ISSB Technical Staff

Are you ready to be at the forefront of global sustainability transparency and accountability? At the IFRS Foundation, we are committed to developing standards that enhance the efficiency of capital markets. Join our dedicated ISSB Technical Staff team and contribute to a mission that values transparency, accountability, and efficiency. We offer a supportive and collaborative work environment where your expertise will be valued, nurtured and your continuous learning fostered. If you embrace this opportunity to impact sustainability standard disclosures, you will become part of a culture where we foster community amongst highly skilled, diverse colleagues.

ISSB Technical Staff

Based: Montreal or Frankfurt

To support the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s work to develop—in the public interest—IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards that will result in a high-quality, comprehensive global baseline of sustainability disclosures focused on the needs of investors and the financial markets.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Evidence-based research – Undertake research on business risks and opportunities associated with sustainability issues (such as climate, nature and biodiversity, human capital, and human rights).
• Stakeholder consultation – Act as a credible and authoritative representative of the ISSB by engaging with a wide range of external stakeholders from industry and the investment, regulatory and standard-setting communities, to ascertain their views and to share information.
• Staff analysis and recommendations – Conduct analysis and develop technical proposals for consideration by the ISSB and its advisory committees, and facilitate their decision-making
• Technical papers – Draft due process documents (research papers, discussion papers, requests for information, exposure drafts, ballot drafts and standards).
• Initiate and lead discussions with ISSB members, advisory committees, and working groups.
• Work with IASB Technical Staff when relevant to ensure connectivity and compatibility between the work of the IASB and the ISSB in developing IFRS Accounting and Sustainability Disclosure Standards.
• Project management, including coordination of a range of activities to support the delivery of technical projects and coordination across other project work plans
• Contribute to the development of other staff.

Experience Required & Competencies in the following areas:-

1. Technical knowledge and thinking abilities:

• Knowledge of the sustainability and financial reporting landscape, including relevant standards, frameworks and regulations.

• Practical knowledge of capital markets and the links between sustainability-related risks and opportunities and value creation.

• Rigour, consistency and attention to detail in work.

• Identifies, understands and analyses issues.

• Synthesises information and proposes well-reasoned recommendations, and draws out implications, including cost/benefit analysis.

• Displays impartiality, balance and openness in developing, defending and accepting alternative views.

• Develops feasible solutions.

• Understand the standard-setting process, including the roles of various parties.

2. Managing self and relationships:

• Is enthusiastic, proactive, and motivated, working effectively under pressure, and remains positive even when faced with challenges.

• Self-aware. Seeks and learns from feedback. Seeks to grow and continuously improve.

• Demonstrates professionalism and respect for others.

• Capable of working in a multi-location organisation, demonstrates awareness of cultural and behavioural differences across geographies.

• Encourages and supports colleagues in a collaborative team environment.

• Focused on team’s contributions over individual contributions.

• Understands the roles and limitations of collective group responsibility.

• Constructively addresses disagreements and conflicts in a timely manner.

• Shares knowledge and information.

• Flexible and open to change.

3. Planning and delivering work:

• Delegates work effectively and appropriately.

• Organises and manages own time and work across competing priorities.

• Respect others' time (eg, providing adequate time for review, escalation, awareness of time zones).

• Thinks ahead to identify what is needed to progress the work.

• Sets and adheres to realistic timelines within the span of control.

• Takes ownership and responsibility for the quality of the work output, regularly communicating progress and escalating issues appropriately.

• Promptly communicates reasons for changes to plans, as necessary.

• Strives for continuous improvement, within resources, priorities and deadlines.

4. Effective communications:

• Communicates in a concise, clear and well-structured way, appropriately tailored to the audience.

• Presents issues, evidence, analysis and recommendations in a neutral manner. Persuades based on evidence and balanced analysis.

• Drafts and reviews Board papers and due process documents with robust analyses of alternative views, defensible support of recommendation and clear, simple, logical and consistent articulation.

• Uses innovative design to enhance clarity and visual appeal to best convey the big picture.

• Presents effectively to internal and external audiences and competently manages questions and comments.

• Listens actively; understands and respects others' viewpoints; synthesises and summarises feedback accurately and completely

Advanced proficiency in both written and spoken English is required.

The organisation

The IFRS Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established to develop—in the public interest—high-quality, understandable, enforceable and globally accepted standards for general purpose financial reporting and to promote and facilitate their adoption.

The standards—IFRS® Accounting Standards and IFRS® Sustainability Disclosure Standards—are set by the Foundation’s standard-setting bodies, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the more recently formed International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). IFRS Accounting Standards are required in more than 140 jurisdictions.

The two boards are overseen by the IFRS Foundation Trustees, who in turn are accountable to a Monitoring Board of public authorities.

In November 2021, the Trustees announced the creation of the ISSB and the consolidation of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) and the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) into the Foundation. This process was completed on 1 August 2022 and the addition of the new board has taken the Foundation from a ‘one board/two locations’ organisation to a ‘two boards/several locations’ organisation (with offices across multiple time zones, including San Francisco, Montreal, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo) with a significant increase in overall headcount. The ISSB has issued its first two inaugural standards in June 2023 and jurisdictions are now considering theme for adoption.

To apply:

Please include the following information or your application may not be considered: the location of interest; and covering email/letter detailing how you meet the specified role requirements and your salary expectations.

As part of our standard recruitment process, we may conduct interviews via video conference. We deeply value the time and effort you've invested in applying with us. However, due to the large number of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to offer individual feedback at this time. If you haven't heard from us within eight weeks of the application deadline, please understand that your application was not selected on this occasion. We genuinely appreciate your interest in joining our team and thank you for your understanding