Director, Proxy Voting

Job Description

Your Opportunity

Charles Schwab Investment Management (CSIM) is the asset management arm of the Charles Schwab Corporation. CSIM delivers a wide variety of products including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and money market funds within Schwab Asset Management Solutions (SAMS). The overall SAMS team is passionately committed to providing solutions that help Schwab clients achieve their financial goals. SAMS includes:

• Charles Schwab Investment Management (CSIM), the investment advisor for the Schwab Funds mutual funds and ETFs;
• Charles Schwab Investment Advisory (CSIA), which includes all of our proprietary managed accounts, including Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, Schwab Managed Portfolios, Windhaven Investments and ThomasPartners;
• The Schwab Center for Financial Research (SCFR), who provide industry insights for investors
• The Asset Management Client Solutions (AMCS), responsible for leading Schwab’s 3rd party platforms, offering Mutual Funds, Managed Accounts, ETFs, Annuities & Insurance, and Alternative Investments.

The Investment Stewardship team is a member of the Investment Research Group, along with the Municipal and Taxable Research, Risk, and Fiduciary Oversight teams. The Group is responsible for handling all CSIM’s proxy governance activities, as well as crafting and implementing credit policies, establishing risk parameters, and monitoring regulatory and internal guidelines.

The Investment Stewardship team is committed to ensuring our funds’ proxy ballots are voted in the best interest of our funds’ shareholders. We accomplish this through in-depth research into corporate governance topics, the development of thoughtful and practical proxy voting policies, and engaged oversight of CSIM’s proxy advisors. The Director will be focused on research projects to support our voting policies, including in-depth analysis of data from outside vendors, and oversight of our proxy process and our advisors.

What you’re good at

• Join a team of analysts who focus on investment stewardship for passive and quantitative equity strategies across multiple product types.
• Monitor industry practices and regulatory developments related to investment stewardship.
• Participate in the ongoing review of CSIM’s voting policies with an eye to ensuring policies incorporate timely academic research and industry practices.
• Support the VP of Investment Stewardship in efforts needed to gain approval of new policies from senior management through to the Funds’ Board of Directors.
• Maintain positive relationships with our proxy advisors, including ongoing due diligence and evaluation.
• Work closely with voting data to identify and research trends for potential incorporation into the firm’s proxy voting guidelines.
• Be responsible for proxy voting reporting and participate in the creation of CSIM’s annual Stewardship report.
• Handle all aspects of the CSIM Proxy Voting Committee Policies & Procedures

What you have

• Knowledge of current investment stewardship industry issues through 5+ years of experience in proxy policy roles at a proxy advisor or investment advisor
• Familiarity with principal proxy advisors and investment advisor voting issues, as well as industry-leading investors’ voting policies
• Bachelor’s degree required, with focus on data analysis a plus. Advanced degree in Business, Finance, Economics or Law preferred
• Strong analytical, writing and presentation skills to support oral and written communication with senior management.
• Excellent organizational skills and able to work both independently and as part of a team to support CSIM’s investment stewardship activities.