Associate Director, Standards Development & Oversight, IRIS+/IMM

About the organization

The Global Impact Investing Network, Inc. (GIIN) is the leading industry body for impact investing. Since 2009, the GIIN has worked to increase the scale and effectiveness of impact investing to solve systemic problems facing people and the planet. With approximately 450 members across six continents, the GIIN serves as a hub for innovation, ideas and information to help investors build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient world.

Learn more at https://thegiin.org

About the position

The Associate Director will serve as a vital role in the IRIS+/IMM team, ensuring technical coherence, governance integrity, and market influence of IRIS+. The job holder will take a leading role in developing core metric sets and related guidance and will moreover actively support successful operations, helping to drive global adoption of effective impact measurement practices through high-level convenings, workshops, webinars and published thought leadership.

Position description

Essential Duties of the Job

• Shape and drive the development of new content for IRIS+ core metrics sets, evidence, maps, and related guidance, advancing GIINs broader mission.
• Spearhead engagement efforts with investors, companies, researchers, consultants, and others to test, learn, to build effective IMM resources tailored to impact investors.
• Uphold technical coherence and governance of IRIS+ content.
• Deepen the engagement with the IRIS+ audience and expand the IRIS+ reach, through activities such as tailored follow-ups and targeted outreach campaigns.
• Collaborate closely with team members and other GIIN teams to and to support stakeholder engagement, user experience and adoption.

Job responsibilities

• Develop and strengthen relationships with diverse stakeholders in the impact investing ecosystem, taking ownership for accumulating insights directly relevant to the IRIS+ standards development and efficacy.
• Bring together and manage engaging working groups that include institutional investors, foundations, fund managers, corporates, small and medium businesses, researchers, evaluators and service providers.
• Contribute decisively to the preparation and successful facilitation and execution of webinars, presentations and workshops at different fora, such as the IRIS+ working groups, deep dive content sessions, IMM sessions at the GIIN Impact Forum, and others.
• Shape the development of IRIS+ Strategic Goals, Outcomes, Core Metrics Sets, based on your knowledge and research of the evidence-base and existing technical indicators and metrics, and your accumulated insights from investors and other ecosystem actors on best practice.
• Act as a technical gatekeeper, ensuring that every metric and indicator and related guidance added to IRIS+ is backed by peer-reviewed evidence and aligns with and technical frameworks.
• Co-develop IRIS+ user guidance, alignment documentation and other content including original insights, as well as tailored outreach campaigns based on tools like Google Analytics and stakeholder feedback to expand the user base, improve implementation and support effectiveness of IRIS+ content.
• Share responsibility for the operational excellence and effective governance of IRIS+ content and related activities. This includes managing the formal cycles of public comment periods (PCP) and ensuring that the decision-making process for updating metrics is transparent, defensible, and credible to the impact investment community.
• Participate in diverse operational work related to the IRIS+ content development process, such as related to the IRIS+ website, content updates, working groups, webinars, and others.
• Faithfully represent the IRIS+ team and work externally and internally as a subject matter expert.
• Collaborate impeccably across GIIN teams, such as research, grant management, membership services, communications to develop and drive toward GIIN strategic initiatives.

