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Role Summary

The Regional Head of Governance is a member of the Governance team within the Investment Services Group under the Investments division of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. The primary responsibilities of this position include serving as our lead governance and engagement specialist for both investment staff and issuers; making recommendations to Portfolio Managers for proxy-voting decisions; representing the firm on governance topics at the industry level; contributing to our external communication and reporting initiatives; serving as a member of the ESG Investing Committee; supporting client-facing associates' needs in the areas of coverage; and assisting with other related projects as needed.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the position are:

• Serve as TRPA's lead Corporate Governance Specialist for North and South American markets, primarily companies incorporated in Canada, the U.S., Brazil and the Caribbean. Develop specialized regional/sector expertise for the purpose of assisting Analysts and Portfolio Managers with governance-related research in these areas.
• Review all upcoming votes of TRPA core holdings in the covered regions, and make voting recommendations in our online proxy system.
• Cultivate relationships with TRPA investment teams through regular rotation in our Baltimore, DC and/or NYC offices and attendance at key investment meetings.
• Lead engagement meetings with companies regarding governance or, as needed, Responsible Investment issues. Communicate and coordinate with analysts, as appropriate, to ensure messaging that's both consistent and compliant with applicable law and firm policies.
• Maintain records and share notes promptly from these meetings in RMS platform.
• Build relationships with Legal & Compliance teams, and develop expertise of relevant subject areas such as shareholder activism and securities law. Serve as central coordination point when situations arise that need participation of Governance, Compliance and Investment teams.
• Coordinate with Responsible Investment team on coverage of particular companies where there is high overlap of governance and RI considerations.
• Publish periodic research pieces on governance issues, both for internal and external distribution.
• Serve as a member of the TRPA ESG Investing Committee, and assist with preparation for this group's annual winter meeting. Ensure that the Proxy Voting Guidelines for the regions under coverage remain relevant over time and fit for purpose.
• Take ownership of TRPA's positioning on governance issues with external bodies such as regulators, quasi-regulatory agencies, trade groups and the like. Coordinate closely with TRPA's Legal & Regulatory Affairs team in establishing our positions. Proactively update internal stakeholders on important regulatory developments affecting our governance practice. Serve as primary contact for in-region industry groups as needed, particularly the Council of Institutional Investors.
• Selectively participate in thought-leadership initiatives such as industry panels, white papers, and academic conferences.
• Assist Global Head of Governance as needed with external reporting projects: RFPs, CDP, PRI Assessment, stewardship code statements, TRP board reports, ESG Annual Report and the like.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education and relevant experience AND
• 8+ years governance or voting experience

Preferred:

• Advanced degree and/or CFA designation preferred
• Up-to-date knowledge of significant corporate governance issues and regulations
• Thorough understanding of the institutional proxy voting process
• Responsive to the needs of our Americas research teams, responding to requests within a reasonable time frame.
• Working knowledge of the investment industry and basic investing fundamentals
• Interpersonal skills necessary to interact effectively with analysts and portfolio managers
• Ability to work on multiple projects at once while adhering to process and deadlines
• Well organized
• High attention to detail
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written
• Thought leadership or public speaking experience (e.g. industry panels)

FINRA Requirements

FINRA licenses are not required and will not be supported for this role.

Work Flexibility

This role is eligible for hybrid work, with up to two days per week from home.