a combination of factors including account renewal rates, proactive management and client communication, contract value growth and pre-sales activities. In the pre-sales role, the Consultants partners with the sales team, bringing industry and product expertise to initial client meetings. After a client has begun using MSCI ESG Research solutions, the Consultant owns and manages the client experience. This entails offering proactive support, expertise on ESG services and usage, and participating in the client renewal process.

Scope of Responsibility

• Achieve target renewal rate which will require:
  • Act as a trusted advisor for clients and their advocate within MSCI ESG Research
  • Drive revenue growth with outstanding client service

• Serve as domain expert on MSCI ESG Research's suite of ESG solutions and services
• Proactively communicate and educate clients on key ESG matters
• Own and manage client inquiry and issue resolution process using SalesForce.com and other internal tools
• Monitor and ensure client satisfaction;
• Identify accounts at risk and create a plan to ensure revenue and client retention; working with cross-functional teams to address issues in a timely manner
• Develop/drive account management plans for all clients;
• Conduct regular calls/visits with clients (health checks, training, relationship planning and review), requiring roughly 5 days of travel per month within Europe
• Identify and communicate up-sell opportunities to sales team
• Provide subject matter expertise in pre-sales/up-sell/on-boarding activities
• Conduct training for clients
• Build up ESG industry expertise in order to guide client in integrating ESG research into their investments processes
• Perform frequent testing of new product features
• Continually assess target market and work with management to ensure company is offering relevant services
• Encourage and facilitate meetings between clients and research analysts
• Act as liaison between client and internal MSCI ESG Research teams for key client initiatives
• Communicate market requirements to ESG Research business leaders
• Attend relevant industry events
• Take ownership for projects to help improve client service delivery and team efficiency

Specific Knowledge/Skills

• Good understanding of the ESG market and how ESG factors impact the investment process
• Knowledge of the financial services industry is required
• Excellent organizational, presentation and communication skills
• Innovative, motivated, client-oriented and commercially-aware thinker
• Demonstrated project management skills  - define scope, resources and time lines and manage to deliverables
• A team player able to effectively manage the expectations of a diverse and demanding client base
• Absolute personal and business integrity
• Oral and written fluency in English are required.
• Dutch language fluency is a significant advantage
• Experience, preferably in a consultant and/or client facing position within financial services or RI
• MBA or Masters Degree preferred
• CFA charterholders would have an advantage