Corporate Social Responsibility

Financial companies operate very much in the public eye, bringing great opportunities but equally lots of responsibilities.  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is nothing new for this sector, but recent events, environmental and economic, have thrust financial companies into the spotlight.  More than ever, employers need to be open in their activities and be seen to be operating and behaving ethically and fostering links within communities.  The feeling among companies in today’s fragile world is that commercial success and responsibility can live side by side. This culture of behaving responsibly has resulted in companies investing heavily in financial education, community and environmental projects.

Salary

Administrative and support roles start at approximately £15,000 per annum. With the right experience, qualifications and skills you could progress to management roles and earn in excess of £60,000 per annum.  This does not include potential bonuses or additional benefits. Salaries will vary considerably based on location and employer.

• Working in partnership with community groups
• Co-ordinating volunteer activities and events, drumming up support and persuading employee participation
• Presenting to CSR stakeholders, selling the business case of a CSR programme
• Negotiating and overseeing sponsorship deals and other educational or environmental partnerships
• Organising educational workshops to coach CSR champions across the business
• Promoting activities undertaken, both to the media and to other stakeholders
• Setting up forums where employees can share ideas
• Measuring the uptake and outcomes of CSR campaigns
• Looking at investments making sure they are socially and ethically responsible

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Creative marketers
• Business insight and commercial awareness
• Adaptability and empathy
• Strong leaders and team players – but also ‘self-starters’ able to work with minimal supervision
• Integrity and open minded
• Persuasive and self-confident presenters, able to sell in business cases
• Understanding of different educational, human rights and sustainability issues
• Well-developed communication skills, both verbally and in writing
• Influential, with political and environmental awareness

A new entrant will not always be required to have this knowledge. Employers usually provide training to acquire skills for:

• Understanding society and the positive affect CSR can have on the external environment
• Knowledge of how CSR influences stakeholder relations
• How CSR fits into the wider strategic business context and company brand

People move into CSR work from all sorts of professions. Many also combine it with other day-to-day duties. Any marketing, PR, internal communication or HR experience can be helpful. Most CSR teams are quite small and recruit candidates with relevant experience. Some come into the role after working in marketing, communications or HR. However, as a relatively new job role, teams do require a rich mix of people and skills and in the larger firms CSR teams may have administration and support jobs.

When looking for jobs, it’s also essential to note that many CSR roles may not be titled as this. However, a wide variety of jobs reflect key aspects of CSR activities undertaken. A degree that is relevant to CSR might be useful but you also need to have the business knowledge to back it up, which will allow you to see the whole picture.

Because the CSR field is new, there are no set academic entry requirements. Communication and budgeting are often big features of the job. In order to gain an entry level position, employers will look for people who have:

• A Levels, Scottish Highers or equivalent qualifications such as  Business, Administration and Finance (BAF) Diploma, BTEC National Diploma, Welsh Baccalaureate (BAC), SVQ Level 3 and Higher National Certificate (SCQF Level 7)

Experience of environmental management, ethical finance, marketing and HR hold much value with employers. However, qualifications in CSR are becoming available at Masters degree level, which may prove useful.

Currently there is no professional institute at the moment although the volume of CSR courses and training is increasing. Business in the Community (BITC) offers employers and employees access to a range of learning resources through its Corporate Responsibility (CR) Academy. In addition, business schools, such as Warwick and Nottingham University Business School, are increasingly introducing CSR and business ethics modules into their MBA programmes.

Elements of CSR are permeating every aspect of modern business, especially in finance, accounting and financial services. This is a large and ever growing workforce with opportunities spreading from support to strategy level jobs.  Opportunities tend to be centred within head offices. In finance, accountancy and financial services these are predominantly in the major UK cities. CSR features strongly in both UK and global strategic plans, particularly within large retail banks and investment firms. Consequently, there may be opportunities to work on projects with an international focus. Although often based in the UK, overseas posts and secondments occasionally arise and duties may require some international travel.

• Business in the Community
• Ethical Performance