Candidate profile

Personal Attributes

• Technically minded, with a high degree of intellectual integrity.
• Able to find the right balance between technical rigor with practical considerations.
• Naturally inclusive and culturally competent, with a deep commitment to ensuring different perspectives are heard and reflected in global standards.
• Curious, reflective, and able to see systems and patterns.
• Authentically collaborative; able to influence without authority.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Project management and IMM expertise:
  • Structured Thinker: Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects that translate impact performance data into actionable investment decision-making tools.
  • Problem Solver: A record of navigating technical and bureaucratic obstacles with a goal-oriented mindset; adept at "backward planning" to ensure rigorous standards are delivered on time.
  • Operational Excellence: High attention to detail with the ability to manage the technical lifecycle of IRIS+ content—from initial scoping research, to workshop facilitation and content development, to public comment periods, to website integration.
• Stakeholder and convening skills:
  • Field builder: Proactively builds and manages high-trust relationships across the GIIN and the broader impact investment industry.
  • Adept facilitator: Comfortable with moderating large working groups and ensuring technical coherence while centering a focus on impact. This includes a thoughtful approach to engaging stakeholders from different backgrounds to ensure standards are globally relevant.
  • Dynamic Communicator: Confidently synthesizes complex technical information for varied audiences; excels at facilitating both in-person workshops and virtual deep-dives.
• Project management skills:
  • Stays on top of multiple projects, plans backwards, anticipates obstacles, identifies and involves stakeholders appropriately, asks for help when needed, and uses resources wisely.
  • Record of finding creative, goal-oriented ways forward rather than getting stuck in a process, and of persevering despite obstacles.
• Strong technical and data-orientation:
  • Analytically minded: Deep appreciation of how precise definitions and metrics drive data integrity and understanding of the importance of both quantitative and qualitative metrics and data analytics for assessing and managing impact performance.
  • Digital literacy: Ability to leverage user feedback and data analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to optimize the IRIS+ interface and improve the efficacy of user guidance.
  • Methodological stewardship: Meticulous approach to drafting, reviewing and refining technical indicators, ensuring content remains evidence-based, technically coherent and aligned with evolving IMM best practices.
• Professional integrity & collaborative spirit:
  • Proactive Communicator: A team-oriented leader who identifies technical or operational bottlenecks early and takes initiative to propose scalable solutions.
  • Collaborative Autonomy: Equally effective at seeing the bigger picture, planning and influencing for long-term success, as with having attention to details, meeting deadlines and supporting colleagues towards effective execution, team and organizational excellence.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of 7–10+ years of professional experience, of which at least 3 directly relevant to impact measurement and management (IMM), monitoring and evaluation (M&E) or monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL).
• Experience in developing or applying technical indicators and metrics or reporting frameworks relevant to sustainability and impact (e.g., IRIS+, SDGs, SASB/ISSB, or GRI). This experience could be on the investment, research, international development or policy front.
• Proven ability to synthesize complex academic research and impact evidence into actionable guidance relevant for non-academic audiences, especially investors.
• Extensive experience in project managing the full lifecycle of complex, multi-stakeholder projects, with a track record of driving consensus among stakeholders with diverse interests.
• Three or more years of relevant work experience in an organization within the broader investment ecosystem, such as asset management, investment management, field building or service provider organization.
• Commitment to human dignity, justice, fairness, and respect. The GIIN considers the values of human dignity, fairness, justice and respect to be central to the work it does as a champion of impact investing. The GIIN believes that upholding these ideals is a global imperative and is an essential purpose of impact investing. While the challenges associated with these values are experienced differently across cultures, nations, and societies, they are fundamental to a shared human experience and the building of strong communities, a healthy world, and a sustainable future for all people. Successful candidates will be committed to continuous learning about human dignity, justice, fairness, and respect and how to manifest these principles in the workplace.

Advantageous experience

• Direct experience working within an impact investment organization, foundation, or DFIs, with practical experience of how metrics influence investment decisions, improve IMM effectiveness and help to accelerate impact.
• Experience with convening and facilitating multi-stakeholder working groups.
• Experience in the governance of voluntary standards, including managing public consultations and maintaining transparent decision-making protocols.
• Familiarity with managing content for digital platforms, including using tools like Google Analytics to track user behavior and making data-driven recommendations for UI/UX improvements.
• A portfolio of published articles, white papers, or guidance documents that have contributed to the evolution of IMM practices.
• Specialized knowledge in one or more focus areas, such as children, nutrition, education, nature or other.

Location

This position will be based in our New York City office with significant remote work flexibility offered through the GIINs hybrid in-person/remote work model. Candidates must possess valid authorization to work in the United States that does not require employment visa sponsorship.

Compensation

The GIIN is committed to pay equity. The salary range for this role is between $100,000-115,000, with exact salary depending on experience, with an excellent benefits package.

We aim to offer competitive salaries and benefits and are committed to fairness, trust, and consistency in compensation. Basing compensation on someones willingness and ability to negotiate or on their prior salary can lead to unfair outcomes in how people are paid, particularly for individuals experiencing barriers. Therefore, we do not ask for prior pay history from our candidates and our offer-making process is negotiation-free for salaries and benefits.