Vice President, Data Strategy, Sustainability

Our Company

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with more than $220 billion in assets under management. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented, and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, equity, and real estate. The firm has more than 1,400 employees and offices in more than 25 cities worldwide.

We are committed to cultivating an environment that is collaborative, curious, inclusive and honors diversity of thought. Providing training and career development opportunities and emphasizing strong support for our local communities through philanthropic initiatives are essential to our culture.

Our mission is to deliver superior investment results with risk under control and to conduct business with the highest integrity.  Sustainability considerations are a critical component of achieving this mission.  Sustainability factors directly and materially impact investment outcomes, and a concerted and consistent focus on sustainability throughout the investment lifecycle allows us to avoid undue risk and better identify valuable opportunities. 

For additional information, please visit Oaktree’s website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com/

Responsibilities

Own and drive the Sustainability data & reporting roadmap

• Lead the strategy, prioritization, and execution of data and reporting initiatives across the Sustainability team
• Act as the central coordinator across Sustainability, Technology, Risk & Reporting, and investment teams to ensure alignment and delivery
• Translate evolving business needs into clear data, tooling, and reporting requirements

Act as a “data product owner” for Sustainability Central

(Sustainability Central is our internal application that supports core analyst driven sustainability processes)

• In partnership with Technology, oversee the ongoing development, enhancement, and adoption of Sustainability Central
• Define product priorities, user needs, and success metrics; ensure the platform remains fit-for-purpose as the program evolves
• Drive user engagement, training, and feedback loops to improve usability and impact

Enhance sustainability reporting and insights

• Partner with Reporting & Performance to maintain and evolve fund-level sustainability reporting
• Identify opportunities to improve automation, consistency, and decision-usefulness of outputs
• Ensure reporting aligns with internal investment needs as well as external client and regulatory expectations

Enable data-driven sustainability initiatives

• Identify and operationalize opportunities to use data to advance key sustainability priorities (e.g., physical risk assessments, methane engagement, sector deep dives)
• Support the integration of sustainability insights into the investment process

Strengthen client and commercial impact

• Proactively identify ways sustainability data and reporting can deepen client relationships and support fundraising
• Partner with client-facing teams to translate sustainability capabilities into clear, differentiated messaging

Maintain external awareness and bring best practices in-house

• Stay current on market developments, including sustainability frameworks, data providers, and peer practices
• Assess implications for Oaktree’s data strategy and recommend pragmatic enhancements

Vendor & Data Provider Management

• Manage relationships with third-party ESG data providers (e.g., MSCI), including evaluating data quality, coverage, and fit-for-purpose
• Support contract renewals and vendor assessments; identify gaps in current data coverage and recommend solutions

Data Governance & Quality Control

• Establish and maintain data quality standards across sustainability data sources, ensuring consistency and accuracy of inputs into reporting and analytics
• Own the resolution of data discrepancies and serve as the escalation point for data integrity issues across teams. Natural inclination to do detective work to resolve data discrepancies

Qualifications

• Investment and sustainability knowledge
  • 7-10 years of experience in asset management, investment banking, research, or related financial services (experience in dedicated data roles preferred)
  • Solid understanding of investment concepts and market dynamics (fixed income experience a plus)
  • Experience working in or alongside sustainability/ESG functions is strongly preferred
  • Familiarity with sustainability frameworks, data, and market practices (e.g., TCFD, SFDR, climate metrics, ESG data providers)
• Data fluency (but not necessarily a builder)
  • Comfortable working with large datasets and translating data into insights
  • Ability to partner effectively with technical teams (Technology, data engineering) without needing to build solutions independently
  • Familiarity with tools such as Power BI and SQL (strongly preferred). If no familiarity, must commit to learning these tools to address data quality issues, respond to client requests, and partner with our Technology and Reporting teams
  • Familiarity with ESG data platforms (e.g., Bloomberg ESG, MSCI) is strongly preferred
• Project and stakeholder management
  • Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders
  • Process-oriented mindset; able to design and improve scalable, repeatable workflows
  • Proven ability to work cross-functionally with senior stakeholders, including investment teams and leadership
• Communication and commercial mindset
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical audiences
  • Commercial awareness and ability to connect sustainability work to client and business outcomes

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate should:

• Be passionate about sustainability, finance, and the role data can play in supporting informed decision-making
• Be a strategic, solutions-oriented thinker with strong judgment and a pragmatic approach to execution
• Possess a strong sense of ownership and accountability, with the ability to independently drive complex initiatives forward
• Thrive in a demanding, fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities with professionalism and composure
• Be highly collaborative and effective at building trusted relationships across teams and senior stakeholders
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and a continuous improvement mindset
• Exhibit integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence in all aspects of their work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Statistics or Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Finance, Business, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Earth Sciences, English, Literature

Base Salary Range

LA and NY: $200,000 - $225,000

In addition to a competitive base salary, you will be eligible to receive discretionary bonus incentives, a comprehensive benefits package and a flexible work arrangement.  The base salary offered will be commensurate with experience and/or qualifications, industry knowledge and expertise, as well as prior training and education.

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

Oaktree is committed to diversity and to equal opportunity employment. Oaktree does not make employment decisions on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, past or present physical or mental disability, HIV status, medical condition as defined by state law (genetic characteristics or cancer), pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, veteran status, military service, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic violence victim status or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state and local laws and ordinances. This policy applies to hiring, placement, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, recruitment advertising, transfers, demotions, layoffs, terminations, recruitment advertising, rates of pay and other forms of compensation and all other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. This policy applies to all Oaktree applicants, employees, clients, and contractors. Staff members wishing to report violations or suspected violations of this policy should contact the head of their department or Human Resources.

For positions based in Los Angeles

For those applying for a position in the city of Los Angeles, the firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.